SAMUEL WINWARD (1852 - 1903)
Extract from the Bolton Journal & Guardian, 17th July 1903
THE DISTRESSING BOILER ACCIDENT INQUEST ON WINWARD.
The regrettable accident which occurred on Thursday evening at the new boiler works of Messrs. J. Musgrave and Sons, Lts., at Westhoughton, and by which a labourer named Samuel Winward, a married man, living at 10, Leigh Common, off Church-st., lost his life, formed the subject of an enquiry held at the Commercial Inn, Westhoughton, on Saturday, by Mr. S. F. Butcher, the County Coroner. The relatives of the deceased were represented by Mr. M. Fielding, and the firm by Mr. Hodgkinson. Mr. W. M. Musgrave was also present, and the inquiry was attended by Mr. R. Tinker, H.M. Inspector of Factories. — Mrs. Emma Winward, widow of the deceased, said her husband was 51 years of age and was a labourer for Messrs. John Musgrave and Co. Ltd. He had never made any complaint about the tackle at the works. — The Coroner expressed the sympathy of the jury with this witness — Wilson Lodge, foreman of Messrs. J. Musgrave and Sons, Lts., at the Westhoughton Boiler Works, said he was superintending the work when deceased was killed. On Thursday night at 7-10 they were lowering the boiler shell from the rivetting tower. The boiler was 30ft. long and 6ft. 6in. in diameter and weighed 10 tons. They were lowering the boiler by means of a crane crab and it had to be lowered a distance of 50 feet. The crab was attached to the boiler by three wrought iron ears, each being bolted to the boiler by six three-quarter inch bolts, making 18 bolts in all. They had lowered the boiler to within 11/2 inches of the ground at one end, and about three feet from the packings at the other. Up to that time witness did not see any signs of any of the tackling giving way. Then the ear of the right-hand side of the boiler sheared in two, causing the boiler to roll towards the broken side. At that time, deceased was knelt on one knee at that side, and the boiler swerved over, shearing the skin off his face and dropped straight on to him, killing him instantly. The fall of the boiler broke the other two ears, one after the other. The plate which broke had been in use whilst he had been at the works, but had not showed any sign of weakness, and had been used for weights up to 20 tons. Witness was standing close to the deceased when the boiler fell. — The Coroner: Are you ever skimped in your tackle? No, sir. — You can have any tackle you require? Yes, sir. — There is no parsimony about it? No, sir; anything we ask for we can get. — Had there been any sudden jerk of anything of that kind? There appeared to be a kind of stick in the chain, but very little; there appeared to be some sticking point somewhere, but I could not find out where it was. — Have you used it since? No, sir. Perhaps one of the links might have got a twist. — Mr. Tinker: You have tested it this morning with a similar chain? Yes, sir, similar ears, and lifted 20-tons without fracture. — Double the weight? Yes, sir. — And you could not find anything wrong with the chain or the plate? No. Witness produced a notice exhibited at the works stating that special care must be exercised selecting the tackle, and only tackle used of ample strength for the purpose. — In reply to the Coroner, the witness stated the plate broke off at the bolt holes. — In answer to Mr. Fielding, the witness stated that electricity was the power used for the work. — The Foreman of the jury asked whether there was any way of testing the tackle, and the witness replied there was a way, but it was something they had never done because they had always been supposed to be of ample strength. That morning the tackle had been tested and had lifted 20 tons. The ears were of wrought iron, 12 inches wide and half an inch thick. — The Foreman of the jury said it would have been better if the tackle had been tested every three months. — The Coroner: What is your custom, Mr. Musgrave? — Mr. Musgrave replied the tackle was overhauled and examined regularly. It was made of Lowmoor iron, the strongest kind procurable, and was not of steel, because they could not trust that metal. — The Coroner remarked that this was all the evidence in that very deplorable matter. It was not for him to whitewash anybody or to say anything particularly about anybody, but Messrs. Musgrave's reputation in Bolton spoke for their carefulness about their men, and then there was the evidence of their foreman as to the use of the tackle previously. That seemed to show that there was no reason to believe that there was any defect in it. The accident seemed to be one of those things which the greatest foresight could not have readily prevented, and that being the case there was no evidence of negligence involving criminality. If the jury was satisfied that such was the case the only verdict was one of accidental death. — The foreman of the jury said he and his colleagues were satisfied, and a verdict of "Accidental death" was entered.
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