No.55 Convict Miners 

No.55

CONVICT MINERS

The Coalfield Heritage Group, (CHG) your local historical society has a network of historians working on a variety of individual projects. Being aware of each other's interests there is always a lot of co–operation and assistance between individuals and groups.

Ian Webb, Singleton historian whose latest book “Road's End” is reviewed elsewhere, sent along a copy of a very interesting letter he recently came across whilst researching the convicts who built the Great North Road in 1829–30.

It was a letter sent by the Colonial Secretary, Alexander McLeay to Frederick Hely, then in charge of the convicts constructing the Great North Road. It is dated, June 11, 1830. It reads...

“I am directed by His Excellency the Governor (Sir Ralph Darling) to request that you will immediately select five useful men for the purpose of boring for coals at Newcastle, in order that they may be in readiness to repair with Mr Henderson, the Superintendent of Coal Mines, who has been deputed by Sir Edward Parry, on behalf of the Australian Agricultural Company, and proceed therein from Sydney by the Lord Liverpool tomorrow.

“At the same time I have commanded to request that as the Company has no Establishment at Newcastle, you will make the necessary arrangement for the men being victualed by the Government for the present.”

This is an extremely valuable document in the history of coal mining in Australia. Its copy can now be seen in the Jim Comerford Coalfield Library, which is housed in Kurri Kurri's Edgeworth David Museum.

A.A. COMPANY

Not long before Robert Dawson, head of the A.A.Company in Australia, and his party left England, in 1825, the Governor called a special meeting of the Court of Directors to discuss the possibility of the Company taking over the workings of the Government coal mines at Newcastle.

With the approval of the Colonial Office the idea was developed and in July, 1826, a 'Coal Establishment,' under the direction of John Henderson, sailed for New South Wales.

The proposal was not well received in the colony. However, Henderson and his men still went ahead and undertook survey work at both Newcastle and Parramatta, before the Colonial Committee dissolved the 'Coal Establishment' in September, 1828, and John Henderson forced to return to England.

On the 16th April, 1830, the ship Elizabeth docked at Port Jackson. On board were Henry Dangar, surveyor, and John Henderson, Coal Manager for the Company, his son and three daughters as well as Mary Brown, governess to the Henderson children. Henderson was back in New South Wales to stay.

The letter reproduced above was written less than a month later and signalled the A.A.Company's commencement into coal mining in Australia.

MINING DEATHS

An inspection of the Jim Comerford Coalfield Library's holding re deaths associated with the coal mining industry, fills six binders which contains 1200 pages of information. All of this information has been taken from mining annual reports, newspaper reports, inquests, obituaries, funeral notices, etc.

Depressingly they read like a war casualty list, except that in this case the enemy was mother nature, the attention to safety, and better management practices.

The CHG has, for several years, been researching all deaths associated with the coal mining industry, whether they be due to accidents, the result of accidents, or simply due to the physical demands or miners and air they had to breath.

From information we have to hand at present the statistics to some of the local collieries show that...

From 1898 up till the present time there have been an average of three lives lost for every year. However, for the years 1905 to 1960, the averaged doubles to six per year. A closer examination of the figures reveals that the Lockout year of 1929 saw the least number of deaths – just two.

The worst year, 1905, the year of the Stanford Merthyr Disaster, 16 men died.

Other bad years were 1913 – 10 killed; 1924 – 13 killed; 1941 – 12 killed; and in 1947 there were ten killed.

FIRST DEATH

The first of what we, on the coalfield, consider to be our first mining death occurred on Thursday, July 16, 1846, at what was known as Keddie's coal pit, in King Street, Maitland.

At about 1.30 p.m. on that day, a collier, as a miner was then called, by the name of Elias Jones, who resided in Morpeth Road, had just been hired to work in the mine, descended the mine for an examination.

Thinking he could lower himself, he put his leg through a loop at one end of a rope, which passed over a sheave or grooved wheel above the shaft, caught hold of the other end, and swung himself off.

