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Full Details

Surname
MADDEN
Forename
John
Day
28
Month
07
Year
1916
Age
16
Occupation
Miner
Mine/Quarry Name
Earnock, No.3 Pit
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
John Watson Ltd
Location
Hamilton
County
Lanarkshire
Details of Event
28 July 1916: Hamilton – Explosion In A Colliery – An explosion of gas took place on Monday afternoon in the Kiltongue seam of No.3 Pit, Earnock Colliery, Hamilton, belonging to John Watson, Limited. John Lowe, 24, repairer, 20 George Street, Burnbank, and John Madden, 16, miner, 5 Forrest Street, Blantyre, were severely burned and had to be removed to the hospital. Another miner at the same place escaped injury owing to his working under the coal face. [Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser 29 July 1916] Lanarkshire Jury and a Safety Lamp - Yesterday , in Hamilton Sheriff Court, Hon. Sheriff Stodart and a jury conducted an inquiry under the Fatal accidents Inquiry (Scotland) Act , 1895, into the circumstances attending the death as the result of an explosion in No.3 Pit, Earnock Colliery, Hamilton, of John Madden, miner, 5 Forrest Street, Blantyre. In the course of the inquiry, the type of safety lamp in use at this colliery entered largely into the evidence, and testimony, was borne to the alleged defective nature of its construction, Mr R Smillie, who represented the miners and the relatives of the deceased, strongly urged the jury to add a rider to the usual formal verdict, and they agreed to the following:- “That the explosion was due to the safety lamp in use in this mine not being properly put together, and the jury recommend that the management should exercise stricter supervision over those in charge of the safety lamps.” [Scotsman 16 August 1916] NB John Madden, age 16 died of burns on 28 July 1916 in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary