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Full Details

Surname
McLAUGHLIN
Forename
William
Day
07
Month
03
Year
1919
Age
Occupation
Labourer
Mine/Quarry Name
Minto, No.2 Pit
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Lochgelly Iron & Coal Co. Ltd
Location
Lochgelly
County
Fifeshire
Details of Event
7 March 1919: Labourer's Fatal Accident - The last [Fatal Accident Inquiry at Dunfermline Sheriff Court] concerned the death of William M'Laughlin, labourer, lately residing at Greig's Lodging-house, Lochgelly, who died on 7th March from injuries received on said date in No.2 Pit of Minto Colliery, by being crushed between two races of hutches. William Barclay, colliery manager, Cardenden, said that the dook was about one thousand feet long and twelve feet wide, and that the speed of the haulage was about 1 1/4 miles per hour. The deceased and another man, Jackson, had been on the dook while the haulage was in motion. They were not entitled to be there. Jackson, who had on many occasions acted as roadsman, would be in a position to instruct M'Laughlin. The two men were proceeding to a new job, and had the haulage not been in motion the men would have been entitled to travel up the dook. There was another way by which they could have got to the new job. William Malcolm, motorman, Mid Street, Thomas Scalley, fireman, Minto Cottages, Lochgelly, and Frank Allan, foreman, Cardenden, also gave evidence as to the circumstances of the accident. William Jackson (58), bricklayer, 94 Lumphinnans Road, Lochgelly, who had been working with the deceased when the accident occurred, said that he was on his way to execute some repairs at the bottom of the dook. It was pointed out that while Jackson was technically a bricklayer, he still had qualification as a roadsman to travel on the haulage while it was in motion. The Sheriff, in advising the jury to return a formal verdict, suggested that they should add that the cause of the accident was due to M'Laughlin travelling on the road while the haulage was in motion. The question was whether he was entitled to do that. The jury returned a formal verdict, expressing the opinion that the cause of the accident was M'Laughlin travelling on the haulage while it was in motion, contrary to the Coal Mines Act. [Dunfermline Journal 24 May 1919]