IOO YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (8 - 14 MAY 1923)
This week's many stories include the boating tragedy on Taylor Park lake, a miner's odd drowning in a shallow Eccleston stream, the Rainford row over a black eye, Providence Hospital's annual flower day, the glasses that could damage your eyesight and the opening of a new pavilion at St Helens Cricket Ground.
We begin during the evening of the 8th when a boating tragedy occurred on Taylor Park lake in which John Forrester drowned. The 15-year-old from Moss Street in Prescot had taken out a small boat that the newspapers called a skiff. Over the previous two years John had suffered four epileptic fits and it was thought likely that he'd endured another attack while on the water.
William Stamper from Edward Street had seen the boy hanging over the side of the boat with his head under water. However, John's foot had seemingly got caught on one of the rowlocks that attached oars to the boat. The 29-year-old glassmaker swam to the spot and after several pulls freed the trapped foot. But he told John's inquest that the water was icy cold and the boy – apparently unconscious – was, as he put it, "a deadweight" and he was forced to let him go.
The park's boating manager, John Lomas, stated that they had thirty boats on the lake and this had been the first death during the eleven years he had been in charge. The Coroner praised William Stamper for his courage and awarded him £5 out of his benevolent fund, adding that he would forward a report to the Royal Humane Society. However, Mr Stamper said he would prefer that the money went to the family of the deceased boy.
Family rows are always unfortunate but in the days when summonses were easy to obtain, disputes played out in a public court tended to deepen splits, rather than heal them. On the 9th John Harrison summoned his son Thomas to St Helens County Police Court alleging an assault. The pair had been living in School Brow in Rainford (Church Road) but after a huge row, the father was now staying with his mother in nearby Pasture Lane.
It was another case that might have been connected to the unrecognised mental health crisis that was sweeping the country in the post-war years. The father, John Harrison, had been disabled through his military service and was attending Knotty Ash Hospital. He also liked his drink. Harrison's story was that his son had given him a black eye after a dispute over money and the unwanted presence of a cousin in the house. The 52-year-old also told the court that Thomas had chased him out of his own home, which was why he was now living with his mother.
His 27-year-old son denied the assault claim. He said his father had hurt his head by catching it against the door latch while running away from him. Thomas also stated that he was defending his mother from his dad who, he said, had a habit of coming home every Saturday night drunk and "kicking up a row". John Harrison's wife gave evidence supporting her son's version of events and so the magistrates dismissed the case.
On the 9th St Helens Council's Libraries and Museum Committee were presented with a number of relics of former Rainford industries. Ben Smith, the Clerk to Rainford Urban District Council, handed over to the committee specimens of pottery and clay pipes uncovered several feet beneath the surface. Brown glaze pottery had been found at the rear of the Golden Lion Inn and further specimens of brown and black glaze pottery had been discovered at Hill Top, near the Bottle and Glass pub. And at Rookery Farm clay pipes had been discovered.
The St Helens MP James Sexton was quite a tenacious character and on the 10th the Echo reported that he had taken up the case of Peter Houghton's widow. The son of the Duke Street chemist had been killed in the war but no pension had been granted to his parents, as their son was a single man and they had not been dependent upon him – although he had worked in their shop.
The father Peter Houghton had since died leaving his widow with such financial difficulties that she had to give up the chemist's shop and now had no income. James Sexton was asking the Minister of Pensions to relax the strict rules and allow the widow a pension, although that was unlikely to happen.
During the evening of the 10th a whist drive and carnival was held in St Helens Town Hall to raise money for the Mayoress's White Elephant stall at the forthcoming YMCA Bazaar. Most participants attended the event in fancy dress.
On the 11th the inquest on William Platt was held. In January the 55-year-old coal miner from Chapel Street in St Helens had suffered a head injury while working at Sherdley Colliery. Since then William had been off work and had regularly complained of pains in his head.
