Single Record

Full Details

Surname

VARDY

Forename

Wheatley Gray

Day

25

Month

10

Year

1907

Age

41

Occupation

Stoneman

Mine/Quarry Name

North Seaton

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

Cowpen Coal Co. Ltd

Location

North Seaton

County

Northumberland

Details of Event

Deceased, whose father was chargeman in the district, and another stoneman who was seriously injured, were shooting down top canches working by shift in longwall workings in the Yard seam. The seam is 2 feet 6 inches thick and a 3 feet cauch was taken down consisting of sandstone. The explosive used is compressed gunpowder fired by squib and as the men work with candles (although provided with a safety lamp to examine with after shots) they fire their own shots. They started work at 4pm. and had already fired a shot in another place. They were visited by the chargeman in the place where the accident happened at 7.15pm and were then drilling a hole. A shifter who apparently had reached the vicinity of the place after the accident, as he heard no shot explode, went into the next gateway and heard moans and calling for the chargeman they went into the place together and found deceased lying dead in the middle of the road, about 9 feet from the caunch and his mate unconscious on the right side. The place was then clear of smoke. An examination showed that a horizontal hole 3 feet 5 inches sleep had been drilled at the top of the road. Nine inches of stone had been blown from the front of the hole leaving 2 feet 10 inches. The shot had dislodged or cracked the stone 3 or 4 inches. Nothing was in the hole. The pricker lay on the left side partly under the canch and evidently had not been in use an ordinary scraper lay near, an axe rested against the pack and a pick lay on the floor. Directly underneath the mouth of the hole lay a screwed hand drill known as a twister scraper and used to take off projections left by the large drills as well as to clean out the hole, and near it were ten dummy shots or drillings wrapped in paper taken off the compressed powder and to be used as stemming the hole. No beater was found near. The hewer’s beater was found with other hewer’s hammer 25 yards back. Their drilling gear was found 1 yards out but it had been taken from a tram used to convey deceased out-bye and placed there. A coal tub stood on a short branch road, 12 yards from the face, for the putter to take a siding and clear of the rails leading to the face; a pinch slightly bent lay 17 yards from the face. They had two shot boxes, one was empty and the other contained 24 cartridges or 5 bobbins of compressed gunpowder. A box of patent squibs was found in their clothes. The inquest was adjourned for the evidence of the injured man, he stated that he was busy putting the powder into the hole, eight or nine cartridges, and that their candles were some distance away and neither of them were smoking when the explosive went off. He could not say what tool was being used and could not account for the absence of a beater. He denied using the pinch to push the powder home but could not account for its position after the explosion. He stated only powder was used and not gelignite which it appeared was occasionally used.