In the course of researching the construction of the private siding to the new Prince of Wales Shaft Engine House - at the early stages of the 1907-1914 working of Phoenix United at Minions - I have come across a brief reference to the only fatality among the workforce during this period.

According to H R Shambrook's paper in the 1977 NMRS Memoirs, James Rudd was killed in November 1912 in the 150 fathom level, driven from PoW Shaft, as a result of the premature detonation of a charge. Such is the style of presentation of Shambrook's work that is difficult to determine the source and therefore the veracity of this information, but it may be the result of information given to him by W Hedley Harris, the Phoenix United Accountant and site First Aider.

My difficulty is that I can find no trace of James Rudd in the Register of Deaths Index, the 1911 Census, Parish records or the Burial Records of the Dissenters' Chapel in St Cleer. If I broaden the search criteria to include Devonshire, and create a five-year spread of dates, I can still find no firm evidence of his existence. A national search of the Death Register produces only two matches: James Edward Rudd, aged 46, whose death was registered at Plympton St Mary in 1909, and James G Rudd, aged 18, whose death was registered at Whitehaven in the Spring of 1913.

I would really appreciate any views Forum members may have on the reliability of Shambrook's information and whether it is likely that the Phoenix United operation of 1907-1914 was employing underground workers from afar. Certainly the management from 1911 onwards was an international mining consultancy with strong connections to the Australian gold mining industry. As I say, any views would be very gratefully received.

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Bear in mind that the Death Register Index is a transcript and so subject to error. You may find a missing death by a search at the local Register Office. It's also worth looking at local newspapers for the time as they may include details of the death and/or burial. He may not have been buried locally if he came from further afield.

I've been through the Inspector of Mines' reports for 1912. During 1912 Cornwall was part of the Midland and Southern Inspection District which was the responsibility of Hugh Johnstone.

The report lists every fatality and give details of causes: James Rudd is conspicuous in his absence.

Many thanks to both respondents to date.

I will certainly attempt to check the Liskeard Registrar of BMD records, but I confess that I was beginning to wonder about the substance of this episode.

Tamarmole, I am indebted to you for searching the relevant Inspectorate records. Mr Rudd is proving somewhat elusive.

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Many thanks to both respondents to date.

I will certainly attempt to check the Liskeard Registrar of BMD records, but I confess that I was beginning to wonder about the substance of this episode.

Tamarmole, I am indebted to you for searching the relevant Inspectorate records. Mr Rudd is proving somewhat elusive.

I would say the HMIM report is as definitive a source as you will find.

Point very well taken.

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"I would say the HMIM report is as definitive a source as you will find."

H.M.Inspectors of Mines primarily relied on mine owners informing them of fatal accidents (this being a legal requirement, with fines for non-compliance) although their reports make clear that they also diligently read major local newspapers also. Nevertheless, Inspectors remained unaware of the occasional fatal accident even into the twentieth century. Around the date in question there was an inundation of a Gower (West Glamorgan) colliery that killed two men, and which was entirely omitted from the Inspector's report.

I agree that in general, from the later 1860s onwards the Inspectors' reports are as definitive a source as one can find - but the possibility of the occasional rare omission should still be borne in mind.

Many thanks, Graigfawr, for this insight.

My principal difficulty is that I am finding it difficult to trace the man named in Shambrook's account at all. Apart from the two individuals named in my initial post (and the dates of their deaths do not match with the 1912 date) no-one I've found would seem to be a likely candidate.

I'll persist with a search for James Rudd first and any possible local connection of any kind.

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I had a mooch round in the free online death indexes and census's, nothing but the Cumbrian ones, 1901 census both were still in Cumbria, one born C 1880 and one born C 1894, 1911 census only the younger one was shown but still in Cumbria, no trace of death date for the older one and as said can't find him in the 1911 census, could he be the one...who knows? The death date for the younger one I spotted was probably the same one as you found, in the census they both gave their occupations as iron miners, couldn't get the actual census images as it's subscription but their listings can be found in this free search link:

https://www.ukcensusonline.com/?gclid=CIC0mczOjdMCFdiZGwodPqwKMw 

Lozz.

Thanks, Lozz!

You have followed much the same trail as me. The Cumbian connection was one reason I queried the employment mix at Phoenix United from 1907 onwards, and the iron mining connection is tempting.

If- and from all the advice I have received to date, it is a big 'if' - there was a fatality, it clearly wasn't in 1912. I have a pay-as-you-go sub running on Ancestry at the moment so will follow up the older Cumbrian Miner.

As the CAU Minions Survey and the 1914 Consultants' report showed, there are a few myths surrounding the PoW operation. I'm sure we'll get to the truth eventually.

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Thanks, Lozz!

You have followed much the same trail as me. The Cumbian connection was one reason I queried the employment mix at Phoenix United from 1907 onwards, and the iron mining connection is tempting.

