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Full Details

Surname
FEATHERSTONE
Forename
John
Day
22
Month
12
Year
1908
Age
45
Occupation
Miner
Mine/Quarry Name
Whitehall Level
Mineral Worked
Fluorspar
Owner
Joseph Harrison
Location
Wearhead
County
Durham
Details of Event
He and another miner were enlarging an old level which was about 4 feet high by 2 feet wide to 10 feet high by 9 feet wide. They were putting in good timber with a stull above, and loading the stull with deads, and leaving a space above the deads. The idea was to develop as far as possible and them, when prices were high, to stope away back of the level above the deads. He and his marrow were busy drilling a hole at the side of the old level at the inbye end of the part they had already enlarged when a cone-shaped piece of the lode came down, breaking six sets of timber. Luckily one set was left in next the face or both men would have been killed. No stone fell on to Featherstone, but it rolled down and against his legs, breaking both of them. He was taken to the Victoria Hospital Newcastle-on-Tyne, but died on Christmas Day. The lode fell in for its whole width-nine feet - and for a length of 21 feet to a height, at the highest point, of 15 to 18 feet. The level was close to the surface and having regard to this fact, and to the probability of old workings in the lode it would have been a better plan to have supported the back of the level, and not to have left the open space immediately above the deads.