Disasters - Names		Disasters - Names

Date:	24th April 1906
Colliery:	Eldon
Cause:	Explosion of shot
Lives Lost:	1

The fourth occurred at Eldon Colliery, belonging to Messrs. Pease and Partners, Limited, on April 24th, and resulted in the death of a stoneman. Shot firing was necessary in a road to form a kip for a new landing. Two shots were made ready and one was fired by the shot firer. The second shot was so placed that the shot firer thought he had better take the battery to the inbye side of it. He had fired the first shot from the outbye side. When arranging the cable, the man who was afterwards killed told the shot firer he need not come out to the shot again, as he would attach the cable to the detonator wires for him. Shortly after the shot firer thought he heard the other man shout to him to fire, and, on looking along the road, as he did not see any light, he thought the man had gone away. He then fired the shot. As it happened, the man had not shouted to the shot firer to fire, but was just in the act of leaving the shot when it exploded, and he was so badly injured that he died three days afterwards. This is another accident which should not have occurred. It will be well here to call attention to the Explosives in Coal Mines Order of the 17th December, 1906, Section 2 (e), which will prevent such an accident in the future, as the shot firer only is permitted to couple the cables to the charge.

Source:

1906 Mines Inspectors Report (Cd 3449)

	Coates, Robert, aged 67, Stoneman, He was connecting the firing cable to the charge for the shot-firer, when the latter exploded the shot and he received fatal injuries. The shot-firer thought he had gone away from the shot to a place of safety.
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