On 20 June 1902 a chock drawer and a young timber leader wer

On 20 June 1902 a chock drawer and a young timber leader were killed by a large fall of stone while repairing an old roadway at Bearpark Colliery, near Durham.

Cause

A large post stone, about 13 feet 6 inches long, fell from a hidden slip and breaker in the roof while the men were repairing and timbering an old headways; the defect could not be seen beforehand.

What happened

Robert Morton, a chock drawer of 41, and John Owen, a timber leader of 18, were repairing an old headways with other men when a very large post stone fell and killed them both. The stone, running from over three feet thick to a feather edge, came away on a breaker of long standing and a very slippery parting, neither of which could be seen beforehand; the roof had looked level, sound and good. The Inspector called it a pure accident of a kind that could not well be prevented, and the chockman a good, careful and experienced man deceived by the hidden defect.

Sources

1. (primary) Bearpark Colliery fall of stone, 20 June 1902 (from the 1902 Mines Inspector's Report, Cd 1590) — Durham Mining Museum
2. (secondary) Durham Mining Museum: Bearpark Colliery — Durham Mining Museum

Record created: 22 September 2026 · Last researched: 22 September 2026