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Thomas James
| Age: | |
| Died: | 9th Dec 1844 |
| Accident: | 9th Dec 1844 |
| Born: | |
| Colliery: | Black Boy |
| Company: | |
| Occupation: | |
| Notes: | explosion |
| Buried: | [not known] |
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| Description | |
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Two hundred men and boys were in the Black Boy Colliery on Monday, 23 December, when there was an explosion of gas. It originated in some workings where there had been a fall of stone a short time previous. Ten men were injured by the blast, and one, Thomas James died shortly afterwards. At the inquest, which was held on 3 January 1845, it was said that the men considered the pit safe enough to be worked with candles. And, although the jury gave a verdict of accidental death, they "expressed an opinion that blame, arising from an error of judgement, attached to William Blench, one of the deputies in the colliery, and that the owners of the colliery should pay particular attention to prevent a recurrence of such accidents." No further details were given in the newspaper report, but it appears that Blench had failed to check the working area for gas after the fall and allowed the men to continue working with candles.
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- Contributions by members of the Public
- Text kindly provided by Jim Grainger from his research into early newspapers (primarily the Durham Advertiser and Durham Chronicle).
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| Researchers | |
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| Researcher | Date | Interest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fiona Fairhurst | 30 Mar 2019 |
Thomas James is my 4x Great Grandfather. |
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