On the
afternoon of Sunday 9 May 1943, 40 year old colliery maintenance
worker Joseph Boulton of 12 Blake Street, Burslem, was engaged with
others in recapping a winding rope at the top of No. 2 pit at the
Sneyd Collieries, Burslem, when he overbalanced and fell
backwards head first down the pit shaft. He turned several
somersaults and in his headlong fall happened to see a wire guide
rope glistening with oil from the light reflected from the top of the
pit shaft which was rapidly disappearing from his view. Reaching out
he grasped the guide rope first with one hand, then with the other,
and succeeded also in wrapping his legs around it, the thick coating of grease
preventing any serious injury from friction burns. In this way he
slowed his descent and eventually came to a stop and stepped off at a
pump inset about 300 yards from the top of the pit shaft. The pump
attendant was not there, so Mr Boulton sat in the pump house and read
an illustrated magazine until a manager Mr J Hebblethwaite, and other
colliery officials, who had expected to find him dead at the pit
bottom, found him with only slight burns to one hand and one leg.
They were amazed to see the man and find that he was comparatively
unhurt, but insisted on him receiving first-aid treatment at the
ambulance room before he went home and went to bed.
Describing his miraculous escape to reporters Mr Boulton said 'A million-to-one chance saved my life.'
Describing his miraculous escape to reporters Mr Boulton said 'A million-to-one chance saved my life.'