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Full Details

Surname
RUDDICK
Forename
Francis
Day
12
Month
02
Year
1906
Age
32
Occupation
Hewer
Mine/Quarry Name
Chopwell
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Consett Iron Co. Ltd
Location
Chopwell
County
Durham
Details of Event
Deceased was hewing alone in a loose jenkin, 5 yards wide, just turned away off an old headways in 1st East flat of the Towneley seam, which is 2 feet 4 inches thick, when a stone, 5.5 feet by 2.5 feet and 16 inches thick fell upon him from the brow of the caunch that had been taken down in the old headway. The stone would weigh about one ton and was relieved by a breaker over the coal and a slip at one side and had a free side next the old head ways. In its fall it canted out a prop set under it and also knocked out a prop under one end of a plank crossing the headways. The foreshift deputy has been twice in the place during the time deceased’s brother occupied it during the foreshift and had observed no special danger. There was plenty of loose timber close at hand. The Local Inspector reported, "We find that in our opinion it is a pure accident, there being sufficient timber in the place." There is always extra danger from falls of stone in driving the first, yard or two from an old road.