Sheffield Daily Telegraph – Monday 28 November 1904

Alarming Occurrence at Manvers Main Pit.

 Miraculous Escape of Miner.

As the men were commencing to descend Manvers Main No. 1 Pit on Saturday to replace the night  “shift ” men the cage was disturbed, and alarm was caused when it was discovered that one of their number was missing.

Ten men, including Mr. J. Hardy, of Wath, a deputy, and Joe Agnew, of Mexborough, were in the group. The men were riding the upper deck of the chair, or cage, when they felt an unusual shock. They had then travelled about yards down the shaft.

The engineman was communicated with, and the chair brought a standstill, and it was subsequently found that Agnew was clinging for life to the greasy chains from which the chair was suspended. After being rescued from his perilous position, Agnew was unnerved, and had no recollection as to how the event occurred.

The men say it was a miracle how, after being pitched out of the chair while the cage was descending, he should be found on the cage top. The theory at present expounded is that when the cage was disturbed was pitched out, and caught one of the staves at the pit side, and rebounded on the top of the chair. His lamp was found at the bottom of the pit.

With the exception of Mr. Hardy, the deputy, who had a duty to perform, none of the other men could be induced to descend the pit that day, so great was the shock they had experienced. Beyond the severe shock Agnew escaped unscathed.