South Yorkshire Times, Friday, December 30th, 1932

Wedding Eve Tragedy

Killed by fall at Mitchell Main

“A Very Sad Case”

“This is a very sad case, I understand that this young man was to have been married today,” said the Deputy District coroner (Mr. S. H. B. Gill) at the conclusion of the inquest at the Wesleyan Schools, Wombwell, on Saturday on William Orrell the son of James Orrell, miner, 52 Redhill Avenue, Kendray Estate, Barnsley.

Orrell was killed by a fall of stone at Mitchell Main Colliery on the previous Thursday night. It was stated the tub he was taking out when the fall occurred was the last but one of the shift.

The inquest practically coincided with the time originally fixed for his wedding. He was to have been married at St. Peter’s Church, Barnsley to Miss E. Parkin (22) daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. Parkin, Highstones Road, Ward Green, Worsboro’.

Not until Friday morning did Miss Parkin hear of the tragedy. She had arrived at Orrell’s house, carrying a few of her personal belongings, when Orrell’s sister-in-law broke the tragic news to her. The couple had planned to live with Orrell’s parents. Orrell had been employed at Mitchell Main some two years. He formerly worked at Barrow Colliery and the family lived at Worsboro’.

At the inquest was Mr. T. Gawthrope, H.M. Inspector of Mines; Mr. Geo. Dixon, manager of the colliery and Mr. H. Copeland, representing the Mitchell Main branch of the Y.M.A. Mr. E. S. Wroe was foreman of the, jury.

The End of The Shift.

Ernest Parrish, miner, 57, Barnsley Road, Wombwell, said on the night of the fatality, Orrell was working as his trammer. He had worked with witness about two years.’ At 8-40 Orrell left the working place to take out a full tub.

The Coroner: That was about the end of the shift, wasn’t it?

Witness: Yes; it was the last tub but one.

Witness said be next heard another trammer named Haywood shouting, “Come out at once, your trammer is buried.” That was about a quarter of an hour after Orrell had gone out. He then rushed to the spot.

The Coroner: How far was that from the working place?

Witness: About a hundred yards. When I got there a collier from the next working place and a deputy had got him out.

Mr. Copeland: Did you see any loose timber at all?—Witness: No.

You would notice a stretcher six feet away from the bar?—Yes.

You didn’t see anv other timber at all? —No.

Witness that the stretcher was still set. In reply to a juror witness said he thought the stone—a big one—had slipped from the bar. The bar was not broken. He had not noticed the stone overhanging previously.

Trammer’s Story.

Solomon Haywood, trammer, 85, George Street, Wombwell, said he was tramming off the same gate as Orrell and saw him from time to time during the shift. About 8-30 he was going along the level and had reached a point between fours and fives gate when he found Orrell under a stone. He was behind a tub which he had been pushing, and the stone appeared to have fallen straight on him, missing the tub.

The Coroner: Did you see any props knocked out?—No, sir; the stone had come from the side.

How big was it?—l should think it would have filled a tub nearly. The, gate was narrow but the tube did not catch the side.

Was his tub on the rails?—Yes.

What part of his body was the stone on?

On his shoulder, that is all; he was face downwards. Witness said he called for assistance and Orrell was got out. The stone had broken in two or three pieces.

In reply to the Inspector he said he followed his tub down and found something obstructed it. It was a dirty gate, and so he went in front to see what it was and found Orrell’s feet stopping it. He knew he could not get the stone off him, so he went for assistance.

Witness said he had been up and down the gate many times, but had never noticed that particular break. No dirt had fallen out of it before.

Mr, Copeland: Did you notice there was a leg under the bar where the atone fell, on the right hand aide coining down the gate?—No, I did not notice one. I did not see any loose timber about at all.

The Coroner: Was all the timber up, so far as you could see?–Yes.

Further replying to Mr. Copeland, witness said he had worked only one shift in that gate. Never during the day had he said anything to his colliers about the condition of the creosote. The tubs were not catching the side or roof.

The Coroner: Was there plenty of timber about if you had wanted it?—Yes, plenty.

Break In The Roof.

David Foers, deputy, 39, off Hough Lane, Wombwell said he was in charge of the No. 1 North Dips district of the Parkgate seam, where Orrell was working. Being called to the point where the stone had fallen, he found that the colliers had moved Orrell. They were in the act of turning him on his back, and one was supporting his head. He appeared to be dead.

Asked by the Coroner if he could-tell them anything about the fall, witness said part of it came from the side and part from the roof. Leading into the gate from the in-bye side there was a slip of a “bastard” kind, starting with nothing and running out into the true lip about eighteen inches to one font eight inches thick. The slip had broken off clean by the end of the bar. It was a clean “weight” break.

The Coroner: When did you last examine this roof ?

Witness: At 8-10 the same night. It then appeared to be perfectly safe. The stretchers were quite firm. Witness added that there was a “weight” break at the same spot a fortnight previously, and for that reason the stretchers had been put in. The stone had broken off between the stretchers. The bar was set underneath the lip.

The stone seems to have fallen just as he was under it?—Yes.

Witness said that after they had got Orrell out he examined the place and found that on a fallen prop there was a freshly made mark about thirteen inches from the foot. He suggested that this pointed to the prop having been pushed out first and the stone having fallen on it. Orrell might have found his tub obstructed by the fallen prop and possibly was in the act of removing it when the stone fell on him. He added, “That is only a theory and just as it occurs to my mind.” If the tub had knocked the prop out the stone would have been on the tub. In reply to the inspector witness said he did not see that anything further could have been done in the way of timbering to prevent the fall. Had there been any complaint about the tubs catching the roof or sides steps would have been taken immediately to prevent it.

Doctor in The Mine.

Dr. G. W. Etches said he descended the shaft and examined Orrell about 10 o’clock. There were several lacerated wounds on the left eye, cuts and abrasions on both shoulders and one on the front of the chest. In his opinion death was due to compression of the upper part of the spinal cord. Orrell’e condition was consistent with his having been crushed by a stone in the manner described.

The Coroner: Was death instantaneous?

Practically so. The doctor added that there would have been no hope of the man living if he had been extricated immediately.

Summing up the Coroner said the cause of the break was not quite clear, but the stone seemed to have broken off at the end of the bar. The stone fell just at the psychological moment when the man was under it. There was no suggestion of negligence on anyone’s part. He did not think the tub caught the prop and knocked it out. The stone just fell and it seemed a pure accident.

The jury agreed without retiring and returned a verdict of “Accidental death.” Expressions of symnpathy were offered to the relatives by Mr. Dixon on behalf of the colliery company, Mr H.  Copeland on behalf of workmates, and Mr. Wroe for the jury.