No sooner had he done so than his weight overpowered his strength, and he fell to the bottom of the pit, a distance of about 45 feet.

A little boy, a son of Mr Keddie's groom, who was standing by, seeing the man disappear so suddenly, ran and told his mother, who immediately gave the alarm.

A new rope was obtained with as little delay as possible, and Mr Keddie was lowered down the pit.

On reaching the injured man, the poor fellow opened his eyes, and at the same moment expired.

The badly broken body was brought to the surface and on being examined by Dr Wilton, it was found that one of Jones' legs was broken at both the thigh and ankle, as well as one of his wrists. There was severe lacerations to the face, a possible fractured skull, and the body was extremely bruised.

That very afternoon an inquest was conducted by the Police Magistrate, Mr Denny Day, who certified that Elias Jones had been killed by accidentally falling down a coal mine.

Jones left a widow and a stepson.

JOHN BROWN KILLED

John Brown, mining magnate, was not even born in 1847 when his uncle, John Brown, after whom he was named, was killed in a mining accident at Four Mile Creek, near Maitland.

John Brown, the uncle, was the 11th child of Alexander and Mary Brown (nee Hart). He was born at Larnark, Scotland, on May 30, 1823.

In 1841, the Brown family arrived in Australia aboard the ship Margaret. John was then 18 years of age.

During 1847, J. and A. Brown began sinking a second shaft at some distance from the existing mine.

On Wednesday, June 30, 1847, the men engaged in sinking the shaft knocked off work for half an hours' lunch break.

On resuming work, John Brown, who was, with the men, was the first to descend the shaft. No one dreamt that so much foul air would accumulate in the shaft in so short a time.

The shaft was down about 40 feet and the coal seam had still to be reached.

Brown safely reached the bottom, when he suddenly became conscious of the presence of gas, and called out to the men to “get out.”

They commenced hauling him up without delay, and had raised him about 20 feet, when he was overcome by the gas, his hold relaxing, he fell to the bottom of the shaft, where he lay senseless.

A rescue effort was made by one of the men to reach him. but he was compelled to return otherwise the same fate awaited him.

It was found then that a candle would not burn when lowered just a few feet from the surface. The shaft was full of gas.

The men then sent for more assistance.

PRIMITIVE RESCUE

In the meantime the men, in a primitive way, cut a few leafy tree branches, which, when tied together, they rapidly lowered and raised in the shaft, hoping to expel the gas or black damp as the men called it.

Two further unsuccessful attempts to raise the motionless body of John Brown.

The first, by an experienced miner, who also fell senseless while attempting to attach a rope around Brown; and the second, by a young, powerful man, who had just sufficient strength, on reaching the bottom, to clasp the miner's body in his arms, and hold on tightly while drawn up again. The experienced miner was resuscitated with great difficulty, thus avoiding a double tragedy.

The bundle of tree branched were again resorted to in order to expel more of the deadly gas.

Another strong healthy man descended, who, on finding himself also being overpowered by the gas whilst passing the rope around Brown's body, gave up, and grasping the body in his arms, was then drawn up to the surface.

It was then found that John Brown was already quite dead, and all efforts to restore life was useless.

In his fall Brown had broken a leg, dislocated his shoulder, suffered severe facial injuries, and it was considered he would not have suffered at all, being knocked unconscious right from the start.

The report of the accident said that John Brown was about 24 years of age, and a younger brother of the mine's proprietors.

An inquest was held the following day by Mr Denny Day, the Police Magistrate, during which he found that the need for proper ventilation systems had to be adopted for the Maitland mines.

PECULIAR FATALITY

The year 1913 was one of the worst years for mining fatalities in the South Maitland Coalfield. The first, that of Charles Morgan, came as the result of a simple accident.                                                                                          

Morgan, 56 years of age, was a well–known resident of Barton Street, Kurri Kurri, and had been employed for many years as a deputy at the Stanford Merthyr colliery.

