Single Record

Full Details

Surname

CAWSON

Forename

Armstrong

Day

15

Month

08

Year

1906

Age

15

Occupation

Token boy

Mine/Quarry Name

Bewick Main

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

Charles Perkins & Partners

Location

Urpeth

County

Durham

Details of Event

The loaded tubs of coal from the Riding drift are brought by endless rope to Bewick Main pit to be screened and loaded into 15, waggons. After leaving the endless rope they pass over a weighing table and then over a short curved length of rails having at first an inclination of 2 inch per yard in favour of the load increasing to 1 inch per yard and terminating at a tippler. Often the tubs will not run round the curve and require to be pushed forward, but if the rails are wet, as was the case when the accident happened, owing to a water tub having passed over them shortly before, they run more freely. Deceased, who acted as token boy and assisted generally, was examining a tub of coal in the tippler, when a loaded tub ran forward and crushed him against it. He was not thought to be seriously injured but was told to go home. He left the pit but was not able to reach home without assistance, and died the same day from a ruptured bladder. The Jury added a recommendation to their verdict that chocks should be provided to prevent tubs running forward unexpectedly, and the manager promised to give effect to it. The Local Inspectors reported, ‘Found it to have been a pure accident.'