Earlier in the week he'd left home to go for a walk and was later found dead lying face down in a stream in Watery Lane in Eccleston. The water's depth was only two feet and so perhaps William had collapsed and fallen in. But as was often the case, no one really knew the cause of his demise and so the usual open verdict of "Found drowned" was brought in.
Head injuries in mining were very common, mainly caused by stones or debris falling on miners as they worked underground. The damage would have been lessened if hard hats had been routinely worn – but they weren't. Also on the 11th the inquest on James Aspinall was opened and adjourned. The 56-year-old from Atherton Street had been working down Pilkington's St Helens Colliery when a stone fell on top of him, fracturing both thighs and injuring his head and back.
James lingered eight weeks in St Helens Hospital but had died earlier that day. It was later revealed that that the stone had fallen in between two props that were supporting the underground roof without connecting bars being placed in between. And late on the 11th Patrick Morley from Church Street was killed at Sutton Heath Colliery. A large stone estimated at weighing one ton had crashed down from the pit roof onto the 50-year-old.
Also on the 11th the St Helens Reporter described the official opening of the new pavilion at the St Helens Cricket Ground in Dentons Green. Col. Norman Pilkington of Rainford Hall in Crank did the honours and he was clearly a no-nonsense chap who, according to the Reporter, simply: "…unlocked the door with a silver key and, flinging it back, declared the pavilion open."
Major Guy Pilkington entertained the large crowd by describing keeping wicket in one match in which a ball had been bowled with "terrific speed". He said it somehow managed to elude the stumps but instead struck him hard on his nose, adding: "The batsman wasn't out, but I was".
Four new tennis courts had also been opened at Windleshaw Road and in the Reporter Booths sports shop were promoting their lines of cricketing and tennis gear. Two of England's star cricketers of the time were Wilfred Rhodes of Yorkshire and Phil Mead of Hampshire and the Hardshaw Street store said they had cricket bats autographed by the pair available to buy – as well as stumps, pads and balls. As well as selling tennis merchandise, "rackets" could be repaired on the premises.
Although people these days can still buy spectacles off the shelf, most are simple reading glasses. But a hundred years ago most poorer people selected their spectacles from a small range of cheap, ready-made glasses sold by general shops. It was simple trial and error in which customers would buy glasses that appeared to improve their vision – even though they could damage their eyesight. Hence this advert in the Reporter from Rowley's of Church Street:
"By getting your glasses haphazard from an unskilled assistant at the nearest shop instead of from a qualified optician, you may save yourself a few pence, but it isn't worth it. Such methods make eye defects worse instead of better, and in the end may damage your sight very seriously. We are qualified opticians and make every pair of glasses to order, after proper scientific test."
There was also an advert in the paper for the Oxley Baby Car. That was being sold at Babyland, which was the name of Oxley's children's department in Barrow Street. The illustration showed a high pram with large wheels that looked like it would have needed a fair bit of pushing. Oxley's bargains for Whit included some special corset offers from 1/11.
And finally the annual flower day (or Rose Day) in aid of Providence Hospital (pictured above) was held in St Helens on the 12th and the sum of £500 was raised. For the first time the local collectors had the help of 40 students from Liverpool University. The Echo said they had "…appeared in the streets in all sorts of fantastic costumes, and vigorously prosecuted collections in aid of the hospital".
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the compensation award for losing fingers in a corn works, Sanger's Circus comes to St Helens, the thorny question of bank holiday pay for workers and the horse in Napier Street that trembled with pain.
William Stamper from Edward Street had seen the boy hanging over the side of the boat with his head under water. However, John's foot had seemingly got caught on one of the rowlocks that attached oars to the boat. The 29-year-old glassmaker swam to the spot and after several pulls freed the trapped foot. But he told John's inquest that the water was icy cold and the boy – apparently unconscious – was, as he put it, "a deadweight" and he was forced to let him go.
The park's boating manager, John Lomas, stated that they had thirty boats on the lake and this had been the first death during the eleven years he had been in charge. The Coroner praised William Stamper for his courage and awarded him £5 out of his benevolent fund, adding that he would forward a report to the Royal Humane Society. However, Mr Stamper said he would prefer that the money went to the family of the deceased boy.
Family rows are always unfortunate but in the days when summonses were easy to obtain, disputes played out in a public court tended to deepen splits, rather than heal them. On the 9th John Harrison summoned his son Thomas to St Helens County Police Court alleging an assault. The pair had been living in School Brow in Rainford (Church Road) but after a huge row, the father was now staying with his mother in nearby Pasture Lane.
It was another case that might have been connected to the unrecognised mental health crisis that was sweeping the country in the post-war years. The father, John Harrison, had been disabled through his military service and was attending Knotty Ash Hospital. He also liked his drink. Harrison's story was that his son had given him a black eye after a dispute over money and the unwanted presence of a cousin in the house. The 52-year-old also told the court that Thomas had chased him out of his own home, which was why he was now living with his mother.
His 27-year-old son denied the assault claim. He said his father had hurt his head by catching it against the door latch while running away from him. Thomas also stated that he was defending his mother from his dad who, he said, had a habit of coming home every Saturday night drunk and "kicking up a row". John Harrison's wife gave evidence supporting her son's version of events and so the magistrates dismissed the case.
On the 9th St Helens Council's Libraries and Museum Committee were presented with a number of relics of former Rainford industries. Ben Smith, the Clerk to Rainford Urban District Council, handed over to the committee specimens of pottery and clay pipes uncovered several feet beneath the surface. Brown glaze pottery had been found at the rear of the Golden Lion Inn and further specimens of brown and black glaze pottery had been discovered at Hill Top, near the Bottle and Glass pub. And at Rookery Farm clay pipes had been discovered.
The St Helens MP James Sexton was quite a tenacious character and on the 10th the Echo reported that he had taken up the case of Peter Houghton's widow. The son of the Duke Street chemist had been killed in the war but no pension had been granted to his parents, as their son was a single man and they had not been dependent upon him – although he had worked in their shop.
The father Peter Houghton had since died leaving his widow with such financial difficulties that she had to give up the chemist's shop and now had no income. James Sexton was asking the Minister of Pensions to relax the strict rules and allow the widow a pension, although that was unlikely to happen.
During the evening of the 10th a whist drive and carnival was held in St Helens Town Hall to raise money for the Mayoress's White Elephant stall at the forthcoming YMCA Bazaar. Most participants attended the event in fancy dress.
On the 11th the inquest on William Platt was held. In January the 55-year-old coal miner from Chapel Street in St Helens had suffered a head injury while working at Sherdley Colliery. Since then William had been off work and had regularly complained of pains in his head.
Earlier in the week he'd left home to go for a walk and was later found dead lying face down in a stream in Watery Lane in Eccleston. The water's depth was only two feet and so perhaps William had collapsed and fallen in. But as was often the case, no one really knew the cause of his demise and so the usual open verdict of "Found drowned" was brought in.
Head injuries in mining were very common, mainly caused by stones or debris falling on miners as they worked underground. The damage would have been lessened if hard hats had been routinely worn – but they weren't. Also on the 11th the inquest on James Aspinall was opened and adjourned. The 56-year-old from Atherton Street had been working down Pilkington's St Helens Colliery when a stone fell on top of him, fracturing both thighs and injuring his head and back.
James lingered eight weeks in St Helens Hospital but had died earlier that day. It was later revealed that that the stone had fallen in between two props that were supporting the underground roof without connecting bars being placed in between. And late on the 11th Patrick Morley from Church Street was killed at Sutton Heath Colliery. A large stone estimated at weighing one ton had crashed down from the pit roof onto the 50-year-old.
Also on the 11th the St Helens Reporter described the official opening of the new pavilion at the St Helens Cricket Ground in Dentons Green. Col. Norman Pilkington of Rainford Hall in Crank did the honours and he was clearly a no-nonsense chap who, according to the Reporter, simply: "…unlocked the door with a silver key and, flinging it back, declared the pavilion open."