During the first week of February, 1913, Charles Morgan, in a minor accident at the Stanford Merthyr colliery, suffered what he thought was a minor scratch on his hand. He took little notice of the wound at the time, but later it became very painful, although nothing serious was expected.

He went to work as usual on Tuesday, February 4, 1913, but became ill, and had to return home. The doctor was called and at once diagnosed it as serious. Blood poisoning had set in. Drugs to fight the bacteria, such as penicillin and anti–biotics were still to be discovered.

Morgan was admitted to the Kurri Kurri Hospital at about 4 pm on Wednesday, February 5. Although everything known was done for him, he gradually sank, and died at about 2 am on the morning of Friday, February 6, 1913.

He had been well–known in the Newcastle district, where he had resided for many years. Great sympathy was felt with the widow and family in their sudden sad bereavement.

Morgan's funeral took place on February 7th, and was largely attended. Included in those who followed the remains were officials of the Stanford Merthyr colliery and many miners.

Internment was made in the Baptist portion of the Kurri Kurri cemetery, the service at the graveside being conducted by the Rev. Parry–Jones.

ABERMAIN LODGE SECRETARY

James Black Lind, secretary of the Abermain Miners' Lodge, died one day after Charles Morgan (February 7, 1913). Although his death was not attributable to his occupation, his death, from what was said to be a 'malignant internal trouble,' still cast a dark shadow over the entire mining community.

Lind had a wide circle of friends and acquaintances among the miners, who deeply deplored his untimely death.

Much sympathy was again felt for the bereaved widow and family.

His remains were interred in the Methodist portion of the Kurri Kurri cemetery.

HEBBURN FATALITY

Before February was to finish there would be yet another fatality at the local mines.

James Atkinson was killed in Hebburn No.1 colliery on Thursday, February 20, 1913, by a fall of stone.

An inquest into his death was held the following day in Jewell's Aberdare Hotel, Weston, before the district coroner, George Brown, and a jury of six.

The inquiry was adjourned for several days after hearing the evidence of Henry Atkinson, a mercer, of Newcastle, brother of the deceased, in which he formally identified his brother.

The inquest resumed on Wednesday, February 26th, in the Aberdare Hotel, where Dr Gunts confirmed that Atkinson had died instantly from a compound fracture of the base of the skull.

The principal witness, John Grant, a wheeler, said that he had brought in a horse attached to two empty skips to the work place where Atkinson was engaged cutting coal with a machine.

Grant has some difficulty with the horse, which refused to go between a prop and the skips.

Atkinson came along and offered to assist with the fractious horse. Taking the hose by the head he led it through, but it backed on to a machine trolley, and then plunged suddenly forward, knocking out a prop.

This prop struck Grant knocking him to the ground. Immediately afterwards he heard the roof fall.

Grant called out, but received no answer. Clambering about he found Atkinson buried beneath fourteen hundredweight of stone that had dislodged and fallen from the roof.

The prop that had been knocked out was one of two that were supporting a 12 foot roof slab.

The horse had ample room to pass between the prop and skips and had done so previously, so there was no reason for him to baulk this time.

Another witness, John Sneddon, a deputy, said he had visited the work place three times that morning on his inspection rounds at 6 am, 8 am and 9.15 am.

He examined the props and slabs and found the work place, along with everything else to be quite safe.

James Atkinson was said to be an expert and most careful workman.

The same props and slab referred to had been removed and re–set just a few day's previously to clear the way for surveyors. The stone roof was not loose at the time.

Thomas Dunne also gave evidence before the jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Before the year 1913 would end there would be another nine fatalities, Edmund Gilbertson and Mark Brown, at Hebburn; Albert Townsend and Henry Dunlop, at Stanford Merthyr; James Thomas Henry and William Richardson, at Pelaw Main; Hugh W.Gorman, at Aberdare Extended, M.Partington, at Abermain No.1 and W.Hawthorn, at Abermain No.2.

[Transcribed for the Weston History and Heritage website by Mélissa Martin]