Alfred BARNARD (General)

by tuffers64, Cinderford, Thursday, October 13, 2016, 15:21 (2743 days ago) @ macast

Dean Forest Mercury
16th July 1920

ALFRED BARNARD aged 54 collier
Injured 26th May 1920
Died 10th July 1920

Mr M. F. Carter held an inquiry at the St Stephen’s Church, Cinderford, on Tuesday afternoon, concerning the death of Alfred Barnard, miner, aged 54, of Woodside Street, Cinderford.
There were those present: Mr Winterbotham, representing Messrs Crawshay Co. Ltd; Mr Rowley, H. M. Inspector of Mines; Mr H. W. Booth, Miners’ Agent, and Mr W. D. Meredith, manager of the Lightmoor Colliery.
Dr G. F. Rigden stated that on the 26th May he was summoned to attend the deceased and he had been in attendance on him up to the time of his death. He found that the whole of his back was bruised and there was a haemorrhage into the spinal chord and there was paralysis from the waist down. He rallied partially for a while but gradually succumbed. The cause of the death was the haemorrhage into the spinal chord. The injury was consistent with a fall of dirt, coal or rock onto his back.
Stanley Barnard, of Woodside Street, employed at the Lightmoor Colliery for about 5 or 6 years, said the deceased was his father, whose age was about 54 years. On the 26th May he was working with him and a Mr Edwards. They went to work at about a quarter to ten (pm.-DIT). They were working in the Twenty Inch Seam. They had contemplated the setting of timber. The road, which was 8 feet wide, had to be timbered throughout. Just before the accident took place, witness was on the right hand side of the road, getting the ground out for one post and his father was on the other side, getting out for the other. Edwards was cutting the one post off. They were all three practically close together. This was not the first lot of timber they had set. The interval between the sets of timber would be 4 to 4 1/2 feet. Mr Edwards had a look at the spot where the post they had been setting and he was going to witness’s father, when the fall of dirt took place. It fell practically over the spot where his father was working. The fall occurred without any warning or noise whatever. An examination had previously been made of the place by Mr Tingle, about a quarter or half an hour before the accident. They had a sufficient quantity of timber in their working place. Mr Tingle examined the top. He did not say that any timbering was required there. When the accident happened they had done about 20 yards of timbering. By the Inspector: There had been 3 shots fired at this place on the previous Saturday. They were ripping shots and they were fired close to the face. The accident occurred on the following Wednesday. There had no work done after the shots at the face until the following Wednesday morning. About 1 1/2 yards length of roof was brought down. When they had entered the place on Wednesday morning before commencing work, Mr Edwards made an inspection and tested the roof. He tested it with a pick. Before the last shots were fired, the last setting was about 5 1/2 feet from the face. They filled six carts with dirt. A setting was put in place because it was the right distance, not because of the condition of the roof. Witness examined the roof himself. The top was practically level before the fall occurred. Nothing was said about putting up a temporary prop before the setting was being installed. His father also tested the roof but made no remark. It sounded to the witness that it was solid.
Edmund Tingle, examiner at Lightmoor Colliery, said he had been engaged since 1912. He made an examination before these men commenced work. He tested it with a pick and found everything quite satisfactory, the roof and the sides. He recorded the fact in a book. The top at this particular spot was quite smooth. He made a second examination at about 2 minutes to nine. The condition of the roof and sides were just the same as when he had first the examination. Deceased and his son were on the left hand side turning some dirt back. He made a third examination after that examination, at about 11 o’clock. There was ample timber in the place. When he examined the place the second time, 4 or 5 sets of timber had been placed, with intervals of about 5 feet. Mr Edmunds was going to put in another set. The only one there was room for. They had got practically to work the place. By Mr Rowley: The sets had been put up as the face advanced. The length of the lump that fell was about 4 to 4 1/2 feet, and 18 inched to 2 feet wide. The dirt had come from a smooth facing and was not wet. Before the accident occurred, there were no signs of anything being wrong. A jump referred to by a witness, had been noticed in the side further up the road, but this had died out before it got up to this face. He did not tell the men to put a setting up at this place. He had found that they were putting it in. Mr Edwards said that they were putting it up because the side weight. By a juryman: The jump was following the road. By Mr Winterbotham: This jump had gone out of this road before they came to this place. By the Coroner: It s the right thing to do to put in the furthest set, to comply with the regulations. By a juryman: The dirt they were removing was from a shot fired the previous Saturday.
George Edwards, of Buckshaft Road, Ruspidge, gave evidence of a corroborative nature. The last setting of timber was put in because of the side weight. The jump worked in and out of the road. It had not quite gone at this particular place, but nearly so. There was evidence of it some places along the road. By the Inspector: It did not occur to him to put in a temporary prop whilst the setting was being prepared. The general condition of the roof, which he tested with a pick, was good. He got a proper ring on the testing. Witness had worked underground nearly 50 years and he could not tell how the fall had occurred. By Mr Booth: He had noticed no slip in the top of this roof before. It was the side that they had trouble with.
The Coroner said that this was one of those accidents that as long as mining went on, and in spite of every possible care and wholly unforeseen, must now and again arise.
The jury found that deceased died from haemorrhage into the spinal chord, the result of injuries sustained in an accidental fall of dirt at Lightmoor Colliery.