If- and from all the advice I have received to date, it is a big 'if' - there was a fatality, it clearly wasn't in 1912. I have a pay-as-you-go sub running on Ancestry at the moment so will follow up the older Cumbrian Miner.

As the CAU Minions Survey and the 1914 Consultants' report showed, there are a few myths surrounding the PoW operation. I'm sure we'll get to the truth eventually.

I had a similar genealogy brick wall a few years ago, one of our lot was born in Cheshire, got him on the 1851 in Cheshire, then he vanished, some years later he turns up as a miner in the Thibert Creek area of British Columbia as a miner, presumably gold, he eventually ended up mining on Victoria Island near Nanimo where he eventually died.

Another one was a very distant relative, a book publisher in London, he was around in the 1820's/30s' then vanished, some years later I got a lead of him in Boston USA, still in the book trade, then he vanished again. After a lot of searching I eventually found a record for him in 1851, found dead on the Panama trail, the record was in the American Consulate records, it appears he obtained American citizenship at some point, but why was he found there? Not sure but 1851 was around the California gold rush, there were only three east to west routes to get there, states overland, around the Horn up the west coast of the Americas and up the Chagres river then an overland trek to Panama city then by ship up the west coast, so far as I can make out the Chagres-Panama city route was the most popular, maybe I got my urge to go gold mining from these guys...Who knows, one things for sure with genealogy research, every answer begs another question.

Good luck with your search.

Lozz.

I've been through the Mine Inspector's reports for 1907 -1914.

I can only find one fatality at Phoenix United. This occurred on 30th April 1909 when James Julian, a miner aged 23, was crushed between a pump rod and a wall. At this time the mine was being operated by Cosmopolitan Proprietary Ltd.

During the 1907 - 1914 period the only explosives fatality in the vicinity occurred at South Phoenix on October 6th 1907 when Samuel Nickell , a miner aged 32, was killed when a charge fired prematurely.

Lozz,

Thank you once again. I was much more fortunate in the various searches for the major players in the account of the Liskeard and Caradon Railway under GWR ownership, although admittedly many of them were public figures at the time.

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Tamarmole,

This additional and exhaustive search is very much appreciated- thank you.

At best, Shambrook's account seems to have conflated two separate incidents, neither of which seems have received any attention in the hitherto published 'texts'. We now have a chance to ensure that these incidents, which came very late in the story of Caradon mining, receive some attention.

I'll let folk know locally, if I may, with due credit.

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I think this demonstrates that one needs to be very, very wary
of published accounts, particularly if the referencing leaves something to be desired.

For example when I was writing the Eighteenth century engines book I took a very close look at Barton's "Cornish Beam Engine" and, after attempting to chase up his references, concluded that it should be filed under fiction. The problem is that much of Barton's "wishful thinking" has been accepted as fact by later authors who really should know better.

No Samuel Nickell death on freebmd either.

Lawrence.

Oh, how true.

Within the past three days, I have come across a reference in my copy of DBB's 'The Cornish Beam Engine' to the removal of a boiler from PoW, post-closure, in 'about 1915', and to its transport by traction engine to Basset Mines. A reference is given.

I have spent many hours in recent years trying to pin down precise details of the lifting of the Caradon Branch, and this sort of information can be very helpful in so doing. No-one knows exactly how and when the Branch and its Sidings were lifted: the line is in the GWR Working Timetable to October 1916 (I have been to Kew and seen it for myself) but the remaining WTTs for 1916 are missing. The WTT for January 1917 makes no reference to the line - the formal Notice of Temporary Closure by the GWR was effective from 1 January 1917.

We do know that Phoenix Siding was lifted by July 1917 as we have a first hand account by a Haulage firm who used five Foden steam tractors to haul the recovered Phoenix Robey cross-compound engine by road to a Mill in Yeadon near Leeds. The writer specifically recorded that only the sleeper blocks were in place.

As for the rest, the search for hard evidence of tracklifting trains, or the use of traction engines and trailers, and dates, is yet to emerge. I'm looking hard. But if the boiler removal to Basset Mines had to be undertaken by road because Phoenix Siding had gone in 1915, that casts a whole new light on events. I'll have to double check DBB's source.

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No, he's not coming up on Ancestry's death index either, but his marriage in Plymouth in October 1898 is recorded.

Jim Julian (for this is how the Census records him) was a 15 year old Farm Servant in 1901 at Tregonhay Farm, near Roche, where he was a member of Farmer Rundle's household. He does appear in the Death Index in the Liskeard District.

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I think this demonstrates that one needs to be very, very wary
of published accounts, particularly if the referencing leaves something to be desired.

For example when I was writing the Eighteenth century engines book I took a very close look at Barton's "Cornish Beam Engine" and, after attempting to chase up his references, concluded that it should be filed under fiction. The problem is that much of Barton's "wishful thinking" has been accepted as fact by later authors who really should know better.

Same as JIC Boyd regarding North Wales Narrow gauge then :lol: