Hi

Family history relates that a relative 'Henry Stephen Wilcox' was killed during the construction of the Severn Tunnel. A bit of research gave a few details of others who sadly died in this enterprise but not him! Any ideas anyone?

the Severn Tunnel brakesman, was charged on remand with having unlawfully caused the death of Timothy Yeates, Francis Hyatt, Charles Smith, John Slape, and Richard Hanks, the men killed in the Five Mile Four-chain Shaft at the Severn Tunnel works, Portskewett

http://www.genesreunited.co.nz/searchbna/results?memberlasts...

"one or two men who were in the bottom, managed to make their escape ; one unfortunate man, after climbing the ladder for about half the height, was thrown back by the force of the water and killed. "

"and thinking that the cage on the one side was Standing on the ground-level, suddenly took hold
of and pushed an iron skip right into the mouth of the pit. The iron skip, falling about 140 feet, crushed the bonnet of the cage at the bottom, and killed three of the men who were in the cage ; and the skip then rebounding among the crowd of men who stood near, killed another man and seriously injured two
others. "

"but in the end of July two men, who had been working in the heading at the Marsh Pit, died of inflammation of the lungs, after a very short illness. The opinion of the doctors in charge was that the men died from inflammation of the lungs contracted from exposure, the headings being very wet and hot, and the men careless;

The fan was also completed on the 31st August, and the line was opened for goods traffic on the
1st September, 1886"


http://www.archive.org/stream/severntunnelits01walkgoog/seve...