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The following story is of a mining disaster at Glasshoughton Pit, Yorkshire in 1897, involving our ancestor Thomas Edward Harrison in a 350 yard fall down the mine shaft. The details are from the newspaper reports in the "Castleford & Pontefract Express" dated 31st July 1897, and subsequent articles.

Early yesterday morning a rumour got abroad that a man had fallen down the pit at Glasshoughton, and it proved to be only too well founded in fact. A banksman named Thomas Edward Harrison, forty years of age married with 2 children, and living in Jackson Yard, Church Street, Castleford, was at his usual employment at Messrs Thorpe and Co’s Glasshoughton Colliery soon after 6 o clock, when he fell to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of 350 yards. Death of course was instantaneous. The cause of the fall is somewhat of a mystery. The deceased at the time was only doing what he had done thousands of time before. As a Banksman it is his duty to enter the cage immediately it had stopped and with both hands to seize the laden corve and push it from the cage onto the flat sheets. He had done this and when the other banksman looked round Harrison had disappeared. The cage had been set in motion but the engine man was communicated with and the machinery brought to a standstill. It is said that the cage was seen to rise from its fastenings before Harrison was clear of it, and what caused him to be precipitated to the pit bottom is by no means clear for nobody actually saw him fall. Harrison had been at the same occupation for 12 years and was regarded as a capable man. The body, which was much mutilated was removed to the Malt Shovel Hotel to await an inquest, the day and hour of which had not been fixed last night. It may be stated that it is more than 12 months since the last fatality occurred at these collieries where over 800 men are employed.

Inquest Report 7th August 1897

On Monday an inquest was held at the Malt Shovel Hotel, Glasshoughton before Major Arundel, coroner, touching on the death of Thos. Edward Harrison, aged 40, banksman, of Jackson’s Yard, Church St, Castleford, who was killed at Messrs Thorpe’s colliery Glasshoughton yesterday week. There were present besides the jury, the government inspector of mines (Mr Wilson); Mr J.S. Priestley, general manager, and Major Waterhouse certified manager. For not answering to his name one of the jury John Watkins was fined 10shillings.

Before the examination commenced Mr Wilson suggested that the jurymen visit the mine to see the signals at work between the bottom and the top of the mine. He thought that they would then better understand the evidence. This the jury did. On returning the first witness called was the widow Grace Harrison. She identified the body as that of her late husband who had worked at Glasshoughton pit for over 15 years. The last time she saw him alive was on Friday morning the 30th ult., when he left for work at 5 o clock to go to his work. He was at that time in his usual health. Witness said that she had several times heard him complain of the way in which the other banksmen had treated him, and about 6 months ago he went home with a bad leg and said that the other men had pushed him between 2 corves. He did not report them because he though it might give them some injury.

Joseph Heseltine of York St Tanshelf Pontefract, said he was a banksman at Glasshoughton Colliery and was mate of the deceased. On the day of the accident he and the deceased were drawing tubs from the cage in drawing shaft. They were on what was called the low deck. Witness was in front of the cage pulling the tubs out. Harrison had to go into the cage and push them through. This was at 6.15 in the morning. They had just got the 2nd corve out when witness saw the cage rise about 4 inches and then descend. The folding doors closed over it when it descended, and the deceased was missing. The Coroner here questioned the witness as to the signals, and the witness said that on the upper and lower decks at the top and bottom of the pit there were what were called bell pushes. It required 4 men to give the signal, one on each platform as the bell would not sound unless all 4 were pressed at once. There was no communication between the decks, and the only way that they knew that the signal had been received by the engine man was by seeing the cage descend. On this occasion witness had not touched the signal. The bell push on the low deck where he was working was above his head and he should remember if he reached to touch. He could not have done it accidently, as when he was getting corves out of the cage he had one hand on the iron rod on the side of the shaft and the other on the corve. They had used the present system of signals for about a couple of years, and it had failed once, that was about a fortnight ago, and the bell push in his deck stuck, so that when the other three men pushed theirs the cage descended. It had worked all right since that time. He reported the affair to the electrician. Under the old system of signals witness had gone down the pit in the same manner as the deceased but was not hurt.

John Collins, Cutsyke, said he was a deputy at the colliery, and on the morning of the 30th July he found the body of the deceased on top of the cage at the bottom of the shaft. It was in a terribly mutilated condition. He appeared to have fallen down the shaft.

Walter Arnold, Smawthorne Lane, Castleford said he was engine man and was on duty at the pit on the morning of the accident. At the time the accident occurred he had received the proper signal to lower the cage. When the cage had got about 12 yards down he received another signal to stop it. There were 2 or 3 men in the engine room at the time who heard the signal.

Wm Schofield, Halfpenny Lane, Pontefract, said he was head banksman, and on the morning in question was on duty on the upper deck. As soon as he had got his corves out of the cage he pressed the signal and in a few seconds he saw the cage rise slightly and he withdrew the rods which held it in position, He did not know who pressed the other signals. He gave the signal for the cage to stop. Cobden Waterhouse, electrician said he examined the pushes immediately after the accident and they were right. He had a complaint from Heseltine a fortnight ago, but when he examined them they worked properly. The jury returned a verdict of Accidental Death.

"Will you kindly allow me to contradict a statement made by my sister in law, Grace Harrison. It was stated by her that my brother had been shamefully illtreated by the banksmen. I have worked at the colliery for some time along with my deceased brother and about 16 others, and I have never seen them do anything wrong to him, but on the contrary, they have treated him very kindly, and I believe he was respected by all his fellow workmates. With respect to his leg it was a pure accident, and no banksman was near to him at the time. I trust you will excuse me for troubling you to insert this, as I feel it is my duty to do it in all fairness and justice to my fellow workmates for the kind way in which they have always treated my deceased brother."