The lives of Victorians were, it seems, constantly at risk due to the lack of many safety regulations and health rules that we take for granted today. Even behind closed doors in the relative safety of home was considerable danger, either from the lack of knowledge in regards to food safety, to basic things like paint and appliances and even it seems from the coalman!
Illustrated Police News – Saturday 19 May 1894:
An accident of an extraordinary though not unprecedented character occurred on Thursday morning, at Basford, near Newcastle under Lyme. In a load of coals, delivered at the house of Mr. Dawson, there was found a dynamite cartridge, presumably left from blasting operations.
While Bertie Dawson was lighting the fire his brother commenced to throw pieces of the cartridge among the flames. The dynamite exploded, with the result that the lad who was throwing the cartridge had three finger ends of the left hand blown off, his face and other parts of the body being also injured by flying pieces of coal, which were embedded in the flesh from the force of the explosion.
Bertie Dawson had a miraculous escape. There is a small hood over the grate, which protected his face from the force of the explosion.
