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Full Details

Surname
MURRAY
Forename
Robert
Day
01
Month
08
Year
1906
Age
25
Occupation
Hewer
Mine/Quarry Name
West Sleekburn
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Bedlington Coal Co. Ltd
Location
West Sleekburn
County
Northumberland
Details of Event
Deceased was hewing during the night shift in a bord 6 yards wide in the Coronation flat of the Low Main Seam. The tract of coal here is known as ‘Swalley’ coal, and is of abnormal thickness being made up of 4 feet 10 inches of top coal separated by a 3 inch bend from 3 feet 11 inches of bottom coal, or 9 feet in all. Deceased was working his place forward in the top coal and had been sitting on his cracket kyrving his back end. His marrow in a wall 25 yards away heard a fall and ran to the place and found him on the bottom coal and band under the fall of about 0.5 ton of top coal which had fallen away from a sooty back and a free parting above, riding over a stay he had set. The deputy had examined the place within 2 hours before the night shift hewers started work, when it appeared safe and he saw there was plenty of spare timber. The Local Inspectors reported ‘We are of the opinion it is a pure accident the coal having come off a sooty facing and we are satisfied that deceased had his stay in and that the weight of the coal pressed the stay out.’