Danger Dust - What Else?

The men worked with hand tools in the open moorland with no safety equipment, using only hammers, picks, crow bars and sledge hammers forcing the stone from the rock beds. Imagine the effort of swinging a large sledge hammer all day, it was often said that ‘you would never see an overweight quarryman’, and the hard physical labour ensured that was the case.

In 1908 a man named Foy was crushed between two railway wagons, in shunting operations. He walked home with assistance, to Yate Street, Bacup and was seen by Dr. Brown, who found he was in such a serious condition that to move him to the Infirmary would have brought about his death. He survived until seven o’clock that evening. At the inquest it was stated that the deceased had walked from Back Cowm quarry to Yate Street, Bacup, in a condition as stated by his doctor; the coroner, in his summing up said: “Foy was a hard one”.

If the men were lucky enough to avoid being killed or maimed due to accidents in the quarry there was also the distinct possibility that they would develop silicosis, a serious lung disease due to the silica content of the rock. Silicosis can lead to shortness of breath, fever and eventually death.