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	Individual Details		Individual Details

Age:
Died:	30th Nov 1853
Accident:	21st Nov 1853
Born:
Colliery:	Evenwood
Company:
Occupation:
Notes:	crushed by cage
Buried:	[not known]
Category:

On the morning of 21 November, James Davison and his father Thomas were waiting on bank to descend the shaft at Evenwood Colliery. When the cage arrived, James got in, but his father did not have time before it was let down. James shouted to the brakesman "bend up", and he drew the cage about 1½ yards above the flat sheet. Thomas had only managed to get one foot in the cage, so that when it was drawn up, he was caught against the flat sheet. He was thrown about 12 feet in the air onto the flat sheet and suffered bruising to his shoulder and had his heel taken off. After being taken to his lodgings, Dr. Todd examined him. Some time later, ‘mortification set in’ and he died on 30 November.

At the inquest, James Raine, the brakesman, said he was called to the engine that day and saw a man in the cage. After hearing a voice shout "How away", he eased the foot-brake and the cage went down. It had only got about 2½ feet when he heard a shout of "Fetch her up", and he drew the cage back up. He had heard someone call "Oh, dear", and at once stopped the engine. A verdict of accidental death was recorded.

Pub. Date	Article (Newspaper)
10 Dec 1853	County Durham Inquests (Newcastle Guardian and Tyne Mercury)

• 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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