They say salt mining and salt works were safe.

The salt workers were perhaps safer than coal miners, but there were exceptions. Here is one in Winsford, and in next week’s article, we will look at one fatality in Northwich.

Firstly, Winsford or rather Moulton, it is August 1882, and the salt works were the Verdin’s Newbridge Works.

The age of employees could be far lower than today, in this case, 14 years. Thomas Preston from Moulton, a boy of that age, was the casualty.

The salt pan for boiling off the salt from the brine is at the top, and the heat is provided by a furnace below. On this occasion, Thomas was seen eating his breakfast while sitting by the salt pans.

Elijah Such was stoking the fire beneath, and he heard two or three screams of ‘murder’ from above.

He immediately ran up to the salt pan and, to his horror, found Thomas Preston in the boiling brine with his body in a leaning position. Mr Such immediately pulled him out.

One of the workers, John Broady, had seen him earlier, and it seemed to him that he got up to go to work on finishing his food. In doing so, his foot caught in a piece of wood, and he fell into the pan.

No-one knew who had shouted murder, but the foreman Joseph Barnes also heard it and ran to the scene.

On arrival, the boy had been pulled from the boiling brine, and he was dead.

Mr Barnes went directly to the telegraph station and called for medical help. Foul play was not suspected, and the body was carried to his home in Moulton.

On the Friday, August 4, Mr H.C. Yates, the coroner, held an inquest at Weaver House, Moulton.

The inquest was to investigate the death of Thomas Preston, aged 14, who died as a result of injuries sustained by falling into a salt pan filled with boiling brine.

The boy’s mother had identified her son’s body, and the verdict of ‘accidental death’ was returned.

Before 1890 Weaver House, Moulton, was the residence and grocery business of George Lyon and his wife, Martha.

George passed away in 1887, leaving the premises with his wife Martha, and in 1894, she had the Lion Hotel at 20 Main Road (Now No 74) built.

As far as we can see, Weaver House still exists and is 68 Main Road, a few doors away from the Lion Hotel.

It was also used for other inquests by the coroner.