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Full Details

Surname
STEWART
Forename
William
Day
28
Month
12
Year
1917
Age
48
Occupation
Miner
Mine/Quarry Name
Gateside
Mineral Worked
Coal
Owner
Sanquhar & Kirkconnel Collieries Ltd
Location
Kirkconnel
County
Dumfriesshire
Details of Event
28 December 1917: Sanquhar Pit Tragedy –Crawick Mill Miner’s Lonely Death - A sensation was caused in the quiet mining village of Crawick Mill on Friday night when it became known that a well-known and highly respected villager in the person of Mr. William Stewart, Jubilee Buildings, had not returned from his work as a miner in Gateside Pit. He was one of the miners who descended the pit at nine o’clock in the forenoon, and who generally return home about six in the evening. When he did not return as usual his relatives became alarmed, and ultimately proceeded to the pit to make enquiries regarding him. A messenger was at once despatched by the manager to his working place, which is situated in the part known as the Tower Section, a considerable distance from the pit bottom. On reaching his place they were horrified to find his lifeless body lying at the “face”. Apparently he had been lying holing the coal, probably to prepare a shot for the morrow, when a piece of coal, weighing fully a hundredweight, had fallen on the top of his head and dislocated his neck. Death must have been instantaneous. None of those working in the near vicinity to him knew of the tragic occurrence, and no cries for assistance were head. He was working “single” as his mate has been unwell for some time. His body was removed to the surface, and afterwards to his home. News of the sad occurrence was not known among the Sanquhar men until Saturday morning, and those who reached the pit before 6am., when informed of the sad event, decided not to go to work. They proceeded home and all those who were met on the road turned also out of respect for their dead comrade. Deceased, who was a native of Crawick Mill, was about 48 years of age and unmarried. He had been a miner for about 25 years. This is the only accident of a serious nature that has occurred at Gateside Pit during 1917, and, coming just on the eve of the New Year holidays, it has cast quite a gloom over the whole district. [Dumfries and Galloway Standard 2 January 1918]