In the news January 1909.
SINGULAR DEATH AT RHOS THE INQUEST.
Mr LIewelyn Kenrick held an inquest at Bethlehem Chapel, Rhos, on Wednesday evening, touching the death of a young man 21 years, named Richard Edwards, living at the Black Horse Inn, Campbell street.
It appears that some three years previous, Richard Edwards fractured his little finger, whilst employed at the Hafod Colliery. He was dramming coal at the time, and somehow caught his finger in the roof.
At the time, it seemed a trivial accident, but a little later on, blood poison set in. This in time set up diabetes, and eventually death intervened. It was necessary therefore that an inquest should be held, to ascertain whether the disease which caused Richard Edwards death, was, or was not, traceable to the accident.
In this case, there did not appear to be any doubt that blood poisoning and diabetes were resultant from the accident. Samuel Edwards, brother of Richard Edwards, identified the body. Witness now worked in the same working spot that his late brother worked in. Samuel Edwards was not there at the time of the accident, but he remembered his brother telling him how it occurred.
A large piece of coal was projecting over the dram, and his finger was caught in the side of the road and fractured. Richard Edwards had not worked after the accident. William Charles, collier, said he remembered Richard Edwards injuring his little finger at the Hafod Colliery three years ago, next April. Edwards was dramming at the time, and caught his finger between a lump of coal and the side of the road.
Ularsing Jones, roadman at Hafod Colliery, said the road where the accident took place would be six feet six wide. The Coroner asked if it was anyone’s duty to see that the drams are properly loaded? Witness: It would take about forty men to fulfil that duty. The fillers are all naturally anxious to get as much coal as possible out of the wicket, and they fill the drams with as much coal as they will hold. Concluding, witness said that deceased worked regularly before the accident, and seemed to be a hardy, healthy, young man.
Dr J. C. Davies said he attended deceased since the accident. When he examined his injury first, he discovered a compound fracture on his left little finger. The middle bone was cut right through. For a few days, the injury did well; but in a week’s time, the wound reopened, and he detected swellings up his arms, and abscesses breaking out on his arms.
This went on for three or four months, when, from certain symptoms, he had cause to suspect that the young man was suffering from kidney disease. Witness examined him, and found he was suffering from diabetes. This complaint was the result of the previous blood poisoning.
The closing phase of the illness was bronchial pneumonia, and this, in his opinion was brought about by diabetes. Mr Richard Edwards died on Monday 11th January 1909. He had no doubt in his own mind that the blood poisoning, the diabetes, and bronchial pneumonia were brought about by the after effects of the accident.
Before the injury to his finger, deceased seemed to be a healthy, tough, young man, not predisposed to diabetes. The jury, of which Mr Kyffin was foreman, returned a verdict based on the medical evidence.
Death from diseases contracted as a result of the accident.
Source: Rhos Herald 16th January 1909