Major Guy Pilkington entertained the large crowd by describing keeping wicket in one match in which a ball had been bowled with "terrific speed". He said it somehow managed to elude the stumps but instead struck him hard on his nose, adding: "The batsman wasn't out, but I was".
Four new tennis courts had also been opened at Windleshaw Road and in the Reporter Booths sports shop were promoting their lines of cricketing and tennis gear. Two of England's star cricketers of the time were Wilfred Rhodes of Yorkshire and Phil Mead of Hampshire and the Hardshaw Street store said they had cricket bats autographed by the pair available to buy – as well as stumps, pads and balls. As well as selling tennis merchandise, "rackets" could be repaired on the premises.
Although people these days can still buy spectacles off the shelf, most are simple reading glasses. But a hundred years ago most poorer people selected their spectacles from a small range of cheap, ready-made glasses sold by general shops. It was simple trial and error in which customers would buy glasses that appeared to improve their vision – even though they could damage their eyesight. Hence this advert in the Reporter from Rowley's of Church Street:
"By getting your glasses haphazard from an unskilled assistant at the nearest shop instead of from a qualified optician, you may save yourself a few pence, but it isn't worth it. Such methods make eye defects worse instead of better, and in the end may damage your sight very seriously. We are qualified opticians and make every pair of glasses to order, after proper scientific test."
There was also an advert in the paper for the Oxley Baby Car. That was being sold at Babyland, which was the name of Oxley's children's department in Barrow Street. The illustration showed a high pram with large wheels that looked like it would have needed a fair bit of pushing. Oxley's bargains for Whit included some special corset offers from 1/11.
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the compensation award for losing fingers in a corn works, Sanger's Circus comes to St Helens, the thorny question of bank holiday pay for workers and the horse in Napier Street that trembled with pain.
This week's many stories include the boating tragedy on Taylor Park lake, a miner's odd drowning in a shallow Eccleston stream, the Rainford row over a black eye, Providence Hospital's annual flower day, the glasses that could damage your eyesight and the opening of a new pavilion at St Helens Cricket Ground.
We begin during the evening of the 8th when a boating tragedy occurred on Taylor Park lake in which John Forrester drowned.
The 15-year-old from Moss Street in Prescot had taken out a small boat that the newspapers called a skiff.
Over the previous two years John had suffered four epileptic fits and it was thought likely that he'd endured another attack while on the water.
William Stamper from Edward Street had seen the boy hanging over the side of the boat with his head under water.
However, John's foot had seemingly got caught on one of the rowlocks that attached oars to the boat.
The 29-year-old glassmaker swam to the spot and after several pulls freed the trapped foot.
But he told John's inquest that the water was icy cold and the boy – apparently unconscious – was, as he put it, "a deadweight" and he was forced to let him go.
The park's boating manager, John Lomas, stated that they had thirty boats on the lake and this had been the first death during the eleven years he had been in charge.
The Coroner praised William Stamper for his courage and awarded him £5 out of his benevolent fund, adding that he would forward a report to the Royal Humane Society.
However, Mr Stamper said he would prefer that the money went to the family of the deceased boy.
Family rows are always unfortunate but in the days when summonses were easy to obtain, disputes played out in a public court tended to deepen splits, rather than heal them.
On the 9th John Harrison summoned his son Thomas to St Helens County Police Court alleging an assault.
The pair had been living in School Brow in Rainford (Church Road) but after a huge row, the father was now staying with his mother in nearby Pasture Lane.
It was another case that might have been connected to the unrecognised mental health crisis that was sweeping the country in the post-war years.
The father, John Harrison, had been disabled through his military service and was attending Knotty Ash Hospital. He also liked his drink.
Harrison's story was that his son had given him a black eye after a dispute over money and the unwanted presence of a cousin in the house.
The 52-year-old also told the court that Thomas had chased him out of his own home, which was why he was now living with his mother.
His 27-year-old son denied the assault claim. He said his father had hurt his head by catching it against the door latch while running away from him.
Thomas also stated that he was defending his mother from his dad who, he said, had a habit of coming home every Saturday night drunk and "kicking up a row".
