Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 17 October 1902
Fatal Accident at Manvers Main
the district Coroner, Mr D Wightman, and jury held an inquest on Tuesday afternoon into the causes attending the death of Albert Mapplebeck, aged 14 years, son of Manasah Mapplebeck, miner, Orchard place, Wath.
The boy was a pony driver employed at Manvers Main Colliery, when on Thursday in last week he was injured. He died the same day at the Montagu Cottage Hospital.
The company were represented by Mr A.T. Thompson, assistant manager, Mr A Shaw, under manager. Mr W.H.Pickering, HM Inspector of mines, was also present.
The father of the boy give evidence of identification, and said the boy had been a pony driver for about four months.
Philip John Griffiths said he had known the deceased for about four months. He was a pony driver and worked in the same level. On Thursday, the 23rd, seven boys, including himself and the deceased, went into work at 2 o’clock in the afternoon. About 8.30 they were all on the landing and gearing their ponies ready to go to the pit bottom. Harry Longworth, the Corporal, who had charge of them, told them to start. When they got going the witness was a lasting order, and the deceased was just in front of them. They had to go along the engine plane for a little distance, and then turn into the travelling road. In order to do this they had to cross the engine plane. He heard a train of tubs coming when he was about 15 or 20 yards behind the deceased, who was then just across the engine plane, and was trying to get his pony to cross. The train came down and struck the hind part of the pony, dragging the animal and the boy with it. The other boys had safely crossed the engine plane, and were then in the travelling road.
Before they started, he had heard Harry Longworth ask Obadiah Elliott, through the telephone, if the boys could come up, and the answer was “I am going to the ninth south with a run of muck.” Longworth then told them to go.
Mr Pickering: If the tubs were going to number nine South, you would still have to cross the road that they were travelling down? – Yes.
Mr A.T. Thompson, the assistant manager, produced a sketch map, which was carefully scrutinised by the Coroner, the inspector, and the father of the deceased.
Mr Pickering said the tubs would go down at a great velocity; the incline was one in 18. The pony the deceased was driver was a quiet one, and was blind in one eye. The deceased was clear of the tubs at the time the train came along, and he would have been all right, if he had let go of the pony, but he stuck to it by the check rain. He was trying to save his pony by trying to pull it out of the way.
The father of the deceased, referring to the evidence as to Longworth and received a message about the run of the corves, said he thought there had been a little bit of neglect.
The Coroner said that was a question for the jury, but you can ask any other question you like.
Mr W.C. Biggs (the foreman): How did you get out of the way?
Witness: I pulled my horse over to the side.
Harry Longworth, Corporal, said the lads were under his charge and he ordered them to go. He did not tell them which way because they knew, which was straight up the engine plane and across into the travelling road. They had to take their ponies with them. He followed up about 50 yards behind them. The first intimation he had that anything was wrong was from the last witness who came running back and said “Look sharp Harry there’s young Mapplebeck under the run.”
He got hold of the wires to stop the train, but he could not say that he stopped it as the accident had then happened. He went straight to the deceased and found him cronked up between the skirling side, and the fifth or sixth tub. The pony was at the front end of the two money, dead. The deceased spoke to him. He kept asking for his mother and, and saying, “Shall I die, Harry?” He was taken away and died the same night.
Mr Pickering: How do you account for this?
The witness: I cannot account for it any way.
Mr Pickering: You knew that those boys had to cross that travelling road. How do you account for this run coming then?
The witness: if they had kept up this side without going across when they heard the tram they would have been all right.
How were they to know the train was coming?
They would hear it.
Was it not your duty to know when the train was coming?
No, this train does not come into this road.
The Boys had a right to cross as they did not hear the train coming?
Yes; they have so many roads to cross besides this.
In answer to the coroner, he said there was no signal given to him or the boys that the train was coming. They had to depend on their ears.
Mr Pickering question the witness as to the conversation of the telephone spoken of by the last witness.
He replied that the last witness was mistaken, as he called to Elliott but did not get a reply. He had known the tubs were going into the ninth south he would still let the boys go up and warned them to be careful when crossing.
The Coroner said the father of the deceased at spoken blame, and the ought either to question this witness or withdraw the remark.
The father said he thought the witness had spoken the truth.
A juryman asked if someone did not stand at the crossing to warn the lads, and the coroner said that question had been already answered by the witness who said no signal was given.
Obadiah Elliott, wrote, employed at Manvers Main colliery, said that on this day he had no conversations Longworth on the telephone about sending the boys out. He had not charge of the run on ninth south that day. The work was being done by William Mellors, who first walked down the road, and he found the wrote clear he would signal for it. When he passed the place where the boys would have to cross the road might be clear, and the boys might be there when the tubs went down.
The father: When you tap these runs off there is no one standing at the crossing to want the boys?
Witness: No.
The father: then it is different at that colliery than it is at any other.
The coroner said there was no doubt at all as to how the boy had been killed. The only question was which the jury would have any difficulty, would be as to whether any person or person was to blame.
Mr A.T. Thompson, in reply to the Coroner, said there were noticeboards at all the crossings, “Beware of the trade,” and other notices. It was usual in most places to have gates, except in the place like that where the trains had to run. He did not see that the colliery company could do anything more to protect the lads, if they were not careful.
The Coroner: If all the miners and lads was careful not to have accidents as the Masters were to prevent them they would not be half there are. You have got to treat them like children. They don’t take notice of noticeboards.
Mr Thompson said he did not see that they could do anything more than they did.
The Coroner: You mean to say that the number of occasions in which these ponies have to cross this place where the boy was crossing is not so excessive and so frequent during the day but what a notice might be sufficient to tell them to look after themselves when there is a run going without having a signal box and a man there to look after them?
Mr Thompson: That is so, because they only have to cross it twice in a shift. That is the only train that goes into ninth south level on that shift.
Mr F guess (a juryman) expressed the opinion that a man ought to be left at the crossing to want the boys, but Mr Thompson intimated that this was impracticable.
The Coroner said the jury had better leave that question to the Inspector of Mines. There was not sufficient blame to justify the jury in sending anybody for trial for manslaughter; he did not know there was any at all; but if there was they had better leave the matter in the hands of the inspector.
The jury concurred with this suggestion, and relate returned a verdict of “Accidental death.”
On Saturday morning, at a joint meeting of the men and lads employed at Manvers Main, a resolution of condolence with the family of the deceased was passed.
The funeral took place on Monday afternoon, in the cemetery at Wath upon Dearne. In the vicinity of the residents of the deceased’s parents along the route to the church blinds were drawn as a token of respect.
The coffin bore the inscription: “Albert Mapplebeck, died October 23, 1902, aged 14 years.