| 1910 | ||
| Sept 11th | William Ridley English was born on this date at Stand 253, Dekker St, West Krugersdorp, being the second child of William and Mary Sarah English | |
| Don’t you believe it Will | ||
| 11th Feb | A full cage fell down No 4 ^No 9 ^sinking shaft from the pulleys to the bottom. The shaft was 560 feet deep and the headgear 90ft high. The driver overwound the cage, breaking the chains; the rope was intact. 30 boys and two whitemen were in the bottom. I stood on the bottom wall plate 12ft from the bottom, and 10 boys and another whiteman were on the timber immediately above. Geo Hines went up on the south cage, whilst Charles Stevens came down on the north cage, having studdels packed on the top of the cage. The south cage stopped at the surface for a moment when Hines stepped off, and the next instant it shot up into the headgear; naturally the north cage with Stevens in it dropped into the bottom and partly collapsed, Stevens falling off amongst the kaffirs, but quite unhurt. I saw the rope coiling into the bottom of the shaft, and knew the other cage was going up to the pulleys; the next instant I heard a frightful roar, which increased every moment untill it seemed to stun me. I slipped along the wall plate to the end, and took, what cover I could get under the next wall plate above me 8” x 8”. The roar increased, and the cage rushed past me 5ft away [and] crashed into the floor of the shaft | |
