The Saturday January 18th Edition of "The Sentinel" newspaper includes the following item
"This year marks the centenary of the death of Thomas Holland in one of the most horrifying accidents in Potteries history.
He was swallowed up by an old pitshaft which opened up beneath his feet in St John Street, Hanley, as he walked to work one morning in 1903, Poor Thomas was never seen again and a funeral service was held around the gaping hole.
It was claimed the victim, a keen Salvationist, was singing the well known hymn "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder" at the very moment he disappeared down the shaft. Afterwards Hanley Town Council agreed to conduct an inquiry into disused pitshafts in the area, but the investigations made little progress because many had never been mapped"
Reports of this nature leave more questions unanswered than they provide ! Did the shaft remain open for the period between Mr. Holland's death and the time of his funeral ? What damage did occur in St John Street as a result of the shaft collapse ? I have seen other references
locally to people who have disappeared, it is being claimed they fell in to pit shafts although no one saw them actually fall in the shaft. The description of Mr Holland's demise would suggest his accident was witnessed.
Is anybody else aware of similar instances elsewhere ?
Keith Edmondson
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