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Full Details

Surname
COOPER
Forename
Samuel
Day
28
Month
02
Year
1906
Age
57
Occupation
Hewer
Mine/Quarry Name
Walkmill
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Moresby Coal Co. Ltd
Location
Moresby
County
Cumberland
Details of Event
Died March 3. Deceased and his son a lad of 16, Were working together in robbing or broken workings in No.3 A district the Main Band which is 4.5 feet thick and is overlaid by 20 inches of ‘cash’ or soft shale mixed with coal and fill of slips. They were preparing to start the 3rd lift in a pillar of coil. The roadway skirting the pillar was timbered by pairs of gears with squared crowns set 2 feet to 2.5 feet apart and in order to obtain access to the coal a crosshead or running balk was to replace some of the props next the coal. Deceased had been instructed by the deputy, who had examined the place before work started, to middle prop the crowns before taking out the props next the coil and putting in the running balk. While so engaged, he is supposed to have caused a crown to cant and the cash and some of the stone above it fell for a length of about 10 feet. relieved by a slip at the outbye end, displacing four pairs of gears in its fall. Deceased had his lighted safety lamp hung on his belt and when he was knocked down and covered up he fell on the lamp which was not extinguished and pressed against his chest in the region of the heart. He was released in about 10 minutes but was unconscious and remained so until his death, which, according to medical evidence given at the inquest was due to shock and heart failure.