John Harrison's wife gave evidence supporting her son's version of events and so the magistrates dismissed the case.
On the 9th St Helens Council's Libraries and Museum Committee were presented with a number of relics of former Rainford industries.
Ben Smith, the Clerk to Rainford Urban District Council, handed over to the committee specimens of pottery and clay pipes uncovered several feet beneath the surface.
Brown glaze pottery had been found at the rear of the Golden Lion Inn and further specimens of brown and black glaze pottery had been discovered at Hill Top, near the Bottle and Glass pub. And at Rookery Farm clay pipes had been discovered.
The St Helens MP James Sexton was quite a tenacious character and on the 10th the Echo reported that he had taken up the case of Peter Houghton's widow.
The son of the Duke Street chemist had been killed in the war but no pension had been granted to his parents, as their son was a single man and they had not been dependent upon him – although he had worked in their shop.
The father Peter Houghton had since died leaving his widow with such financial difficulties that she had to give up the chemist's shop and now had no income.
James Sexton was asking the Minister of Pensions to relax the strict rules and allow the widow a pension, although that was unlikely to happen.
During the evening of the 10th a whist drive and carnival was held in St Helens Town Hall to raise money for the Mayoress's White Elephant stall at the forthcoming YMCA Bazaar. Most participants attended the event in fancy dress.
On the 11th the inquest on William Platt was held. In January the 55-year-old coal miner from Chapel Street in St Helens had suffered a head injury while working at Sherdley Colliery.
Since then William had been off work and had regularly complained of pains in his head.
Earlier in the week he'd left home to go for a walk and was later found dead lying face down in a stream in Watery Lane in Eccleston.
The water's depth was only two feet and so perhaps William had collapsed and fallen in.
But as was often the case, no one really knew the cause of his demise and so the usual open verdict of "Found drowned" was brought in.
Head injuries in mining were very common, mainly caused by stones or debris falling on miners as they worked underground.
The damage would have been lessened if hard hats had been routinely worn – but they weren't.
Also on the 11th the inquest on James Aspinall was opened and adjourned.
The 56-year-old from Atherton Street had been working down Pilkington's St Helens Colliery when a stone fell on top of him, fracturing both thighs and injuring his head and back.
James lingered eight weeks in St Helens Hospital but had died earlier that day.
It was later revealed that that the stone had fallen in between two props that were supporting the underground roof without connecting bars being placed in between.
And late on the 11th Patrick Morley from Church Street was killed at Sutton Heath Colliery.
A large stone estimated at weighing one ton had crashed down from the pit roof onto the 50-year-old.
Also on the 11th the St Helens Reporter described the official opening of the new pavilion at the St Helens Cricket Ground in Dentons Green.
Col. Norman Pilkington of Rainford Hall in Crank did the honours and he was clearly a no-nonsense chap who, according to the Reporter, simply:
"…unlocked the door with a silver key and, flinging it back, declared the pavilion open."
Major Guy Pilkington entertained the large crowd by describing keeping wicket in one match in which a ball had been bowled with "terrific speed".
He said it somehow managed to elude the stumps but instead struck him hard on his nose, adding: "The batsman wasn't out, but I was".
Four new tennis courts had also been opened at Windleshaw Road and in the Reporter Booths sports shop were promoting their lines of cricketing and tennis gear.
Two of England's star cricketers of the time were Wilfred Rhodes of Yorkshire and Phil Mead of Hampshire and the Hardshaw Street store said they had cricket bats autographed by the pair available to buy – as well as stumps, pads and balls.
As well as selling tennis merchandise, "rackets" could be repaired on the premises.
Although people these days can still buy spectacles off the shelf, most are simple reading glasses.
But a hundred years ago most poorer people selected their spectacles from a small range of cheap, ready-made glasses sold by general shops.
It was simple trial and error in which customers would buy glasses that appeared to improve their vision – even though they could damage their eyesight.
