Stevenston - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
15 JULY 1912

ARDEER GOLF CLUB

Heys Medal – George MacGregor, (6) 75, previous winner; Hugh McKay, (9) 78; and John Stewart, (4) 82.

Robertson Medal – E. Wilson, (14) 73; George Steedman, (16) 78; and Carrick Hamilton, (12) 80.

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GLASGOW HERALD
15 JULY 1914

STRIKE AT NOBEL’S EXPLOSIVES FACTORY

A sectional strike occurred at Nobel’s Explosives Works on Monday through the appointment of an interim foreman who was to relieve foremen as they went on holiday in rotation.

The men engaged on the hill declined to work under him and stopped work. Their action affected others engaged as runners and gelatine workers and the girls working in that section. In all about 150 men and many girls had to stop work.

A conference between the union and the factory officials was held yesterday, when it is understood an amicable agreement was effected.

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GLASGOW HERALD
16 JULY 1894

SALE OF WORK

On Saturday, being the second day of the sale of work in the Town Hall, Saltcoats, on behalf of the building fund of Stevenston and Ardeer Church, Mr Thomas Thomson, Crescent, Ardrossan, opened the proceedings and warmly commended the object to those present.

Mr Campbell, writer, occupied the chair.

The drawings on the first day amounted to £312. There was a good attendance throughout the day, and business proceeded briskly. The town was thronged with visitors, many of whom visited the sale, where a variety of entertainments were given at intervals.

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GLASGOW HERALD
17 JULY 1888

BREACH OF THE PEACE

At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court yesterday, John Allan, a fish hawker, residing in Main Street, Stevenston, was charged with a breach of the peace in Vernon Street, Saltcoats on the 11th instant, aggravated by 16 previous convictions. He pleaded guilty, and was fined in £3, with the alternative of 30 days’ imprisonment.

He went to jail.

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GLASGOW HERALD
18 JULY 1979

DEAD MAN UNDISCOVERED FOR 3 WEEKS

A 72-year-old man, electrocuted as he tried to repair a television set in his home, lay undiscovered for three weeks.

Last night social workers and welfare volunteers at Stevenston were trying to work out how Mr Robert Quigley had slipped through the welfare net of a town which prides itself in being one of Scotland’s most caring communities.

When neighbours called police to Mr Quigley’s home in Hillside Street, Stevenston, officers found him dead beside a TV set from which the back had been removed.
The current was switched on and a screwdriver and silver paper were lying on a table beside the set.

Still in the house was the dead man’s dog, which had apparently been trapped, unfed, beside its dead master since June 30, when Mr Quigley was last seen.

Mr Frank Mitchell, district social work manager for Strathclyde Social Work Department in Cunninghame, said last night, “Obviously we are concerned about this happening.” He added, “If an old person is known to local organisations we are in a better position to keep a visiting eye on them, though even then it may be that three weeks could elapse between visits.”

A Strathclyde Police spokesman said last night that Mr Quigley had only move into the area recently.

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GLASGOW HERALD
19 JULY 1899

SMART SENTENCE

At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court yesterday, William Allan, labourer, Townhead Street, Stevenston, was charged with having, on the 17th instant, assaulted Matthew Wilson, labourer, by seizing him by the arms, dragging him about, and knocking him to the ground.

He pleaded guilty.

The Fiscal characterised the assault as a savage one, and the Sheriff passed sentence of 21 days’ imprisonment.

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EVENING TIMES
20 JULY 1956

3 PLANNED TO STEAL ACID -SOAKED LEAD

In spite of the fact that lead in the acid department of the I.C.I. Ardeer Factory, was saturated with acid, 3 cwt. (worth £15) was stolen.

At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court today the thieves –

William Scott, (25), motor driver, 20 Highthorne Crescent, West Kilbride;
Boyd Milligan, (24), motor driver, 133 Clark Drive, Irvine, and
John McInnes, (18), labourer, 27 Pollok Crescent, Kilwinning –

admitted stealing the lead and were each fined £5 or 30 days’ imprisonment.

Because it was saturated with strong acid the lead could cause severe burns if wrongly handled.

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GLASGOW HERALD
21 JULY 1913

HOME OFFICE AND ARDEER EXPLOSION

In reply to a letter from Irvine Town Council regarding further inquiries being made into the disastrous explosion at Ardeer in March last, and after a consultation between Major Cooper Kay, Chief Inspector of Explosives, and the Town Council, the Home Office has replied pointing out the precautions that are taken in the factory to prevent accidents.

It is also stated in the letter that Messrs Nobel on their own initiative have arranged not only that the new gun-cotton stores erected to replace those destroyed by the explosion shall be established farther away from Irvine, but that these shall be placed farther apart from one another, and that they shall each contain 5,000lbs of explosives in lieu of 12,000lbs.

The consequence of this change of site will be that buildings nearest Irvine will at present be licensed for cordite only, and experience has shown that the risk of this material exploding when ignited is very remote.

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GLASGOW HERALD
22 JULY 1897

THEFT OF GROWING POTATOES

At a special Justice of the Peace Court held at Ardrossan yesterday, Samuel Edmonds, tailor, Stevenston, pleaded guilty to having stolen a quantity of growing potatoes from a Stevenston garden, wickedly wilfully, and maliciously destroying a quantity of the growing crop, and committing a breach of the peace.

When apprehended he had violently resisted the police.

There were six previous convictions against accused.

He was fined 21s or 7 days’ imprisonment.

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GLASGOW HERALD
23 JULY 1957

GIRL KILLED BY LIVE CABLE

A jury at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court were told that a Stevenston girl, Joyce Martha Havlin Walker, (12), followed a puppy into a partly demolished house, touched a live electric cable in the porch and was electrocuted.

The jury returned a formal verdict, but added a rider that owners of buildings scheduled for demolition should ensure that all services were cut off and rendered safe before demolition began.

Mr Allan S. Lockhart, solicitor, Ayr, representing the girl’s parents, said that if reasonable precautions had been taken the girl would not have been killed.

Officials of Stevenston Town Council, the owners of the property, had not told the Electricity Board that the house was to be demolished. The Board had taken no steps to ensure that the supply was cut off and the demolishers had assumed it was safe.

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GLASGOW HERALD
24 JULY 1912

EXPLOSION AT ARDEER FACTORY

A slight explosion took place at Nobel’s Explosives Factory, Ardeer, Stevenston, on Monday night in the nitro-glycerine department. No person was injured, and the damage done was confined to the building in which the explosion took place.

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GLASGOW HERALD
24 JULY 1914

HOUSE OF COMMONS – NOBEL’S ARDEER FACTORY

Mr Wilkie (Dundee Labour) asked the First Lord of the Admiralty – Whether he is aware that at Nobel’s Ardeer Factory all the tradesmen employed are paid the district rate of wages, with the exception of the painters, who are paid 7½d an hour instead of 9d and whether he will make representations on the matter, even although the painters may not be employed on Government work, their duties being necessary in the conduct of the business.

Mr Lambert (Devon South, Moulton – Min.) – If my honourable friend will give me details of the information on which the question is based inquiries will be made.