Spending my free time with the 1915 Gazette. Has a more detailed account of the Alsop death at Broomhill.
That is one enormous stone that fell on the poor guy.
(Nov 13 1915)
RADCLIFFE MAN KILLED
Fall of Stone in Broomhill Colliery.
Mr. Charles Percy Coroner for North Northumberland, held an inquiry at Radcliffe, on Tuesday, into the circumstances attending the death of Thomas Alsop, a stoneman.
Francis Alsop, market gardener, Amble, say the deceased was his father, who lived at Radcliffe, but worked at Broomhill Colliery, and was 67 years of age.
George Hall, Radcliffe, said he was a stoneman at Broomhill Colliery. On Monday, about 12.25 a.m., he and the deceased were working in the main seam at Broomhill Colliery. There were six of them working together. He (witness) was timbering, and the deceased was carrying the baulks down. He was going towards the deceased when a stone came away from the roof without warning. It was about 5 tons in weight, and a 10 foot in length and breadth it fell upon a deceased burying him underneath. It took them nearly an hour or so to get the stone off and remove the deceased, who was quite dead. Both he and the deceased had examined the roof about an hour and a half before the stone fell. They both jowlled it with an axe and found it, in their opinion, quite safe. It was timbered with two baulks, three planks, and five joists. He thought the whole of the props were canted, and they had knocked out no props. They were making a place into the flat when the stone came away from the jack. In his opinion, there was ample timber in.
Joseph Moscrop, chargeman at Broomhill Colliery, and living a Chevington Drift, said he had charge of that part where the accident happened. He was in the place about 9.30 on Sunday night. He examined the roof with a pick, and found the jowl heavy, but by the quantity of timber used, he considered it was quite safe for anybody to work in. Where most of the timber was there there was a visible slip, his intention — and he gave orders to Arthur Smails to see one of the six men, working at the time of the accident, to put in baulks, as many as were necessary, between the present baulks, and take out the planks, which would have made the place stronger and avoided posts on the way. In the ordinary course it would have been done that shift. The baulks were about 8 inches by 4 inches. He had never seen such a big fall before. He thought the baulks were quite sufficient in size.
The jury found the deceased was accidentally killed by a fall of stone.
The jury were: Messrs. Robert Wood (foreman), T.Truman, Ralph Bolton, R. Ritchie, John Armstrong, T. Scott, J.W. Scott, W.Craiggs, W. Lyons, J. Longstaff, T.W. Aisbitt, and C.B. Newbury.
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