Hence this advert in the Reporter from Rowley's of Church Street:
"By getting your glasses haphazard from an unskilled assistant at the nearest shop instead of from a qualified optician, you may save yourself a few pence, but it isn't worth it.
"Such methods make eye defects worse instead of better, and in the end may damage your sight very seriously. We are qualified opticians and make every pair of glasses to order, after proper scientific test."
There was also an advert in the paper for the Oxley Baby Car. That was being sold at Babyland, which was the name of Oxley's children's department in Barrow Street.
The illustration showed a high pram with large wheels that looked like it would have needed a fair bit of pushing. Oxley's bargains for Whit included some special corset offers from 1/11.
And finally the annual flower day (or Rose Day) in aid of Providence Hospital (pictured above) was held in St Helens on the 12th and the sum of £500 was raised.
For the first time the local collectors had the help of 40 students from Liverpool University.
The Echo said they had "…appeared in the streets in all sorts of fantastic costumes, and vigorously prosecuted collections in aid of the hospital".
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the compensation award for losing fingers in a corn works, Sanger's Circus comes to St Helens, the thorny question of bank holiday pay for workers and the horse in Napier Street that trembled with pain.
The 15-year-old from Moss Street in Prescot had taken out a small boat that the newspapers called a skiff.
Over the previous two years John had suffered four epileptic fits and it was thought likely that he'd endured another attack while on the water.
William Stamper from Edward Street had seen the boy hanging over the side of the boat with his head under water.
However, John's foot had seemingly got caught on one of the rowlocks that attached oars to the boat.
The 29-year-old glassmaker swam to the spot and after several pulls freed the trapped foot.
But he told John's inquest that the water was icy cold and the boy – apparently unconscious – was, as he put it, "a deadweight" and he was forced to let him go.
The park's boating manager, John Lomas, stated that they had thirty boats on the lake and this had been the first death during the eleven years he had been in charge.
The Coroner praised William Stamper for his courage and awarded him £5 out of his benevolent fund, adding that he would forward a report to the Royal Humane Society.
However, Mr Stamper said he would prefer that the money went to the family of the deceased boy.
Family rows are always unfortunate but in the days when summonses were easy to obtain, disputes played out in a public court tended to deepen splits, rather than heal them.
On the 9th John Harrison summoned his son Thomas to St Helens County Police Court alleging an assault.
The pair had been living in School Brow in Rainford (Church Road) but after a huge row, the father was now staying with his mother in nearby Pasture Lane.
It was another case that might have been connected to the unrecognised mental health crisis that was sweeping the country in the post-war years.
The father, John Harrison, had been disabled through his military service and was attending Knotty Ash Hospital. He also liked his drink.
Harrison's story was that his son had given him a black eye after a dispute over money and the unwanted presence of a cousin in the house.
The 52-year-old also told the court that Thomas had chased him out of his own home, which was why he was now living with his mother.
His 27-year-old son denied the assault claim. He said his father had hurt his head by catching it against the door latch while running away from him.
Thomas also stated that he was defending his mother from his dad who, he said, had a habit of coming home every Saturday night drunk and "kicking up a row".
John Harrison's wife gave evidence supporting her son's version of events and so the magistrates dismissed the case.
On the 9th St Helens Council's Libraries and Museum Committee were presented with a number of relics of former Rainford industries.
Ben Smith, the Clerk to Rainford Urban District Council, handed over to the committee specimens of pottery and clay pipes uncovered several feet beneath the surface.
Brown glaze pottery had been found at the rear of the Golden Lion Inn and further specimens of brown and black glaze pottery had been discovered at Hill Top, near the Bottle and Glass pub. And at Rookery Farm clay pipes had been discovered.
The St Helens MP James Sexton was quite a tenacious character and on the 10th the Echo reported that he had taken up the case of Peter Houghton's widow.
The son of the Duke Street chemist had been killed in the war but no pension had been granted to his parents, as their son was a single man and they had not been dependent upon him – although he had worked in their shop.
The father Peter Houghton had since died leaving his widow with such financial difficulties that she had to give up the chemist's shop and now had no income.
