was he also known as Thomas Young?
Alnwick Mercury 21st of September 1912
Amble Cliff Dangers
Fatal Fall Down the Quarry
The discovery was made on Tuesday, in the Cliff Quarry, Amble, of the dead body of Thomas Young, 33 years of age, a miner who left his home after breakfast on July 10th , and was not seen again alive.
At the inquest held before Mr Hugh J.Percy, deputy coroner for North Northumberland, James Hogg, father of the deceased, said that when his son went away, he was quite cheerful and his usual good health. He had no troubles of any kind. When he (witness) returned about half past three or four o’clock he made enquiries for him, but no trace could be found.
George Turnbull, a miner, living in Amble, said he was coming along cliff quarry dyke that morning and saw the body floating in the water.
Thomas Brown, stated that he was a fisherman. In company with the police he assisted in getting the body out of the water. He had been in Amble for about 20 years, and had been in the habit of passing along by the quarry which was unfenced except a little on the south side. It was capable of being fenced. There had been to his knowledge several lives lost there. The quarry belong to Mr R.G.McInnes, Amble.
Adam Scott deposed that he proceeded to the quarry and assisted in recovering the body. There was a mark on the back of the deceased head. The body was much decomposed. The deceased’s watch had stopped at 6-20. There were several betting coupons in his possession.
The coroner in summing up, said they heard the evidence so far as regarding the facts explaining the unfortunate man’s death, and he did not think that they could have any hesitation in coming to an opinion as to the cause of death. In the evidence they had heard there had been no suggestion of foul play, and he could not have had any possible motive in taking his own life. He was cheerful, his health was good, nothing in the evidence they had heard led them to a conclusion that it was a case of suicide. They had no cause to doubt but this was another of those calamitous accidents which had happened in that most astounding quarry, which had been allowed apparently, to exist for many years in the state of the most danger to the public. He could not understand, and it was to his main, incomprehensible, how after the number of lives have been lost that no steps are being taken before this to adequately fence the quarry. After quoting from the act with reference to the law on the subject, Mr Percy went on to say that the Local Authority could compel the owner of the quarry to fence it in to the safety of the public. If the quarry was used as a common such as the links were, then the Local Authority themselves are required to have the matter put right, and were empowered by Act of Parliament to borrow money to fence in such quarries for the safety of the public. To his mind it seemed there was no excuse for the Local Authority not having taken up this question before. He would only remind the jury that the might add to their verdict a rider calling for the attention of the Local Authority to the fact that this quarry was of the greatest danger to the public. If they did so he would have the greatest pleasure in conveying it to the local authority.
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