behalf of the Enginemen's Association, Mr. Howell Jones, manager of the pit, and Mr. Loveband, engineer, were all present. The deceased's father identified the body.

John Lumley, haulier at the pit, said he found Evans on the dram tangled up in the wire rope. His left hand was on the drum, under the ropes, and his stomach was against the drum, and his head at the side of it. A spanner was on the ground near him. The crab engine had only been working about 24 minutes, and then he heard the deceased groaning. There were about 15 to 20, coils on the drum when the engine was stopped. Samuel Hill, the engine driver, said he used a spanner, and so did the deceased, to guide the first two or three coils of the rope on the drum in proper order, and then the rope went round all right. The spanner was about 18 inches long. He had not noticed the rope was jagged, so that deceased's clothes would become entangled. The drum was quite low, so that the deceased did not have to reach over the drum to guide the rope. Mr. Loveband, mechanical engineer, said the spanner was as good as anything to guide the rope; he could not think of anything better. He produced a plan of the site of the accident. Mr Howell Jones said the ropes travelled at the rate of about three miles an hour. Samuel Hill, recalled, said he always touched the slack rope with his hands; he was bound to do so. Mr. Love and said he could not explain this; it was very unwise to use the hand when the drum was in motion. The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental Death," and added a rider that a better means should be adopted for guiding the rope on the drum.

9 February 1901

Fatal Colliery Accident At Fochriw   The inquest on the body of John Swancott of Dowlais, killed at No. 2 Pit Fochriw, on Wednesday night of last week, was held at the Police Station, Dowlais, on Friday afternoon last, by Mr. Coroner Rhys. Mr. Howell Jones, deputy colliery manager, and Mr. John Davies, miners’ agent, were also present. Benjamin Swancott, brother to the deceased, said that his brother was 31 years old, and worked as a repairer at No. 2 Pit. He had worked underground for about 12 years. He was married and had two children.
Richard Jones, aged 17, labourer and waller, said he worked as a shackler sometimes. He was shackling all-day Wednesday at the double parting. At quarter to five in the afternoon, he had shackled the last journey of 10 trams of coal, and left the journey at the parting called the "Bottom parting." He was confident that he had shackled each tram properly, and put his hand on each pin to see that it was through. Evan Jones, aged 18, night driver, said that he saw the journey of trams going up the parting during the night, when he was bringing up another lot of trams; Swancott was riding a journey. The journey came back about five yards, and his light went out. He was going to get a light when he found he could not go as the trams were upset on the road, and he then went and told the night firemen, William White; the trams parted between the first and second tram.
David Coles, mason, was working at this pit on the drift, but there was no room and for him to do his work and tail of this journey was clear. He was the first who saw Swancott; who was lying in the middle of the road quite dead, and the tram was on top of him.
Watkin Williams, the driver of the hauling engine that works the bottom drifts, said he had the signal to haul the first journey about 11 o'clock. He found that there was something wrong with the journey after hauling it about 400 yards, and then he stopped immediately. Only one tram came up on a rope and nine ran back.
Mr. Howell Jones, deputy colliery manager, produced a plan. In reply to Mr. John Davies, he said that there was a distance of 11 inches between the bottom of the shackle and the road. The shackler had been shackling for two years, and had shackled at the pit top before that. The shackle was identical to the one produced at the last inquest on the men killed at the same pit, and was as perfect a shackle as could be used. The Coroner remarked that this kind of shackle is the one in general use in the South Wales Collieries. Mr. John Davies asked Mr. Jones if he did not think it possible for the bottom of the pin to