Single Record

Full Details

Surname

BRYCE

Forename

William

Day

07

Month

02

Year

1926

Age

Occupation

Miner

Mine/Quarry Name

Policy

Mineral Worked

Coal

Owner

Callendar Coal Co. Ltd

Location

Falkirk

County

Stirlingshire

Details of Event

7 February 1926: Shot Firing In Mines – East Stirlingshire Fatalities - The circumstances attending two fatal pit accidents were inquired into by Sheriff Robertson and a mixed jury at Falkirk Sheriff Court yesterday. Wm. Bryce, miner, Shieldhill, was so severely injured in Callendar Policy Mine, Falkirk, on February 7, by a shot charged with gelignite unexpectedly exploding, that he died in Falkirk and District Infirmary on the following day. The evidence was to the effect that Bryce and another miner, named James Phillip Yeats, residing in Griffith Street, Falkirk, were engaged lighting the fuse of two shots. The fuse lighted by Yeats caught all right, but Bryce said his string was "not going to go'' and they were of the impression that it had not caught. They retired to a place of safety, and there was an explosion in 75 seconds. Still under the impression that the second fuse had not caught, they returned, and were examining what the explosion had done when there was a second explosion, and both men were seriously injured. The under manager of the pit said that in the case of a misfire the regulations laid it down that the men had to remain in a place of safely for an hour. This was not a case of misfiring, as the men were under the impression that the fuse had not caught. In his opinion, as a practical man, the men ought to have regarded the non-lighting of the fuse as a case of misfiring. It was not safe to have done other wise. The Sheriff said that in this case the fuse was alight. His interpretation of the regulation was that if a light had been applied to a fuse, and whether the fuse had caught or not, if the man who applied the light had retired to a place of safety, then he ought not to go back until the lapse of the period enjoined by the regulations. The jury returned a formal verdict. [Scotsman 30 March 1926] See Craigend, No.3 Pit for other accident on 26th. Information from the Inspectors of Mines - 1926: Explosives: At Policy Colliery, Stirling, two pavement brushing shots had been charged with gelignite, detonator and fuse. The miner attempted to light one while the fireman lit the other. They retired to a place of refuge. Hearing one shot, they returned to the place and when they were close to the face the second shot exploded and so injured the miner that he died next day. It cannot be said strongly enough that once a flame has been applied to a fuse, whether the fuse catches light visibly or does not and the person has had to retire, the shot, unless it explodes the calculated time, must be treated as a missfire. There was a High Court of Justiciary decision to this effect in 1922.