From the Derbyshire Times 12 January 1861

An inquest was held by Mr. Busby, at the Peacock Inn, Cutthorpe, on 
Friday, the 4th. inst., on the body of John Smales, when the following 
evidence was adduced: - James Howe, of Newbold, engine- tenter, deposed: 
I am engine-tenter at the Abbey Dale Ironstone Mines, at Newbold, 
belonging to Samuel Beale, and others. There are eight different 
ironstone pits, all worked by the same engine. The nearest pit is about 
110 yards from the engine house. The furthest is 200 and odd. Three pits 
are north east of the engine; three lie east, and two south east. They 
vary in depth from 34 to 60 yards. There is one drum, with eight 
different sizes regulating the ropes for each pit. In usual working we 
draw up and down the eight pits at the same time, that is up four pits 
and down four pits. We have no printed rules. There is no means of 
signalling from or to the bottom of any of the pits. If there is an 
accident, a little lad who hangs on shouts up the shaft to the banksman, 
who is either there or emptying his corves. There are three bells, one 
at each for the three pits in different directions. If there is a bell 
at the banksman's pit, who hears of the accident, he rings it; if not, 
he shouts to the banksman as whose pit the bell is, and the latter rings 
it. When they ring, if the engine is going on, I stop it. If they ring 
when the engine is stopping, I wait for them to bring me word of what to 
do. In our regular work we go on without signalling. I can see two pits 
from the engine house, and the banksman "stands at ease" as a signal for 
me to go on either in raising or lowering. Some of the pits are old coal 
shafts, but I don't know which. I have known the pits two years and five 
months. On Thursday, the 3rd. instant, I was in the engine house. Six of 
the eight pits were working; two were stopped. Smales had been working 
at one of the pits south-east of the engine house, next but one to the 
engine house; and about 160 or 170 yards off. He had come to the drums 
by the engine house to grease the ropes of the eight pits; that is, the 
parts of the ropes that lap on the drum. He was on a ladder raised 
against the prop which supports the drum. About two minutes before the 
accident I saw him standing on the brick pillar that the drum rests on; 
he was greasing one of the lower ropes. I spoke to him. The engine was 
moving at the time. I had gone out for a minute or two to speak to 
deceased. I returned to the engine house; the engine was still moving. I 
stopped the engine when I returned, and afterwards drew twice up and 
down the pits. When I drew up the second time I heard deceased's voice 
crying out. The tubs were then by the indicator in the middle of the 
shaft. I stopped my engine directly. I went to the drums to look for 
deceased. I saw deceased between the engine house wall and the drum, all 
torn to pieces. I thought that the ladder on which he had been standing 
must have slipped. He had been setting one foot on the ladder and the 
other foot on a plank of wood. The piece of wood broke on which his left 
foot had been resting; and the up going rope, which that piece of wood 
was carrying, caught deceased and took the leg round the drum, and when 
he was getting round I must have heard his voice. It is a perpendicular 
drum. He had not been carried round a quarter of the drum; the rope held 
him and wedged him into a very narrow space between the engine house 
wall and the drum. His leg was between the rope and drum, and his body 
wedged into the narrow space. His head was crushed to a mummy and the 
lower part of his body torn all to pieces. He was quite dead. The piece 
of wood he was resting on was not put up nor calculated for that manner. 
He was not on it when I spoke to him, and I don't know that he intended 
to do so. Charles Hall, Newbold, overlooker of Newbold Mines, said: The 
pits where the accident occurred are called the Abbey Dale Mines, in 
Newbold Township. They are ironstone mines, the coal has been got: It 
lay 11 yards below the ironstone, 5 of the 8 shafts are old coal shafts. 
There are no Rules established under the recent Act, there has never 
been any printed Rules. William Needham, Cutthorpe, coal and ironstone 
miner, said: I saw deceased three minutes before the accident, he was 
standing on a ladder besides the drum; I was 150 yards off and couldn't 
see whether he had both feet on the ladder. I thought I saw his legs 
going round the drum. The engine stopped the moment deceased cried out. 
I ran to deceased, deceased had been caught by his left leg; the ropes 
were round his neck, and his body was crushed between the drum and wall. 
Verdict, "Accidental Death".
-- 
David Williams