The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-03-27 00:00:00

OPENING OF TILE INQUEST.

At nine o'clouk oa Thera lay morning last. an inquest
was opened at the honae if Mr. (1.-iirge Kintner, the
Bell Hotel. before W. H. Phillips, Esq.. Demity Coroner.
toueliirig the death of William Ashman. whose death is
reported ab ‘ve. Mr. .1 •4tqn Homfray. solicitor. attended
en behalf of the flea of Dudley. end Superintendent
Mills on behalf of the p thee atithorities ; and ditrinft
part of the enquiry Mr. J. P. Baker. Inspector WAS pre-
zent. no were also Mr. IV. Jelfrlei, Mr. Greeeway. Mr.
W. Spruce, Mr. 1. Labiate, Mr. H. Haglies, and Mr. G.
Skidmore.
The Jere having been called over. the Coroner aid he
wished to in,k before the Jur, were aworn. if there WAS
any gentleman among them connected in any way what-
ever with the colliery.
On being informed there was not, the Corener asked
the jnry to select their own foremen ; and Mr. Steward.
chemist, WAR
The Ore were then swim, and
efter went to ydw the body. Having returned, the en-
quiry commenced.
Charles Garhett stet at that he knew the deceased as
Williem Ashman. Witness was a miner, Lying at (Thltrry
lick. Weeesed WAR fifty-one yetra of ege, and a collier
He rasiderl in Cottage-atreet, and Was empleven in the
Lock's Lane Colliery. where lie lest his life. The pit be-
longed to the Earl of Dudley. PI int and Johu Dainty
being the battles. Samuel and Belijrmin Thompson
were the doggies. Witners had worked in the pit. Was
emploreil in the pit near Chele-1 Hill. on Tuelolay. the
day before the occurrence took place. When witness left
the pit on Tuesday evening he saw the deceased, who was
O piketnan. standing on the bank, waiting to go down.
Withees believed the deceased went to work at the place
,vhere he 11.1 left. The dinteiee hail been down the pit
all city; nail Plant, the batty, was down in the morning
to put a dain in. or to give orders for the some. He
spoke to Sainuellf hompioa, and a bricklayer. The darn
Was pat up in a road a:gainst a bit of old work. because
Mr. Plant thought there was a bit of ° stink." There
Was no water leaking anyarle-re that he (witness) saw.
Din not know that eny water was dammed im anywhere.
Anticipated no danger whilst he was at work, or when he
left the pit on Tuesday evening. Heard that the water
had come in on Wednesday morning. The upeast shaft
was 150 yards deep [this should be ISO yards. 'The
bucket was not used in that shaft at night. The opeast
shaft is used for drawing coal. There is another shaft
—the dewn-esst—where water is drawn night and day by
pipes, and tot by bucket. The pumping had been con-
tinued since the time witness had worked there, twelve
months or more. He sat in the hovel until he was sent
to drive • heading. Did not go down the pit mail Friday
last. When it was found that the water was lowering
rapidly, the work at the heading was "knocked off." On
Sunday last four men and a boy were rescned from the
pit. They had been down the pit from a quarter to Mx
on Tuesday evening. Witness went down the pit on
Sunday evening, and recovered the body of Aahman. He
had to go eitteen or seventeen yards through water up to
his middle to tied it. The road rose after that distance,
and became to dry ground. Ashman WAR lying 30 yards
beyond that point. He was upon his back, and was un-
dressed, with the exception of hie shirt. The spot where
he lay did not appear to have been under water. The
shirt of the deceased was wet. hut his body did not ap-
pear t i have been in water. His clothes were thrown all
about the pit, not for from where the holy lay, but wit-
ness said he was unable ti tell whether they were wet or
not. The place whore Ashman'. bony Woo round Was at
least three hundred yards from where deceased was net
work. Was under the impression that the water came
from the Old Trough pits, hut coaSt not say positively
whether it did or not. The dun again,t the Old Trough
pits had not burst whilst he was employed at the colliery.
Did not notice whether the entrance to the works had
been roofed with water.—By the Jury: The heading I
was to drive was not from shaft to ehaft. It was only
carried on four yards.
'" " •

Joseph Lewis: a hanksman, said he was employed at
the pit during TlIeS lay last. He let the day men down
in the morning. and brought them up safe. There were
about fifty of theta. The night party, consisting of ten
men and three boys, went down about six o'clock. Ash-
man was among them. The whole of them had since
been brought u 2. James Grainger was left in charge of
the bank, after witness left it. 0.-ainger was the man
who worked the engine at night. He would be able to
see the month of the pit from his place. There is corn•
municstion in the shaft by which the men in the pit could
signal to the bank. There are three wires and clappers.
'1 sea of them are heard on the bank and one in the en-
gine house.
Mr. Homfrav said it woo intended to show, by the evi-
dence of Mr. fisher, the Government Inspector, the ap-
pliances about the pit.
James Grainger, engineer, Lock's Late, was next ex-
amined: Had worked the Lock's Lane water engine for
two years and shalt, principally at night. His brother,
! Thomas Grainger, was in the habit of working the some
engine during the day. It was a lifting engine. The
engine had g.,/-rtlly been ta irked at C.c. r.tte of rive or
sit strokes 1,, tumuto, bat Lady the rare hat beea
slightly increased on account of henry rains. Had not
found any great difference. The engine threw sixty gal.
hits per strike, and it hail gone six and • half strokes per
minute. The rising of the water could be Lodi by the
buoy in the shaft. The water was generally kept luau to
rill yards. The increase in the speed was made in their
thaereitiuu. It had the desired tired of keeping {LOWY the