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	Individual Details		Individual Details

Age:	35
Died:	14th Aug 1858
Accident:	12th Aug 1858
Year Born:	abt. 1823
Colliery:	Whitehaven, Croft Pit
Company:	Earl of Lonsdale
Occupation:	Hewer
Notes:	explosion of firedamp ignited by a naked light
Buried:	[not known]
Category:

August 14. The most important explosion during the year took place in the Croft pit, Whitehaven bannock band seam. (See accompanying sketch of the workings.)

The explosion originated in a rise-board A, standing without brattice 18 yards up ; the brattice and rails having been improvidently withdrawn a few weeks before.

Postlethwaite, the deputy, had called two of the hewers who wanted places to accompany him to said board. He had in his hand a safety lamp, the two hewers with naked lights following at a short distance; he had improvidently removed the top of his lamp, and was within five or six yards of the face when the explosion took place, and himself and both the others were so seriously burnt that they all eventually died. Postlethwaite was an old and experienced deputy, and this mistake could not be accounted for.

No fault was discoverable on the general state of the ventilation, an ample current of air being supplied past the board end; and so much reflection was cast upon Postlethwaite's thoughtlessness, that if he had survived he would most probably have incurred a criminal verdict from the coroner's jury; for in a place so far advanced, the removal of the brattice was considered highly improvident.

1858 death in the Registration District of Whitehaven, Sub-district of St. Bees, in the Cumberland
No	When and where died	Name and surname	Sex	Age	Occupation	Cause of death	Signature, description and residence of informant	When registered	Signature of registrar
114	Fourteenth August 1858, The Infirmary, Newhouses, Whitehaven	Alexander McMullen	Male	35 years	Coal hagger	Burnt by the accidental explosion of firedamp in an upbank working of Croft Pit coal mine in the Occupation of the Right Honourable William Earl of Lonsdale, which ignited from a naked light in the working on the 12th August	Information received from William Lumb, coroner for Western Division of Cumberland, Inquest held 14th and 19th days of August 1858	Twenty second August 1858

Pub. Date	Article (Newspaper)
14 Aug 1858	Serious Accident In Croft Pit (Whitehaven Herald)
19 Aug 1858	Explosion of Fire-Damp in Croft Pit (Whitehaven News)
21 Aug 1858	The Late Explosion In Croft Pit, The Adjourned Inquest (Whitehaven Herald)
04 Sep 1858	The Late Explosion In Croft Pit (Whitehaven Herald)
09 Sep 1858	The Late Accident In Croft Pit, Inquest Yesterday (Whitehaven News)

• 1858 Mines Inspectors Report
• Copy of Death Certificate kindly provided by Caroline Lorbach
• Information supplied by West Cumbria Mines Research

Email	Researcher	Date	Interest
	Brendan Gray	06 Oct 2013	Family history, my mother's family were employed in iron ore mining in N. Cumbria for three or more generations in 1800s and 1900s. Names of interest are McMullen and McKinney.
	Caroline Lorbach	14 Feb 2020	Hi Brendan, I am related to the McMullen who his mentioned in this page, his first name was Alexander. I have a copy of his death certificate if you would like it. Regards Caroline Sydney, Australia
	Sue McMullen	17 Oct 2022	I've heard stories, but no idea if true, that I might have distant family in the area.

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