About eleven o'clock on the forenoon of Saturday 24 Nov 1877 a fatal accident occurred at the
Pinder Oaks Collery,Barnsley,to a collier named Benjamin Fitton, aged 50 years.
It appears that whilst the deceased and another man named James Parr were at work,
several tons of roof fell upon them,burying Fitton and partly Parr.
Men were at once set to work to extricate the poor fellows,but when Fitton was brought
to the surface about one o'clock it was found that he had been dead some time.
Parr was got out of the pit and taken home,but his injuries are not of a serious nature,
consisting merely of one or two slight bruises.
The inquest was held at the Pinder Oaks Hotel on Monday forenoon 26 Nov 1877,before Mr Taylor,coroner,
and a respectable jury of which Mr B Laycock was foreman.
The first witness called was Benjamin Fitton of Measbro'Dyke,trammer,son of the deceased.
He said his father was 50 years old last birthday.He resided at Measbro'Dyke Terrace and had
resided in this district 28 years.Witness worked in the same bank with deceased,who had James Parr along with him.
The seam got was the Barnsley thick bed.They were posting and had been working in the same place
twelve months.Witness took props in.They asked for some props about an hour before the accident
happened.They went down that morning at five o'clock.They found the working place in good order.
The accident happened about eleven o'clock in the forenoon.Witness fetched the props as they wanted them
from the jinny end.They were getting both hards and softs.Witness would fetch them some eight or
nine props that morning,and these they kept setting as they wanted them.All seemed to be going on
right prior to the accident.
Parr and the deceased worked together and they set the puncheons themselves.
Witness went out to the jinny end at about eleven o'clock and at the time he left them they were
preparing to fill another corf.Witness would be away about three minutes,and when he returned he
heard Parr shouting.On getting to the spot he found Parr partly buried,with his head out being partly
laid back.It was coal which had fallen from the top.His arms were covered.He kept shouting for his father,but could
neither hear him nor see him.Parr and the deceased had worked only a short time together.
They were quite amicable.The roof had dropped out to a slip across the place.The slip was in stone,
it had come over the puncheons,several of which were knocked down and buried.
The props would be about a quarter of a yard apart,and some were set close to the face.
Assistance was obtained,and Parr was brought out.He did not seem much the worse.
Deceased was got out in about an hour,he was quite dead,-By a Juror,He had fallen with his face upon some
smudge.He had just been commencing to riddle.Deceased was a member of the union,and also of the
Permanent Fund.-Jas Parr,of Providence Place Barnsley,miner said he had known deceased all his life,
but had been working as his mate only a week ago last Friday.
Witness had worked first ar Darley Main and then at Pinder Oaks since he was ten years old.
They had to set the props together,and they always had plenty of props with them.Their place was
all right so far as they knew,the fall took place without the least warning.The props were properly set
and capped.They always had an extra quantity of posting and sometimes would only just creep through them.
The roof seemed very good when he touched it with his pick just before the accident.
Witness was getting a corve of softs down,and the deceased was starting to riddle when the accident
happened.As he was putting his lamp down,the stuff fell and threw witness down.He got the stuff
partly off him and called out "Ben",but all he heard from the deceased was a rattling noise.
He never spoke.They had been getting the coal in the usual way.The stuff knocked several props
down.He had not seen any slip before,and there was no throw near.
Witness could not get out until they came and set him at liberty.
Joseph Laughton spoke to assisting to recover the body of the deceased.
When brought out he was quite dead.
Ann Barraclough,who assisted to lay out the body,was also examined.
There were bruises on the back of the head,and on various parts of his body.
The jury returned a verdict of "Accidentally killed by a fall of roof".
MEDICAL:
Benjamin Fitton died on 24 November 1877,age 50 years at Pinder Oaks Colliery,Worsbrough,Barnsley.
Cause of death is stated as "Fall of coal and stones upon him while at work in Barnsley.Thick Bed of Coal".
Instant Death.Information received from Thomas Taylor Coroner for Yorkshire.
Inquest held 26 November 1877.Registered on 6 December 1877.
The Funeral
The funeral which took place on Tuesday at the cemetery,was attended by nearly all
the workmen employed at the Pinder Oaks and Darley Main Collieries.
Deceased,having worked for the firm about 28 years,was much respected,as was shown by not only his fellow workmen,
but many others following his remains to the grave,and we were especially pleased to see the
managing partner of the firm Mr W Batty,Mr Walton,the certified manager,Mr Brown,underviewer,and other
officials present.The following deputies we also noticed,Messrs Isaac Ogley,Thomas Beavers,James Gaunt,
and Wm Yates,also Mr Watson,secretary to the Miners Permanent Relief Fund of which Fitton was a member.
His wife and four out of a family of eight will receive from the fund 13 shillings a week as the fruits of his
laying by 3 pennies a week.It was a relief to the great sorrow felt to see such a sight as the joining together
of employers,officials and work people to pay their last tribute of esteem to a hard working,quiet,
inoffensive man,in such a respectable way.
For the children and the widow everybody seemed deeply grieved.The minister Mr Lawton,too felt that it was
a more than ordinary solemn occasion,and stepped out of his usual course to offer a few words of warning and comfort
to the assembled crowd around the grave at the close of the service.He very earnestly urged those
who worked at the pit,and all,to hearken to the voice speaking so loudly from the grave of their comrade
and friend so suddenly out off,saying "Be ye also ready,for at such an hour as ye think not,the Son of Man
cometh."and beseeching them all to make their peace with God,so as to be ready when the summons came
for them as it must do for all sooner or later.He spoke very tenderly of the fatherhood of God and his promises
to be a Father to the fatherless,and a Husband to the widow,and asked them to look to Him for His grace,and
Spirit to help them,and appealed to those around to pray for the widow and fatherless children.
He concluded by pointing all to that home in heaven,where there shall be no sorrow,no tears and not
parting there where."God shall wipe all tears from off all faces,and where they might spend eternity
together with their departed and dear friends in the presence of God and his angels."
Taken from the South Yorkshire Times,December 1877.
