Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	24th October 1893
Colliery:	Lofthouse (Ironstone)
Cause:	Killed by shot
Lives Lost:	1

Number 8 on the list occurred at Lofthouse Mines on the 24th of October, about 6.30 o'clock p.m., causing the death of George Cornwall, a deputy.

This accident was caused by a shot blowing through from one place to another, but the circumstances attending it are somewhat uncommon.

A pillar was being split, for the purposes of removing it, and to do this a place was driven parallel to an old headway, the intention being to leave five yards in the thickness of stone between the places. Unfortunately the new place, from the time it was commenced, began to lean, unobserved, towards the old one, and the result was that after it had been driven a distance of about nine yards, a hole in the side next to the old headways blew through, there only being two feet of stone between the end of the hole and the side of the old place. Deceased and the shot firer had gone right opposite to where the shot blew through, thinking they were perfectly safe, but deceased was hit and never regained consciousness ; the shot firer was only three feet from him and had a miraculous escape.

Deceased, along with the other officials in charge of this district of the mine, was responsible to see that the place was being driven parallel to the headways which had been previously driven, and they depended upon the eye to do this, but were evidently misled. I suggested to the manager that, in future, to prevent a re-occurrence of a fatality of this kind, places like these should be driven by marks, and he promised that my suggestion should be carried out.

Source:

1893 Mines Inspectors Report (C 7339)

	Cornall, George, aged 47, Deputy, Severely cut on face and head by a shot blowing through from another place. Died on the 29th.
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