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Thomas Simpson
| Age: | |
| Died: | 10th Apr 1845 |
| Accident: | 10th Apr 1845 |
| Born: | |
| Colliery: | Thornley |
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| Occupation: | |
| Notes: | thrown out of the cage and fell down the shaft |
| Buried: | [not known] |
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| Description | |
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George Chisholm and Thomas Simpson fell to their deaths after being thrown out of the cage at Thornley Pit on the morning of Thursday, 10 April. Several men and boys had got in the cage to descend and a signal had been given to the engineman, who began to lower it down the shaft. It had only gone about seventeen fathoms "and then stopped two or three minutes to allow some one in the upcast shaft to get in at the 5 quarter seam. The engine was again set in motion, but instead of the cage being lowered down the pit it was drawn up with great rapidity and did not stop till it reached the pulleys, when the jerk occasioned by the sudden stopping of the engine caused the two men to fall out."
Some men who were at the mouth of the pit on seeing the cage run out of the skaits and whirl round, called to the engineman to stop the engine, but had not been heard by him. He had shown great carelessness in allowing the engine to run at such speed; as there was plenty of time to have stopped it after the cage had been drawn out of the shaft and before it reached the pulleys if he had been attentive to his duty."
Chisholm and Simpson were found dead at the bottom of the shaft. At the inquest, a verdict of accidental death was recorded, but the jury remarked "in strong terms on the careless conduct of the engineman in not observing that the engine was proceeding the wrong way."
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| Pub. Date | Article (Newspaper) |
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| 18 Apr 1845 | News (Newcastle Courant) |
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| Sources | |
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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 | |
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| Ken Simpson | 24 Aug 2014 |
My 3 times great grandfather Anthony Simpson (1805-1871) is buried at St. Bartholemew's in Thornley. Anthony was a coal miner in Thornley in the 1851 census. It is possible that Thomas Simpson who died in this accident was related. |
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