(31) Garwick (Ballagawne) Mill

Registered Deed May 1851 #43

dated 18 Nov 1850;Thomas Kelly(Baldrine) + wife Anne Elizabeth als Tate sell for £150 to John + Hugh Gill(both Lezayre) a Corn Mill, house and premises partly on estate of Ballagawne in the parish of Lonan. Gills to have right to access property over land of sd Thomas Kelly - a new lately erected stone wall to be boundary - Gills also to have right to quarry stone for any necessary repairs or improvements. Witt Thomas Lewin, John Stowell

Registered Deed Jul 1878 #31

dated 1 Jul 1878;recites that late Thomas Kelly + wife Anne Elizabeth did by deed dated 18 Nov 1850 [Reg Deed May 1851 #43] sell a corn mill known as Glen Gawne Mill in parish of Lonan to John + Hugh Gill and grant them certain liberties of making and repairing stone pillars in a part of their lands called Baldrine; Now John Gill has been sole proprietor of sd mill for many years and having made a water course on his own property of Ballagawn has no need for pillars but wishes to make a small embankment abt 4yrds from present passage on their lands and to take a small stream through the boundary into his dam - agreed by all parties; Witt John Kewley, Thomas Lewin

The mention of stone pillars in above, very condensed, agreement would suggest that the water was for part of the race was carried in a wooden tranche later replaced by a newly cut channel - also that the mill had a dam (or reservoir) by 1878 - no such dam is shown on the 1868 plan.

grain-milling machinery in the Garwick Corn Mill, Baldrine, the gear wheel may be that which cause of fatal injury to the miller.

One fatal accident occured at this mill - reported in Mona's Herald 10th December 1879 - the photo above of the 'grain-milling machinery' of unknown date may be the 'cog wheel' driven by the water wheel into which the miller's leg fell.

SHOCKING DEATH IN KIRK LONAN.

A MAN'S LEG CRUSHED OFF BY A MILL WHEEL. — MARVELLOUS COURAGE OF THE SUFFERER.— HE GIVES DIRECTIONS HOW TO EXTRICATE HIM.

Another distressing accident, resulting in death, occurred on Friday afternoon, in the Ballagawne Mill, near Baldrine, in the parish of Lonan, Robert Fayle, miller, being the person who met with the mishap. On Saturday afternoon, his Worship the High-Bailiff, coroner of inquests for the district, held an enquiry as to the cause of the death of Fayle, who leaves ten young children to mourn his loss, and the evidence given at the inquisition is fully reported below. This is the sixth inquest his Worship has held within the space of three weeks.

John James Fayle deposed : The deceased Robert Fayle was my father. He lived at the miller's house at the Ballagawne Mill. He was 54[sic 45] years of age, and has been miller at the mill for the past 13 years. I assisted my father in the mill. It is a water corn mill, and is propelled by an overshot wheel. The cogwheel and shaft of the wheel are on the second floor, and over this cog-wheel there is a loft. The cog-wheel has arms above the rim of the wheel, and these arms are immediately under the beams and flooring of the loft. The corn is placed in the loft, where the hoppers are, and the mill is fed with corn from above. The axle of this principal wheel is fastened into a socket in this loft. Immediately over the wheel there was a slight boarding close to the hopper. It was part of my father's duty to be on this loft to empty the sacks of corn into the hopper, and then he would come down stairs and attend to receive the oatmeal. Yesterday he went to work as usual. I was down stairs in the mill, it being my duty to regulate the driving power, and my father was at this time — about three in the afternoon — in the loft supplying the mill at the hopper, and two floors above where I was. I noticed the speed of the mill was changed, and it began to go too quick for me to attend and regulate the speed, so I at once went up stairs on the loft to see what my father was about, and when I got on the loft I saw him lying fastened with one leg between the arms of the driving wheel and the floor of the loft. I instantly ran down stairs and stopped the mill, and then ran up again to where my father was caught in the wheel. He asked me if I had stopped the mill, and I replied that I had. I then ran to our house, which is next to the mill, and told my mother. I returned and went up to my father again, and found that his right leg was completely held between the arms of the wheel and floors of the loft. I remained with my father in that position for an hour. He told us how it had happened — that he has just been feeding the mill at the hopper, and had placed his foot on the boarding just above the wheel when the boarding gave way, and his leg went through the hole and came in contact with the wheel, which nearly separated the leg from his body; and if I had not stopped the mill when I did he would have been dragged downwards into the machinery of the mill. Instantly assistance came his clothes were cut off. My father was left where he was until Dr. Elliott, who had been sent for, arrived. I assisted in getting my father out, and one hour elapsed before he was taken from the mill.

Edward Gelling said : I live at the Cloven Stones, near to Ballagawne Mill, and when sent for about three o'clock yesterday evening, I went to the mill at once. Deceased was very steady, and knew his duty very well. When I went up on to the loft I saw Fayle in the position described by his son. He was quite sensible, but appeared in great pain, and to have lost a great quantity of blood. I assisted to cut off his clothes, and when that was done I saw the bare bone at the thigh, which was broken, and the leg where it was separated was merely held by the flesh, and the other portion of the clothes which we could not get at to cut. When Dr. Elliott came, that which was holding the lower part of his leg to his body was severed, and the deceased was removed to his own house. He remained perfectly sensible, and when I left his house about five o'clock everything that could be was done for him.

Dr. P. Elliott, medical practitioner, Douglas, examined : I was in Laxey yesterday, and a message came to me that deceased had been caught in the machinery of the mill. I went off at once, and when I got to the mill I went up to the loft, where I saw the deceased lying on his back fastened in the machinery. Those about him were doing everything in their power to relieve him, under the instructions they were receiving from the deceased himself. He was ordering those present to back the wheel, and cut his leg off, which I had to do there and then to get him out of his perilous position. When I cut the flesh, which alone held the one portion of the leg to the other, he expressed himself greatly relieved, and asked to be taken to his own house as quickly as possible, which was done. He then became unconscious, and never rallied. Death was caused by the shock, the loss of blood, and the injuries he received.

John Wallace, a neighbour of deceased's said that at about half-past six the previous evening, he went into deceased's room, and he was then unconscious and breathing his last, and died immediately after witness went into the room.

The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical testimony, adding the follow rider:— "That it would be very desirable if there could be some legal provision made in order that there should be a periodical inspection of all premises where there is machinery in motion, in order that a report might be made as to the state of the flooring, and in other respects as to the general condition of the premises, and thereby prevent, if possible, accidents occurring from inefficient machinery or from the decay of flooring, or the same being out of repair."

The son John James would be about 15 years old at the time.

Jones in his 1964 report noted that the mill relies on a high fall rather than a large flow of water - he also notes that

Although the mill was apparently stopped by the wheel coming into contact with the walls of its well, this may not prove to be a serious matter. It appears that the outer wall moved forward, (parallel to the mill wall), carrying the outer bearing, and so throwing the wheel at an angle to the well. This easily be rectified without disturbing any of the masonry; all is needed is to move the cast-iron bearing back about 3 inches This would be permanently effective if the wall has ceased moving. So the advice of an architect should be sought on this point The major repairs required would be to the wooden water trough. It is not possible to inspect this properly from the ground , but a number of defects were obvious. Since these troughs make notoriously heavy demands on maintenance, and this one has been disused and neglected for several years, the repairs might well amount to virtual replacement.

		Water powered Mills etc
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