William John Mulholland
| Age: | 39 |
| Died: | 18th Oct 1919 |
| Accident: | 18th Oct 1919 |
| Year Born: | abt. 1880 |
| Colliery: | Florence (Iron Ore) |
| Company: | |
| Occupation: | |
| Notes: | |
| Buried: | [not known] |
| Category: | |
A sensational accident occurred at the Florence sinking shaft, Cumberland, on the 18th October. The shaft is circular, with a diameter of 17 feet, and it had been sunk to 1,017 feet, almost its full depth. A length of 26 feet below the permanent walling was temporarily supported by wrought-iron rings, 8 inches broad and 5/8 inches thick, placed about 2 feet apart, and spiled behind with backing deals 1½ inches thick. The ground was a soft shale, and signs of pressure had been noted on the previous shift, when all the sinkers, except the two leading hands, came out of the shaft on the ground that it was unsafe. This was reported to the men on the next, or morning shift, but after careful examination both officials and workmen concluded it was safe and commenced work. A few hours later when six men were in the bottom the lower part of the shaft suddenly caved in. Four of the men scrambled through and reached the kibble which fortunately just then came down. The other two men were buried by the fall. It was almost two months before the bodies were recovered, as the whole of the temporary lined part of the shaft had to be filled up and resunk. An exhaustive coroner's enquiry was held, when the jury returned the following verdict: "Accidental death from some cause unseen, and that no negligence "could be attached to the management, the officials, or fellow workmen of the deceased."
Pub.
Date | Article (Newspaper) |
|---|
| 23 Oct 1919 | Egremont Miners' Climb For Life (Whitehaven News) |
| 18 Dec 1919 | The Egremont Mine Tragedy, Sinkers' Climb For Life, The Inquest (Whitehaven News) |
If you are researching William John Mulholland (e.g. for family tree purposes) and you would
like to hear from others with the same interest then please complete
the details in the following form. We will show the information you provide
on this page so that you can be contacted.
Return
Return to Top
Contains public sector information licensed under the 
