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Full Details

Surname
DOWLING
Forename
Joseph
Day
16
Month
07
Year
1920
Age
33
Occupation
Mine/Quarry Name
Mells
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Mells Collieries Ltd
Location
Vobster
County
Somersetshire
Details of Event
Fall of stone. They were working in a heading ten yards away from Frederick Lockyear, 26, who told how Fred Dowling asked him for a post which he passed to him along with a sledge-hammer and Fred went into the heading. Minutes later the fall came. The men were under the stone. Edgar Charles Heal, the manager, went underground immediately he heard of the fall and after organising rescue parties and seeing that medical attention was available he remained some twelve hours until the bodies were recovered, Frederick Dowling at four o'clock, with a shovel in his hand and Joseph at nine, seemingly in the act of putting up a prop, for the sledge, pick and prop were all together and close to the body. Mr Heal believed that Joseph Dowling had taken out a pillar of coal about 2 feet or a yard thick over a space of about 6ft which had supported the edge of the slip and when it was removed the whole side came in. Mr Heal thought that there was not the slightest warning that the fall was about to take place. Mercifully, death had been almost instantaneous, believed Dr Jones of Coleford. The inquest jury reaching a verdict of accidental death. 2 killed. Left a wife and baby son.