(33) Squeen Mill

Mona's Herald, Wednesday, 28th May 1862

BALLAUGH. — On Thursday last, a very melancholy occurrence took place at Squeen Mills, in the above parish. It appears from the information we have gleaned of this sad affair, that there is at these mills a connecting shaft running from the corn to the threshing mill, and that the same has been for years unprotected by any wood casing, to the eminent danger of passers by. This wanton neglect was doubtless the cause of the horrible death of the victim — a fine, intelligent little boy, of some five years, the son of Mr. John Martin, the miller. Whilst returning home in all the buoyancy of youth, from school, between twelve and one o'clock on Thursday morning, the poor little fellow in passing under the shaft (the mill being in operation at the time), was caught by his clothes on a nail driven into and projecting from the shaft, and whirled round it for a considerable time, mutilating and crushing his body before it was discovered. No cry or shout was heard from him by the miller , or any of the family, consequently no assistance could be rendered by stopping the mill in order to rescue him from his fatal position. A correspondent informs us that some two or three years ago, the late proprietor of this mill was caught in a similar manner, by a nail or nails that had been driven in the shaft, and his coat torn in shreds from his back. Luckily, he was a corpulent man, and his great weight saved him from sharing the same fate as this unfortunate little boy. How lamentable to think that to this day no provision has been made to remedy the evil! Proprietors of mills cannot be too careful in encasing their machinery, especially when such is exposed to children and persons passing by; in England the law compels them to protect their machinery.[a similar comment was issued by an inquest jury in 1879]

		Water powered Mills etc
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