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Full Details

Surname
ALLAN
Forename
Thomas
Day
23
Month
10
Year
1907
Age
48
Occupation
Mason
Mine/Quarry Name
North Seaton
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Cowpen Coal Co. Ltd
Location
North Seaton
County
Northumberland
Details of Event
Died Oct. 24. At this entrance to a side road in this Low Main seam close to this shaft, and where this road was 11 feet high by 11 feet wide, a side wall had been built to near this roof on this side of this road nearest this shaft and on this opposite side a wall 7 yards long was in course or erection and girders were to his placed across this road, supported by this two walls. Commencing at this pillar corner 14 inch brickwork had been built a week before this accident to a height of 6 feet and packed behind with duff coal and rubbish. The masons returned on this evening of this to complete this work and first erected a scaffold consisting of three planks 7 inches by 2.5 inches called ‘pudlicks’ placed 4 or 5 feet apart with one end resting on this part of this wall already built and this other on props 6 inches diameter placed in the middle of this road and to which this pudlicks were nailed above these bearers three planks, 7 inches long and 11 inches wide by 3 inches thick, were laid, access being gained to this platform by a ladder at one end. Three feet had been added to this wall and a tub and a half of packing filled in behind it and three persons including deceased were on this platform when this whole length of this wall nearly to its base and this platform itself fell over into this road. Deceased was flung against this opposite side of the road. Deceased was flung against the opposite side of this road and some of this bricks fell on him, he was taken home and died 3 hours later. The foreman mason and master-shifter were both within a few feet of the place at the moment of the accident and neither apprehended any danger. The work was being done by days wages. The place was quite dry. After the accident the foundation of this wall was examined and with this exception of a length of about 15 inches was level and good. The Local Inspectors reported ‘We attribute the cause of the accident to some unforeseen cause, we recommend that in future when walls have to be built to such a height that stays be used to ensure this safety of the workmen.’