Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	1st October 1855
Colliery:	Thornley
Cause:	Crushed by the cage
Lives Lost:	1

On 1 October, William Avery, 14, a lamp-keeper at Thornley Colliery, having finished work went to the shaft to be drawn up. A boy named Scott was also there and he climbed onto the topmost partition of the cage, and then persuaded Avery to do the same. As he tried to get on the cage, it was drawn about 24 fathoms up the shaft by the brakesman, who thought no one was left in the pit. Avery was jammed against the buntings. The men at the bottom heard his cries and gave the signal for the cage to be lowered. Unfortunately, the boy was forced against the buntings again on his descent and thrown into the cage; he was severely crushed and died on being taken to bank.

Source:

Text kindly provided by Jim Grainger from his research into early newspapers (primarily the Durham Advertiser and Durham Chronicle).

	Avery, William, aged 14, Lamp Keeper, crushed by the cage
	All names found
	Some of the names of mining fatalities on this web site have been kindly provided by Jim Grainger from his research into early newspapers (primarily the Durham Advertiser and Durham Chronicle) and are marked with .

 

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