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Full Details

Surname
DUKE
Forename
Luke Hall
Day
25
Month
03
Year
1907
Age
25
Occupation
Stoneman
Mine/Quarry Name
Dinnington
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Seaton Burn Coal Co. Ltd
Location
Dinnington
County
Northumberland
Details of Event
The accident happened during the night when stonemen were shooting up bottom canches in longwall workings in the Beaumont seam. The chargeman of the set of four men of which deceased formed one was off work and it was arranged that another chargeman should fire their shots. Between where deceased worked and this chargeman were two other stonemen one of whom was licensed to fire shots, and these men had a shot charged with 15oz. of monobel powder in one of their canches ready to fire at the same time us deceased’s party had also a shot ready. The two stonemen at the intermediate point shouted ‘fire at the face and then retired to the battery down the gateway and into a cross gateway where they turned on the current and fired the shot. Deceased was at the time travelling along the face to seek the chargeman further out and arrived at the shot just as it exploded and was killed on the spot. The Jury recommended that the men firing a shot should as far as possible guard all the approaches, and the Local Inspectors reported ‘He must have reached the front of gateway canch just at shot went off. It appears to us that if he had kept the crossgate course instead of travelling along the face no accident would have occurred.’