Debris from flywheel explosion travelled 90m to kill young mum

On the second Wednesday of March 1906 Thomas Shuttleworth, metal broker, of Peel Hall Street, Preston was engaged by Thomas Parkinson of Poplar House, Whittingham, the senior partner of Bond & Co, iron founders of Longridge, to blow up an old flywheel some seven foot in diameter and weighing two tons.

- with Keith Johnson

Shuttleworth had assured him that he was experienced in that work having broken over a hundred similar before.

Parkinson provided him with sixteen gelignite cartridges and the flywheel was lying in a field in front of the foundry behind Jubilee Terrace about 100 yards from the highway leading to Inglewhite and Shuttleworth's assistant took up position on the road to keep the traffic back during the blasting.