Any thoughts on the sort of Waggon that would have hit him? Would this be pulled by an engine? or manually pushed? He was my granddads great granddad. Poor chap was 74 and still doing this heavy work when he was killed
Wellington Journal - Saturday 27 August 1904
THE PRIORSLEE FATALITY. On Saturday Mr. Coroner Lander held inquest at the Greyhound Inn, Snedshill, near Oakengates, On the body of old man named Thomas Hall, aged 74 years, residing Monk's Hill, and who was killed by a cinder waggon falling on him on the Lilleshall Company’s private line at the Priorslee furnaces, as reported in last week’s issue of the "Journal”. Mr. H. J. Peacock, his Majesty’s Inspector of Factories, was present, and Mr. Geo. Tompkinson on behalf of the Blast Furnace Association of Working Men.—John Hall identified the body as that of his father. On Thursday morning witness heard had been killed. He was told they had missed hooking a waggon. Deceased's work was to keep the rails clean.—Jas. Wright said he saw the deceased on Thursday morning when he went work. All went well until 20 to 12 O' clock that morning. Witness heard them ringing from the top of hill to the engine man, and saw the waggon coming down hill at a terrible speed. Witness shouted for the deceased move. He saw no possible chance of stopping the waggon. Deceased heard him call, and ran to get clear, but the waggon canght him and carried him some 16 yards. When witness got to him he was quite dead. Deceased had no room on either side where he was working. He ran to get at the end of the engine-house, some seven or eight yards away, and had gone about five yards when he was caught. These waggons were fastened by a hook, but witness thought they must have tried hook it, and waggon slipped away. The men the top of the hill were Samuel Pitchford, Henry Edge, and Alfred Morris. They are all experienced men.—ln answer to the Inspector, the witness said he had never known this happen before. Alfred Morris, employed as a cinder tipper, said he was on the top of the hill, and it was his place to work the wince. Witness received this particular load of cinder at the lop. After the rope that winds it up was unhooked the chain was attached to it from the wince. The waggon was emptied and returned back, The waggon was drawn by Pitchford and Edge. Pitchford took it off, and it was his duty to attach the rope. Pitchford missed coupling, and said, Lads, it's not fastened’*. The waggon got beyond the control of Edge and witness, and went down the hill. Witness had worked on the job 18 months, and he had never known them to miss hooking a waggon. Witness called out to Edge to give warning ringing the bell to the engineman at the bottom. They could not see what had happened from the top, as it was more than 200 yards away to where the deceased was said have been working, and it was impossible for anyone to stand clear between this gulley. Witness could not say whose fault it was that the "bogie” ran away.—ln answer to a juryman, witness said there was no stop block at the top of the hill, not for empty waggons, only for full ones, Samuel Pitchford, residing Wrockwardine Wood, said he missed hooking the waggon through a bit of hot cinder. They could use the same scotch that they used for the full waggons.—Henry Edge said he was present when Pitchford missed hooking the tub. It could have been brought to a standstill. They had worked on this same principle the last eight or nine years, and he knew of no reason why the waggon should not scotched. Had it have been done this accident would not have happened.—John Henry Robinson, foreman platelayer, said he knew this particular line and place very well. Witness went explain the mode of operations, and the Coroner then summed up. the jury returning a verdict of "Accidentally killed" and added a rider to effect that a recommendation bo sent to the Lilleshall Company to insist upon the use of stop blocks for full and empty trucks on the cinder hills.
