Accidents to ladies by machinery.

 The newspapers have lately recorded the deaths of several ladies by careless approach to machinery.

The Bedlington Iron Works, situated near the scene of the Hartley Colliery disaster, having been closed for a long time, had recently been taken and reopened by Messrs. Dixon and Mounsey, two gentlemen well known in connection with the iron trade of the north-eastern counties. The family of the latter had subsequently taken up their residence in Bedlington. The new firm had greatly enlarged the works, and added also some new rolling and saw mills. 

These new works having been opened on the 31st January, Mr. Mounsey took his wife, with their three eldest children and some lady visitors, down to see them in full operation. Having examined the other portions of the works, the party came into the rolling and saw mills, where they saw the circular saw in full operation, and were proceeding to leave for another portion of the works. To do so they had to cross a spindle, connecting the circular saw with the engine belonging to the rolling mill by a leathern belt, and which spindle, being made of two pieces of iron, was connected together in the centre by nuts.

Mrs. Mounsey had stepped over the spindle, which was flying round at a rapid rate, but the bottom of her dress was unfortunately caught by one of the bolts or nuts described. In a moment she was thrown over, and though seized hold of by Mr. Dixon who was accompanying her, her limbs and the lower part of her person were as instantaneously drawn through an aperture only six inches between the revolving spindle and the ground, literally crushing her out of all form up to her breast. She had not time to scream, for she was dead in a moment. The engine was immediately stopped, and the workmen ran from all parts of the factory to help. The ladies and children, a minute before constituting the happy group, now paralyzed with terror, were taken away as rapidly as possible, and, the spindle being unscrewed, the remains of the deceased were got out as speedily as practicable, in a condition too horrible to describe. The poor lady was the mother of six children.

On the 11th February, the town of Birmingham was thrown into a state of excitement, occasioned by the frightful and melancholy death of Mrs. Stanley, the proprietress of the Stanley Saw Mills, Hesinsforth Street, which happened under the following circumstances.

This unfortunate lady was in the act of stepping over a spindle in the mill when, her dress being caught, she was dragged into the machinery. Her son, who was standing close by at the time, immediately took hold of her, and prevented her being carried round by the shaft, and raised an alarm.

The engine being stopped, the poor woman was extricated from her awful position. It was then found that her body was almost severed in two, and that death must have been instantaneous.

On the 14th February, another similar accident occurred at Birdsall, a Wold village, a few miles from Malton. The sufferer, on this occasion, was Mrs. Hudson, the wife of Mr. Hudson, a shopkeeper at Burythorpe, a neighbouring village, who went to Mr. Walton's farm at Birdsall, where a corn-thrashing machine was in use. In attempting to step over the “tumbling shaft," which revolves rapidly, and presents sharp angles very likely to catch and retain hold of a dress brought within its reach, Mrs. Hudson's dress was caught in this way, and was instantaneously wrapped several times round the shaft, the wearer being, of course, brought down with it, and, to the horror of all present, whirled round and round with every revolution. The machinery was stopped as quickly as possible, and when the unfortunate woman was extricated, it was found that her knees were dislocated, and that she had received many wounds and very serious injuries.

A few days later, the Yorkshire Wolds were again the scene of a similar accident. As in the previous case, a thrashing-machine was at work, when Miss Charlotte Boulton, daughter of Mr. F. H. Boulton, of Acklaun Lodge,the occupier of the farm, was standing near, looking at the machine at work, when the wind carrying her dress too near the “tumbling shaft,” she was drawn in and whirled round and round repeatedly. So soon as the machine could be stopped, it was found that, in addition to other serious injuries, both the young lady's legs were broken.