| Disasters - Names |
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Disasters - Names | ||
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| Date: | 26th February 1902 |
| Colliery: | Littleburn |
| Company: | North Brancepeth Coal Co., Ltd. |
| Cause: | (See description below) |
| Lives Lost: | 1 |
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| Description | |
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No. 82 on the list occurred at Littleburn Colliery, belonging to Messrs. The North Brancepeth Coal Co., Ltd., on February 26th, and caused the death of a boy employed on a coal-cleaning belt on the surface.
Old castings were being broken up in the colliery yard, and for this purpose the explosive Stowite was being used. It is a very powerful explosive similar to dynamite in composition. About one-sixth of a lb. was laid on the boss of an old wheel and fired, and from it a splinter flew and hit the deceased boy, who was on the pit heap, 120 yards away, looking through an aperture at the blasting operations, on the neck and killed him.
The strength of the explosive had been under-estimated and more used than was necessary for the work to be done.
Breaking up old iron with explosives when all the men are at work about a colliery appears to me to be a dangerous practice and should not be permitted. At this colliery they had been in the habit of breaking up castings in this way for many years, but since the accident it has been discontinued and they are now being broken by a falling weight or some other safe method.
| Source: | 1902 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 1590) Where to find this report |
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 | Seymour, John, aged 15, Belt lad, some old castings were being broken, by means of stowite, in the colliery yard; a piece flew 116 yards and hit the deceased, who was on the heapstead looking through a small hole, and killed him instantly |
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