We have reported many stories over the years about Salford Docks and the antics that went on there, however this story from the pages of the Salford City Reporter, May 1916 tells a tragic tale.
Three dockers were all taken ill on the same evening in May and slowly they were all to die agonising deaths.
The three men were, Frederick Charles Lyle, 32, who lived at Lord Napier Street, Joseph Tarrant, 42, Lynton Street, and Edward Johnson, 45, Cross Lane, Salford.
Evidence was given at Salford’s Coroner Court at Pendleton Town Hall by the men’s widows who each told a similar story.
Mrs Lyle told the inquest that her husband came home on the Wednesday evening and appeared drunk, he eventually lapsed into unconsciousness, he was taken to Salford Royal Hospital on Chapel Street, but died shortly afterwards.
Mrs Tarrant told the inquest that her husband also arrived home from work and appeared to be drunk, he told her that he had taken a sip from a bottle at the docks, he went into work the next day but came home ill and died that evening in hospital.
Maria Johnson gave the inquest a more thorough if not harrowing story of her husband’s death.
The couple had only been maried for three months and had been discharged from the army in February through to bad eyesight and had obtained work at Salford Docks.
He returned home from work on the Wednesday evening and sat down for his tea without washing his hands, he ate a large meal and asked for more bread and butter, she asked him, was he drunk?
He denied this and promptly fell asleep, she took him upstairs and laid him on the bed, she went to see him three hours later and he was fully dressed on the bed and she had great difficulty in awakening him.
Eventually she managed to get him into the bathroom where she poured water over his head in an attempt to sober him up, he eventually got into bed but had a fitful sleep continually throwing blankets of the bed.
He got up in the morning to go to work, but had no breakfast, only a cup of tea, however he returned home at dinner complaining of headaches, she persuaded him to go to bed which he did.
In the evening he seemed a little better and they both went to a local cinema, however he complained that the headaches were getting worse and came home early, in the morning he was no better.
He lay on the sofa and told his wife that he couldn’t see in one eye and was going blind, she immediately summoned the local doctor.
The doctor examined him and asked what he had been drinking at Salford Docks to which he replied that he had taken less than a quarter of an egg cup of what he thought was alcohol.
Alarmed at what he had been told he arranged for Tarrant to be rushed to Salford Royal Hospital, sadly upon his arrival he had gone totally blind and was writhing in agony from the pain.
Sadly he passed away at 3.10am still in agony with his poor wife sat at his bedside.
The Coroner had an analysis made of the men’s blood and it was found that all three men had died from alcohol poisoning caused by drinking wood alcohol, more commonly known as Methanol.
Methanol ingested in large quantities is poisonous to the central nervous system and may cause blindness, coma, and death.
It would appear that these three unfortunate men had opened a bottle of wood alcohol thinking that it was legitimate booze, possibly whisky and would have no idea what the consequences would be for them.
A verdict of Accidental Death by alcohol poisoning was recorded on the three men by the Coroner and hopefully there tragic deaths would serve as reminder to other men employed on the docks not to drink what they thought was alcohol.