James Sexton was asking the Minister of Pensions to relax the strict rules and allow the widow a pension, although that was unlikely to happen.
During the evening of the 10th a whist drive and carnival was held in St Helens Town Hall to raise money for the Mayoress's White Elephant stall at the forthcoming YMCA Bazaar. Most participants attended the event in fancy dress.
On the 11th the inquest on William Platt was held. In January the 55-year-old coal miner from Chapel Street in St Helens had suffered a head injury while working at Sherdley Colliery.
Since then William had been off work and had regularly complained of pains in his head.
Earlier in the week he'd left home to go for a walk and was later found dead lying face down in a stream in Watery Lane in Eccleston.
The water's depth was only two feet and so perhaps William had collapsed and fallen in.
But as was often the case, no one really knew the cause of his demise and so the usual open verdict of "Found drowned" was brought in.
Head injuries in mining were very common, mainly caused by stones or debris falling on miners as they worked underground.
The damage would have been lessened if hard hats had been routinely worn – but they weren't.
Also on the 11th the inquest on James Aspinall was opened and adjourned.
The 56-year-old from Atherton Street had been working down Pilkington's St Helens Colliery when a stone fell on top of him, fracturing both thighs and injuring his head and back.
James lingered eight weeks in St Helens Hospital but had died earlier that day.
It was later revealed that that the stone had fallen in between two props that were supporting the underground roof without connecting bars being placed in between.
And late on the 11th Patrick Morley from Church Street was killed at Sutton Heath Colliery.
A large stone estimated at weighing one ton had crashed down from the pit roof onto the 50-year-old.
Also on the 11th the St Helens Reporter described the official opening of the new pavilion at the St Helens Cricket Ground in Dentons Green.
Col. Norman Pilkington of Rainford Hall in Crank did the honours and he was clearly a no-nonsense chap who, according to the Reporter, simply:
"…unlocked the door with a silver key and, flinging it back, declared the pavilion open."
Major Guy Pilkington entertained the large crowd by describing keeping wicket in one match in which a ball had been bowled with "terrific speed".
He said it somehow managed to elude the stumps but instead struck him hard on his nose, adding: "The batsman wasn't out, but I was".
Four new tennis courts had also been opened at Windleshaw Road and in the Reporter Booths sports shop were promoting their lines of cricketing and tennis gear.
Two of England's star cricketers of the time were Wilfred Rhodes of Yorkshire and Phil Mead of Hampshire and the Hardshaw Street store said they had cricket bats autographed by the pair available to buy – as well as stumps, pads and balls.
As well as selling tennis merchandise, "rackets" could be repaired on the premises.
Although people these days can still buy spectacles off the shelf, most are simple reading glasses.
But a hundred years ago most poorer people selected their spectacles from a small range of cheap, ready-made glasses sold by general shops.
It was simple trial and error in which customers would buy glasses that appeared to improve their vision – even though they could damage their eyesight.
Hence this advert in the Reporter from Rowley's of Church Street:
"By getting your glasses haphazard from an unskilled assistant at the nearest shop instead of from a qualified optician, you may save yourself a few pence, but it isn't worth it.
"Such methods make eye defects worse instead of better, and in the end may damage your sight very seriously. We are qualified opticians and make every pair of glasses to order, after proper scientific test."
There was also an advert in the paper for the Oxley Baby Car. That was being sold at Babyland, which was the name of Oxley's children's department in Barrow Street.
The illustration showed a high pram with large wheels that looked like it would have needed a fair bit of pushing. Oxley's bargains for Whit included some special corset offers from 1/11.
For the first time the local collectors had the help of 40 students from Liverpool University.
The Echo said they had "…appeared in the streets in all sorts of fantastic costumes, and vigorously prosecuted collections in aid of the hospital".
St Helens Reporter courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the compensation award for losing fingers in a corn works, Sanger's Circus comes to St Helens, the thorny question of bank holiday pay for workers and the horse in Napier Street that trembled with pain.