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William Morris Griffith

Age: unknown

Sex: male

Date: 18 Sep 1910

Place: Mount Snowden, Wales

William Morris Griffith was killed by a boulder on Snowden.

A man was tried for his manslaughter but was found not guilty.

William Griffith was a member of a large party descending Snowden. He slid down on a stone on the rack railway when he was struck by another stone.

They had been up to see the sun rise and on their way down he placed a big stone on the rack-rail of the Snowden tramroad and sat on it and slid down the steep incline at great speed. After he had gone about 200 yards someone put another boulder on the rack and pushed it down. It increased in speed until it attained a velocity of about 40mph and then caught William Griffith in the back causing him to turn a somersault. He was taken to Quarry Hospital where he died a few hours later.

He had a fractured thigh and serious internal injuries.

The manager of the Snowden tram-road said that enormous damage was done to the railway track on the Sunday by the crowds who went up Snowden. He said fences were broken, gradient posts pulled up, wires thrown down, and the bed of the railway interfered with. He said that that each year at that time similar damage was usually done.

The point where he had slid down the gradient was between 1 in 6 and 1 in 8. He had reached Halfway House when he was hit.


*map pointers are rough estimates based on known location details as per Place field above.

see www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk

see Yorkshire Evening Post - Saturday 01 October 1910

see Derby Daily Telegraph - Tuesday 11 October 1910

see Hull Daily Mail - Saturday 24 September 1910

see Sheffield Evening Telegraph - Wednesday 21 September 1910

see Aberdeen Evening Express - Tuesday 11 October 1910