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Full Details

Surname
SKELTON
Forename
Thomas
Day
22
Month
08
Year
1907
Age
31
Occupation
Hewer
Mine/Quarry Name
Pegswood
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Owners of Bentinck West Hartley Colliery
Location
Pegswood
County
Northumberland
Details of Event
Died August 5. Deceased and his marrow about the end of the back shift had a shot hole ready to charge and deceased went back from the face about 15 yards to the place where their powder canisters were lying. There was one cartridge (two bobbins) of compressed powder in his marrow’s shot box and three cartridges (six bobbins) of the same explosive in deceased’s box which was an old tin biscuit canister. All the powder as required. Deceased stuck his candle, by means of the clay in which it was carried, to a prop while he was busy with the explosive and the candle dropped away and ignited the whole of it. Neither of the canisters showed any sigh of internal explosion and the probability is that he had taken the contents out of both and was busy removing the paper covering when the candle fell. The putter coming out behind a loaded tub was only 2 feet away when the explosion happened and saw the candle fall Deceased was lightly clad and was very badly burned and was taken to the Newcastle Infirmary where he died.