MineArchiveMoorgreen Colliery Electrocution, 1913
| Date | 15 August 1913 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Moorgreen Colliery |
| Region | Nottinghamshire |
| Type | Machinery |
| Fatalities | 2 (Edward Gladstone Clarke, 32, cleaner-out; Edwin Spaulton, 31, machineman.) |
| Injuries | None recorded. |
| Context | During active mining |
Two men were electrocuted at Moorgreen while trying to make a defective electric coal-cutter work; a broken contact had put the 550-volt supply on to the frame and the earth through the cable pommel was broken.
Cause
Electrocution from a defective electrically driven coal-cutter on a 550-volt three-phase supply.
Contributing factors
Two faults coincided: part of a broken stator barrel contact dropped and connected one of the contacts to the machine frame, and a broken earth core in the pommel connecting the cables to the machine left the frame unearthed.
What happened
On 15 August 1913 Edwin Spaulton, a machineman of thirty-one, and Edward Gladstone Clarke, a cleaner-out of thirty-two, were trying to make a defective coal-cutting machine work when both were electrocuted. The machine ran on 550 volts, three-phase; a broken contact inside the motor had put the supply on to the frame and the earth connection through the cable pommel was broken, so the frame was live.
Rescue & recovery
No rescue detail survives; both men died at the machine.
Investigation & inquiry
The inspector's account, preserved by the Durham Mining Museum, attributes the deaths to the coincidence of the two defects; the inquest sat locally (healeyhero lists both men on the same day).
Legal & regulatory aftermath
None recorded in the sources read.
Memorials & commemoration
None found.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- Edward Gladstone Clarke and Edwin Spaulton were electrocuted on 15 August 1913 while trying to make a defective coal-cutter work. 1,2
- Two defects coincided: a broken stator barrel contact connecting the supply to the machine frame, and a broken earth core in the cable pommel; the supply was 550 volts, three-phase. 1
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Coal Cutter (direct cause)
The men were electrocuted by the frame of an electrically driven coal-cutter made live by two simultaneous defects.
Sources
- (secondary) Durham Mining Museum: Moorgreen Colliery — Durham Mining Museum
- (secondary) Moorgreen Colliery fatalities, page 1 (healeyhero.co.uk) — healeyhero.co.uk
Record created: 9 September 2026 · Last researched: 9 September 2026