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Michael Turner
| Age: | 50 |
| Died: | 13th Apr 1896 |
| Accident: | 13th Apr 1896 10:00 PM |
| Year Born: | abt. 1846 |
| Colliery: | Brancepeth, A Pit |
| Company: | Strakers and Love |
| Occupation: | Shifter |
| Notes: | an explosion occurred on a main haulage road of the mine ; killed in the 1896 explosion (ignition caused by shot firing) |
| Buried: | St. Stephen's Churchyard/Willington Cemetery |
| Category: | Explosions of fire damp or coal dust |
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| Description | |
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Only one fatal explosion, viz., that at Brancepeth Colliery on the 13th of April, occurred. A special report having been made to you on this accident I do not propose to go into the details of it again. The explosion was undoubtedly caused by the firing of a shot on a main engine plane, and the management have now prohibited shot-firing on the main roads entirely, and are introducing the use of higher explosives in the canches and drawing roads, roburite being the explosive selected.
A considerable amount of gunpowder is still, however, being used in the coal and roadways of some of the seams connected with these collieries, but I hope to see the quantity again reduced before long.
Whatever his politics may be the average working miner is very conservative in matters which affect his work, and a change from gunpowder, to which he has been accustomed for years, to an explosive, which has somewhat different characteristics and to which he is a stranger, is sure to be met with a certain amount of disfavour.
A little difficulty is experienced at first starting before the relative proportions of the different explosives to be used to do the same amount of work is thoroughly understood, the tendency being to use more of the higher explosive than is necessary, but when this has been mastered the higher explosives do their work well, and it is only reasonable that both owners and men should yield something in exchange for the greater safety there undoubtedly is in the higher compounds than with gunpowder in mines which are dusty or which give off inflammable gas.
The text of the Report into the disaster is available online here.
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| Memorial: 1896 Brancepeth Colliery Disaster | |
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| Tombstone | |
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Willington — St. Stephen's Churchyard/Cemetery
Location: OS Map 93, Grid Ref NZ210353
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| Names on this tombstone | |||
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| Name | Died | Age | Born |
| Michael TURNER | 13th Apr 1896 | 50 | 1846 |
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| Related Articles | |
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| Pub. Date | Article (Newspaper) |
|---|---|
| 14 Apr 1896 | Mine Disaster, Explosion At Brancepeth Colliery, Feared Loss Of 17 Lives (Northern Daily Mail) |
| 15 Apr 1896 | Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 16 Apr 1896 | The Colliery Disaster In Durham (The Times) |
| 17 Apr 1896 | The Colliery Disaster In Durham (The Times) |
| 18 Apr 1896 | The Colliery Disaster In Durham (The Times) |
| 21 Apr 1896 | The Colliery Explosion In Durham (The Times) |
| 14 May 1896 | The Colliery Explosion In Durham (The Times) |
| 15 May 1896 | The Brancepeth Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 16 May 1896 | The Brancepeth Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 14 Sep 1896 | The Brancepeth Colliery Explosion (The Times) |
| 26 Feb 1897 | News (Northern Daily Mail) |
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| Further Reading | |
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- Mines Inspectors Report into the 1896 Disaster (C. 8174)
- Durham Mining Disasters, c.1700 - 1950s by Maureen Anderson, Published by Wharncliffe Books, 2008, ISBN 1-845630-73-4
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| Sources | |
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- 1896 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8450), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 22, Accident Number: 172 Where to find this report
- 1896 Mines Inspectors Report (C 8450), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 8 Where to find this report
- Church/Cemetery photograph (T-02206-04-0002) © Kev Duncan
- Headstone(s) in St. Stephen's Churchyard/Cemetery, Willington
- Tombstone photograph (T-02230-04-0002) © Kev Duncan
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| Researchers | |
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| Researcher | Date | Interest | |
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| peter catmull | 22 Aug 2011 |
Michael Turner was the brother of my great-grandfather. |
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| Anne Thompson | 05 Apr 2015 |
Michael Turner was my Great-Great Grandfather |
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| June Parkin | 22 Apr 2018 |
Michael Turner was my Great-Great Grandfather |
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| Helen Morley | 21 Apr 2019 |
Michael Turner is my 3rd Great Grandfather |
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| Wayne Puleston | 21 May 2019 |
Michael was my great, great grandfather but I cannot find out what happened to his wife Ann/Annie. After Michael's death in 1896, the next census in 1901 has their eldest daughter (aged 23) as the head of the household but no mention of the mother. Does anyone know what happened to Ann/Annie ? |
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