| 1919,
5th July
JOHN MCQUAT
SANQUHAR COLLIERY ACCIDENT
One man Killed: Two Injured.
A serious accident occurred in the New Tower Mine of the Sanquhar
and Kirkconnel Collieries, on Saturday morning, just before the men
had commenced their work for the day. This New mine is different from
the Gateside and Fauldhead pits owing to the fact that there is no
shaft. The mine is what is known as a "drift," being a gradual
decline from the surface to the coal. The miners employed there to
the number of about a dozen had walked in and had congregated at a
point where their "graith” is left overnight. They were
just in the act of selecting their own tools, when suddenly, and without
the slightest warning, a stone came away from the side of the coal
and fell amongst them. One part. of the stone, which fell in several
pieces, struck John McQuat, a young miner, killing him instantaneously,
and injuring George Robertson and George Elliot, but fortunately not
seriously. The others who escaped injury lost no time in extricating
the unfortunate man, which was an easy task, as the stone which fell
on him was not a large one. The other two injured were carefully attended
to and medical aid summoned. Dr Dunlop, Sanquhar, was soon on the
scene and attended the injured. The accident, which happened about
six o’clock in the morning, created a painful sensation in the
district. The body of the victim was conveyed to his bed at Corseknowe,
Sanquhar, and the injured man, Elliot, to his lodgings at Polveoch
Terrace, Kirkconnel, and afterwards to his home in Hurlford. The Tower
Mine is situated close to the Tower Bridge, and is midway between
Sanquhar and Kirkconnel. It only started to produce coal about a year
ago.
The victim of the accident, John M'Quat, is a young man of 22 years
of age, and resided at Corseknowe, Sanquhar. He was only married a
week ago, arriving home from a short holiday on Tuesday evening. He
is a native of the district, and was a quiet and unassuming youth.
He worked in the colliery before the war, and enlisting at once, served
in Gallipoli, Palestine, and France, and was only demobilized in the
spring of this year. Two of his brothers had just commenced work in
Gateside pit when the sad occurrence took place, and they were hurriedly
summoned home by telephone. Much sympathy is expressed for his sorrowing
young wife and his parents and relatives.
Dumfries & Galloway Standard 09/07/1919 / W / 5 / D -
MM69
SANQUHAR PIT FATALITY
Public Inquiry in Dumfries
Sheriff Milne and a jury held a public inquiry in the Sheriff Court
House, Dumfries, yesterday, into the circumstances attending the death
of John McQuat, miner, 85 High Street, Sanquhar, who was killed in
the Tower Pit, Gateside Colliery, Sanquhar, on 5th July. The following
jury was empanelled: Andrew Millar, coach builder, Nith Place, Dumfries;
Edward Ewan, jeweller, High Street, Dumfries; Thomas Laidlaw, builder,
Broom’s Road, Dumfries; Thomas S. Patton, hairdresser, Queensberry
Street, Dumfries; Robert Gaviat, timber merchant, Elmville, Annan
Road, Dumfries; Robert McBurnie, grocer, English Street, Dumfries;
and Peter McKellar, spirit merchant, Bank Street, Dumfries. The inquiry
was conducted by Mr. R. Y. MacKay, procurator-fiscal of Dumfries-shire,
and there were also present: Col. John A. G. Ritzon, D.S.O., M.C.,
H.M. Inspector of Mines, Edinburgh; and Mr. James Lohesr, assistant
secretary of the Ayrshire Colliery Owners Association, representing
the Sanquhar and Kirkconnel Collieries, Ltd.
William McNaughton, manager of Gateside Pit, stated that the Tower
Pit was part of the Gateside Colliery and a new working, the working
of which had been let by the Collieries Company to Mr. John Gardiner
Anderson, contractor; John McQuat, who was killed on 5th July, was
in the employment of the contractor, and was not a servant directly
of the Collieries Company. A notice was posted at the mouth of the
pit showing the distances between the props and supports and roadways.
On the day of the accident McQuat was going on to the shift which
commences work at six o’clock in the morning. The fireman was
Michael Hendren, and it was his duty to make an inspection before
the shift went on and within two hours of the commencement of work
and report in a book kept in the mine for the purpose. That morning,
he reported all clear within half an hour of six o’clock. Witness
heard of the accident, and got to the mine just as McQuat was brought
to the surface. He went to the workings and saw that there had been
a break away of stone from the side of “cuddy brae” head
of Creepie Seam. There was a stay to support the stone at the side.
The roof was quite safe.
The Sheriff: When you say it was a stay to support the stone which
fell, had you any reason to anticipate that this particular stone
was going to fall?
Witness: Not directly. Under the conditions which prevailed such a
thing was always liable to happen.
The Sheriff: Was there something visible to indicate that this stone
might fall?
Witness: No.
Mr. McKay: Up to the time of the accident there was no crack or any
other mark to indicate that the stone was going to break away?
