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Abram (Interesting Old News)
Published by Brian on Sunday 17th July 2022
The first article of many more to come, I am looking through the archives for each area in and around Wigan and will publish any interesting old news. The first area is Abram...
Dover Locks in Abram.
Sussex Advertiser 25 September 1866
A GIRL STRUCK DEAD BY LIGHTNING.
A girl has been killed by lightning at Abram, near Wigan. Deceased was 14 years of age, daughter of Peter West, a collier, of Abram Brow. She was employed at the New Zealand Pit, belonging to the Low-hall Colliery Company, and on Saturday last, at noon, she left the pit to proceed to dinner. She had not got more than 100 yards from the place when a flash of lightning struck her to the ground, killing her instantaneously. An examination of the body afterwards showed that her hair was scorched, and that the upper portions of the chest were much burned, while the leather was stripped from one of her clogs.
Reading Mercury 08 April 1893
A HUGE BLOCK OF COAL.
Recently an enormous cob of cannel coal, from the Abram Collieries, Wigan, arrived by train at the Alexandra Dock, Liverpool, for shipment to Boston in the steamer "Philadelphian." It is said to be the largest block of coal ever dug from the earth, and weighs over 12 tons. In getting this cob to the surface many men have been employed, and it took nine months to hew it out of the seam. It is said that the cost of obtaining it was 1,000l. - about 83l. per ton. When raised, the cob was enclosed in planks, the weight of cob and case being 13ton 11cwt. It arrived safely at the Alexandra Dock, and its shipment was witnessed by a large crowd of people. It was placed on board the "Philadelphian" by means of ropes and chains attached to four pulley purchase-blocks with a 6in. wire rope span. As a precaution against the masts giving way under the great strain of the lifting gear attached to them, preventive guys were placed fore and aft. The power was supplied by a steam winch on board the vessel. The time occupied in shipping the cob was only 30 minutes. From Boston the coal will be conveyed by train to Chicago for the World's Fair. There have also just been shipped from Liverpool several large blocks of salt rock from the Cheshire salt district. Some of them were skilfully carved into figures representing a cow and dairymaid milking, "Lot's Wife," and "Liberty."
South Wales Daily News 27 February 1896
IMMORAL RELATIONS
DAMAGES £100.
At the Sheriff's Court in the Manchester Assizes Buildings on Tuesday Mr Frank Mellor, assessor, and a jury heard the case of Burrows v. Dingley. In this case, which was an action for breach of promise, judgement had been allowed to go by default, and the duty of the Court was to assess the damages sustained by the plaintiff, a young woman now 28 years of age, a weaver, of Bickershaw-lane, Abram, near Wigan. The defendant, Gilbert A. Dingley, is one year younger, and is a foreman fitter in the employ of the London and North-Western Railway Company, at Bangor, having formerly been at Springs Branch, Wigan. Mr Marshall appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr A. G. Steel for the defendant. Miss Burrows said she met the defendant first at a picnic at Culcheth, in 1889, that in the course of the following year he promised her marriage, and that as a result of their intimacy she in 1891 became a mother. His promise of marriage was renewed subsequently, and the wedding was fixed for March 4th, 1892, but within a day of two before that date he said his financial position did not warrant him in taking the matrimonial step, and the union postponed indefinitely. During 1893 the defendant became engaged to a young woman at Warrington. He denied the fact for a while, but last year he married that woman. - The defendant said the relations between him and the plaintiff were immoral at the outset. He admitted the paternity of the child, and had paid for its maintenance. There was some indefinite arrangement as to marriage, but he denied that this went so far as the fixing of the date. At that time his wages were only 25s a week. Since then he had risen to a position which ensured him a salary of £130 a year. - The jury awarded the plaintiff £100.
Dundee Courier 24 June 1896
A LOST BOY'S ADVENTURE AT THE SEASIDE.
Fred Bullock, four years of age, of Abram, Wigan, was lost by his mother on Blackpool Sands on Saturday at noon, and rambled to St Anne's, where he was found on Sunday morning saturated with sea water and exhausted. It is supposed that he had been asleep on the beach all night until the tide reached him. The mother, who had taken the boy to Blackpool with a miner's day excursion, remained there overnight in an agonised state. The boy was restored to her on Sunday afternoon.
Preston Herald 21 January 1911
BROKEN HEARTED
HUSBAND AND WIFE DIE TOGETHER.
At Abram, near Wigan, Coroner Brighouse held an inquiry relative to the death of William Southworth (52) and his wife Elizabeth Southworth (51), of Warrington-raod, Abram, whose bodies had been found in the canal.
Thomas Southworth, a son, said that on Friday night his father went to resign the treasureship of a local burial society, with which he (witness) had since discovered he was £15 wrong in his account.
The Coroner asked whether anyone had threatened to send the man to prison.
Witness: No, not at the present time, but he expected it in August, when he was about £20 wrong, and I found it for him.
A daughter said that on Saturday morning her mother went out as if she was going to Wigan to shop, and her father left half-an-hour later. He seemed depressed, but witness did not know of his financial difficulties.
The police officer who recovered the bodies said that on the bank was a basket, and in it was a note in William Southworth's hand-writing. It read as follows:-
"In the canal you will find two bodies, opposite here. We have tried our best, and cannot get along. Please look after the three little ones as well as you can. We are both broken-hearted as I write this on the canal bank. - Yours, William and Elizabeth Southworth, 119, Warrington-road, Abram."
The Coroner advised the jury to return an open verdict, and a verdict to that effect was returned in each case. The Coroner afterwards added there might be some comment about the verdict, but in his view it was the correct one. No verdict ought to be found except on actual evidence on oath eliminating all doubt as to whether certain things had happened. In this case no one knew the exact method of how the two people had got into the water.
Shoreditch Observer 24 June 1911
CYCLIST'S FATAL POLITENESS.
It was shown at a Lancashire inquest on Saturday the Volney Stephenson, sixteen, of Willow Lodge, Abram, near Wigan, was raising his hat to a lady while cycling when he collided with a lorry, sustaining fatal injuries.
Bicester Herald 05 July 1912
DEATH OF A HERO.
James Green, colliery fireman, of Abram, near Wigan, who was awarded the Edward medal for conspicuous bravery at the flooding disaster at Bamfurlong Colliery, has died before he could receive the decoration. He was seized with serious illness after the announcement that the honour had been conferred on him, and expired before he could make the journey to London to receive the medal at the King's hands.
West Ham and South Essex Mail 17 June 1938
FOURTEEN DAYS
Stowaway Tells Of Hardship And Unemployment In Australia
Explaining that he went to Australia under an employment scheme but wanted to get back to England as he had been unemployed most of the time he had been away, William Pennington, a farmhand, of Whitley-crescent, Abram, Wigan, pleaded guilty at East Ham police court on Monday to stowing away on the British steamship "Waipawa".
It was stated that Pennington disclosed his presence when the ship was twenty hours out of Melbourne.
He was sentenced to fourteen days' hard labour.
Dundee Evening Telegraph 07 March 1945
FLOATED 30 MILES DOWN IRRAWADDY
On the Irrawaddy, Wednesday. During the Second Division's crossing of the Irrawaddy last week, L/Cpl. Grimshaw, 359 Warrington Road, Abram, Wigan, of the Camerons, fell out of a capsized boat into the swiftly-moving river.
Held up by his Mae West, he floated downstream all night, unable to call for help because of Japanese troops on the south bank of the river.
Soon after dawn he was picked up unharmed by men of the 20th Division nearly 30 miles east of the point where he fell in.
Coventry Evening Telegraph 24 January 1948
EXPLOSION UNDER PLOUGH: MAN HURT
While ploughing at Abram, near Wigan, yesterday, Norman Anders (32), of Lily Lane, Bamfurlong, was injured when blown from his tractor after the plough struck what appears to have been an anti-aircraft shell.
The plough was blown to pieces, and the explosion left a crate five feet in diameter and three feet deep.
At Wigan infirmary to-day, it was stated that Anders had had his right eye removed, but his general condition was good.
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