I’m adding this story to Blantyre Project as it was a Blantyre man who was injured. There were those though, who fared far worse.
On Friday 11th March 1938, two miners were electrocuted and two injured at Newton No. 3 Colliery, Cambuslang, Lanarkshire. The dead were Miles M’Hugh, fireman. Duke’s Road, Cambuslang, and Richard James, machineman, of Ferniegair, Hamilton, both married. The injured men are: —Manuel Wilson (26), 25 Pitt Street, Newton; and George Bell, Pretoria Street, Blantyre.
The accident occurred when six men were working with pans which are used in conveying the coal. One of the pans apparently came into contact with the switch-box and immediately became “alive.” The two men who were in contact were electrocuted and died. Wilson stated that he was in charge of the switch-box. A man ran up to him shouting, “Switch off the current.” He got into contact at the switch-box and did not know what happened after that. When he recovered he was lying at the pit bottom, having been unconscious for some time.