Witness: Not at that particular point. The stone had broke into three
parts, the whole probably weighing 3 ¾ cwts and the part presumed
to be the thin end, which killed McQuat, ¾ cwts. It was not
possible to foresee a break in this way. The prop which was put in
at this stone was done in the ordinary course, and not because they
had any fear of that stone in particular breaking away. It was customary
to place supports at certain lengths whether stones were likely to
fall or not, and this pit the distance between the props was not to
exceed six feet. The distance at the point where the accident happened
was really only 3 feet 4 inches.
The Sheriff: Supposing it had been less than that, would it have prevented
the accident?
Witness: That is a very big question. This wall was taking a natural
break, and under that condition one could never determine what might
happen.
The Sheriff: Could this accident have been prevented if props had
been nearer together than they actually were, or was it an inevitable
accident which would have happened in any case.
Witness: So far as I can think, it was.
The Sheriff: What would have happened supposing there had been really
more? A. They probably would have broken: the two heavy larch props
that were in did break by the exceptional weight from behind which
forced the stone out. The pressure is the coal being taken from under.
The whole coal is excavated out and there is a debris put in to maintain
the stave in its original position, but there is always at least some
subsidence, and it is that coming on that I have no doubt caused the
accident.
The Sheriff: What do you mean when you use the word exceptional. You
mean there was something very special in this particular case or not/
A. When you start a long low seam you start it in solid ground, and
as you excavate the coal out there is a gradual crushing comes on
until it comes to the chronic point where something must go. That
was the exceptional condition that was coming on there.
John Gardiner Anderson, contractor, 23 Riverside Terrace, Kirkconnel,
stated that the fall of stone also injured a man named George Robertson,
and another named Elliot. He thought that the stone would weigh about
15 cwts. But it was broken up when he saw it. At the place where the
accident happened the men kept their tools, and if they did not consider
it safe they would not have kept them there. McQuat had just been
entering to commence his work.
By the Sheriff: There was props throughout the place, but he could
not say whether they would be right under the stone. He thought perhaps
there would not be one as the tools were kept under the stone, and
it was considered quite safe, and did not require a prop. There were
bars about every four feet along the roadway, and so far as witness
knew there was a sufficient number of these.
A Juror: Should there not have been props as well as bars?
Mr. McNaughton said props were not put in at all, but bars of about
eight inch larch.
Mr. McNaughton examined by Colonel Ritson, stated that a prop was
usually a vertical piece of timber and a bar a horizontal piece. In
this case bars were used. The bar had one end against the solid side,
and the other end against the stone which afterwards fell out.
George Robertson, miner, Carco Cottages, Kirkconnel, stated that he
was passed in along with McQuat and others by the fireman at six o’clock.
He was sitting down at this place where they got the tools, and McQuat
was about a yard from him. While in that position a stone broke away
from the side and fell on witness and McQuat, pinning them to the
ground. The stone came away in parts and there was no warning. There
was a bar against the stone, and he did not anticipate that that stone
was going to break away.
Michael Hendren, underground pit fireman, 1 Crawick Cottages, Sanquhar,
stated that during the night he made an inspection of the workings
and again in the morning from five till half past five. He found everything
all right, and entered in the reporting book that all was safe. He
inspected the sides and roofs carefully, and saw no indication of
cracks or anything to suggest that there was going to be a break of
stone. It was part of his duty to examine the timber supports and
bars, and there were two bars at this place, one being between the
solid rock and the stone, and the other parallel about four feet apart.
They had no fear of the stone breaking away. The two stavos were to
support the roof above it, but, of course, they acted as a preventative
in case of anything happening and a safeguard for the sides. He went
to the scene of the accident on learning of it, and accounted for
it by a surge of the roof pressing down.
The Sheriff: If there had been a greater number of props than there
were, would that have been sufficient to prevent the accident, or
is the force so great when the surge comes that no amount of propping
would prevent it? A. If the surge was great it would take a great
deal of timber to prevent it. We thought we had quite sufficient timber
in that place to hold it up.
By Mr. Lohoar: He examined this lye at half past five and he examined
the bars, which were all right. The stone was not broken or any indication
of a break about it.
By Colonel Ritson: During the night the place was quiet. There were
no signs of breaking, of creaking, or noise of any kind. There was
no sign of working of the roof that night.
Dr. J.K. Dunlop, Sanquhar, stated that he examined Mr. McQuat’s
body about seven o’clock and reported that death had been instantaneous
and caused by a broken neck. He had heard the evidence and was of
opinion that the s tone had struck McQuat about the head, probably
towards one side, and broken the neck.
The Sheriff in addressing the jury said it did not appear to him that
the evidence showed that there had been any negligence on the part
of the company and that the accident seemed to have been inevitable
and unpreventable.
The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the evidence. The jury
intimated that they desired that their fees should go to the widow
of Mr. McQuat.
Dumfries & Galloway Standard 02/08/1919 / S / 6 / B -
MM69A
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