cause of death..moving hatch?.....

Scozzie · Post by **Scozzie** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 5:45 am

One of my family (my 2nd great-grand-uncle to be exact) died in the Lady Victoria Coal Pit at Cockpen in 1901. The cause of death is given as "Injury to head, supposed to have been caused by a passing hutch"...or it could be "hatch"? I'm no expert on coal mining - what is a hutch? How is it possible to be hit by one? Wrong place at wrong time, or were the safety standards not good?

Post by **AndrewP** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 8:09 am

Hi Scozzie,

Going by this list of mining definitions, "hutch" is more likely.

Hutch. Originally adapted from the 'hutch' measure, i.e. a chest or coffer with a capacity of 2 cwt (101·604kg). It was at first mounted on runners like a 'sled' and then wheels were added to make it into a small tub for transporting coal in the mine. (Scots)

http://website.lineone.net/~coalmining/DictionaryA.htm

The Lady Victoria Colliery closed in 1981, and is now the home of the Scottish Mining Museum.

http://www.scottishminingmuseum.com/def ... px?tabid=6

All the best,

Andrew Paterson

Scozzie · Post by **Scozzie** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 1:53 pm

Hi Andrew, Thanks for that interesting list, I'll have a better look at it later. I've seen the website for the Scottish Mining Museum, but had forgotten about it. I only got that death entry yesterday, so I'll be looking at the museum website again. Poor man, to be hit in the head with over 100Kg.
Cheers

Scozzie · Post by **Scozzie** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:05 am

Hello Andrew. Thankyou again for that link. I sent an email to the Museum asking about my relative's death, and received a reply. They sent me a copy of "Reports of Inspectors of Mines, List of Fatal Accidents". A very prompt response from them!

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:51 pm

Hi Scozzie

Hutches were part of the usual narrow guage, mine railways which were operated above ground and below ground. They were joined together by short chains and the wood for the base stuck out at each end to make sort of simple buffers. They needed to be unhitched into short strings to fit in the cage taking them down the mine then hitched up again at the foot of the shaft. You had to bend right down between them to unhook the chain. This was a risky job because they had no brakes and a dunt on one sent the whole string into the next one. If your head was between them at the time. Well....leave it to your imagination! This happened to my grandfather too. He survived but needed a metal plate in his skull.
Hutches were pulled by pit ponies who spent their entire working life underground poor things!

My father drove the coal company ambulance and this was a common injury.

Russell