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Robert Davison
| Age: | 57 |
| Died: | 19th May 1898 |
| Accident: | 17th May 1898 |
| Year Born: | abt. 1841 |
| Colliery: | Sherburn Hill |
| Company: | Lambton Collieries Ltd. |
| Occupation: | Stoneman |
| Notes: | he was firing a shot of powder, and as soon as he applied the wire to the squib it exploded before he could get away, and he was severely injured about head and left arm by stones |
| Buried: | [not known] |
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| Description | |
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No. 221 on the list occurred at Sherburn Hill Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Lambton Collieries, Limited, on May 17th. causing the death of a stoneman.
The man's evidence at the inquest, who was working with deceased, describes this accident clearly, and I, therefore, give it here ; he said
"Deceased and I went down the pit at 7 p.m. on the 16th to the Low Main Seam to the dip hitch, in the east district, to shoot up bottom stone to make a road. The stone is mixed blue, and is hard. I prepared the hole: it was 32 inches long and 1½ inches in diameter. I charged it with five bobbins of compressed powder — that is, half-a-pound. The deceased put in the kitty (squib) I gave to him. The slow match whole burns about three minutes, I retired to a place of safety, leaving him to fire with a hot wire, which he would heat at his lamp. Deceased shouted 'I've fired,' but immediately the shot went off. He must have been close up to the hole, probably in front of it. I called, and went at once, and found him as close could be to the shot, which had done its work. His head and hands were injured by stones blown out by the shot. I had two feet of clay stemming on. Deceased had worked stonework all his life. I have not found the squibs in bad order or miss at all, nor has deceased ; we use a lot of them."
There is a little doubt, I think, that he had either lighted the squib instead of the touch, or had nipped some of the touch off, and some of the powder had got down into it and caused the shot to explode as soon as the wire was applied.
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| Mines Inspectors Report Entry | |
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- 1898 Mines Inspectors Report (C 9264), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 26 Where to find this report
- 1898 Mines Inspectors Report (C 9264), Durham District (No. 4) by R. D. Bain, H.M. Inspector of Mines, Page: 42, Accident Number: 221 Where to find this report
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| Researchers | |
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| Researcher | Date | Interest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Hudson | 15 Aug 2011 |
I am researching the life of my great grandmother Edith Emily Preston. Her first husband was John Grainger (killed at Eldon) and her second Robert Davison (this Roberts nephew). I am beginning to feel that I could write a book about the tragedies that befell her family in the Durham coal mines. |
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