New Search

Return to Search Results

Full Details

Surname
ASHURST
Forename
John
Day
25
Month
09
Year
1905
Age
59
Occupation
Stoneman
Mine/Quarry Name
Hazlerigg
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Burradon & Coxlodge Coal Co. Ltd
Location
Hazlerigg
County
Northumberland
Details of Event
Died 26th September. Deceased and another stoneman who was seriously injured were driving a stone drift and 10 feet wide in wet sandstone they had drilled a hole about 2 feet deep near the roof and charged it with half pellet of saxonite and fitted it with detonator and 2 feet 6 inches of gutta-percha fuse. The shots were fired by holding touch paper which had been ignited by a hot wire heated in the flame of a safety lamp to the fuse. Deceased remained to fire the shot his mate and a putter going outbye. As deceased was a long time in lighting up his mate returned to him when the shot exploded on them. It is probable that the fuse had been damp and smouldered and the powder had been ignited unknown to them. A piece of fuse when tested ran one foot in 33 seconds. The Local Inspectors reported it was been a pure accident.