TRACTION ENGINE FATALITY ON THE ENBORNE ROAD
A very shocking fatality occurred on afternoon, on the Enborne-road, to a man named George Ennis, aged 21, unmarried, working for Mr. Gunter, traction engine proprietor, and formed the subject of an inquest at the Board Room of the Newbury Union, on Saturday evening, before Dr. Watson, J.P., Borough Coroner, and a Jury consisting of Messrs. Edward Whiter (foreman), Alfred Cooper, George Stratton, John Davis, William Digby, George Moore, Charles Ball, Frederick Beath, William James Swaite, William Boucher, Joseph Walker, Joseph Purdue. After having viewed the body the following evidence was taken-
George Gregory deposed—l am in the employ of Mr. Gunter, and drive his traction engine. Between three and four yesterday, I was driving the engine along the Enborne-road, to which a thrashing machine and van were attached. The deceased was also employed by Mr. Gunter as sackman, to take the sacks off the machine. There are four men, and they take it in turns to go before the engine. Deceased had done this yesterday on the first part of the journey; and I sent a man to relieve him, so that he might ride in the van to the destination. I know nothing of what occurred till ten minutes afterwards I saw him under the wheels; in my opinion he must have been sitting on the draw bar behind the engine and fell off. Turning round to supply the engine with coal, I saw him underneath the hind wheel of the machine. He was crying out. I shut the steam off and reversed the engine, but the hind wheel had passed over him before it came to a stand-still. I had previously warned the deceased against riding on the draw bar. That morning he attempted to ride on the crossbar, and I said " You get off and go into the van."
A Juror—ls it usual that when you relieve a man you should keep in motion P—Yes, the van is behind, and there is no danger. The engine was going at the rate of four miles an hour.
The Coroner—Your legal rate in the borough is two and-a-half miles an hour, and in the country four miles an hour ; were you going at a greater rate than this ?—No.
Was deceased sober?—l can't say. He didn't look the worse for anything. Deceased had a glass of beer at the " Traveller's Friend ;" and I saw him drink once after this, but he was capable of taking care of himself. I was perfectly sober myself, though the police cautioned me to have no more beer, as well as the other men in charge. When I saw deceased his head was on the off side, his legs under the machine and open. There was no jerk just before, nor any inequality in the road. Deceased would never get up on the engine ; he seemed afraid of it. There was no one on the road where the accident occurred, and it was distant about 200 yards on the Enborne side of the turning to Skinner's-green. The police came up about a quarter of-an-hour after the accident. One man was walking in front, and the others were riding in the van. They saw nothing of what occurred until after the engine stopped.
Dr. Hyatt said—A little after five yesterday I had a note from my partner, Mr. Birch, asking me to come up to him at the Infirmary, as a man had met with a terrible accident. I found the deceased had sustained a fracture of the left leg and thigh; he had a deeper wound outside his right thigh, and on his groin, and he was very much lacerated ; part of his body being torn open, and there were also internal injuries. He was perfectly collapsed, but still sensible. He complained of his back, and asked for a pillow to be placed underneath. We left shortly before seven, and Mr. Birch was coming up again at eight, when he met Mr. Ward, who said he was dead.
Sergt. Barnes—He died about ten minutes to seven.
Dr. Ryott—Then that was immediately after we left.
The Coroner said it was a case which required inquiry as to whether there was wilful or culpable neglect, and whether death was from purely accidental circumstances.
Sergt. Barnes—lf I had been at home I should have obtained the evidence of Richard Beacon, of Long Lane, the man walking in front of the engine. I started off this morning to find the witness Gregory, who, I was informed, was at lnkpen, and returned this evening by the 5.15 train without finding him, but he was seen in the town by P.C. Holliday who detained him. As Deacon is not here I think it would be well to hear P.C. Holliday, to whom the witness Gregory made a somewhat different statement.
The Coroner—Of course we are met here to thoroughly investigate the cause which led to the death of the deceased, and I will therefore swear the Police-constable Holliday, and the Jury shall hear his evidence.
Caleb Holliday said—l am a police constable stationed at Newbury. Yesterday afternoon about three, I received information respecting this accident. I proceeded along the Enborne road, and met a horse and cart with the deceased in it, one of the jurymen (Charles Ball) taking him to the Union. I went further on to where the engine was staying, and there saw the witness Gregory and three other men, all of whom were under the influence of beer, Gregory, the driver, more so than the other three. I asked how the accident happened, and if he saw it. He replied, " Yes, the man was riding on the coupling bar attached to the engine, and he accidentally fell off. I had previously cautioned him several times to get off the bar, and get into the van behind." The men were advised both by Sergt. Barnes and myself not to have any more beer, which they promised not to do.
The Coroner—lf you considered them drunk was it not your duty to take the men into custody did not consider them incapable, though they were under the influence of drink. I got up an hour after this had occurred, and they were no doubt then less under the influence of drink.
The Coroner—You must make some allowance for the shock to the men, and the excitement occasioned by the dreadful occurrence.
Holliday—We do not wish to urge it strongly against the driver.
Gregory—We had seven miles to go after this, over against Woodhay chalk-pit.
The Coroner (summing up)—l do not think, gentlemen, Holliday's evidence has altered the facts. The question for you to consider is ' whether there was any wilful and criminal neglect, which would amount to manslaughter, or do you consider it accidental? . The Jury asked to retire, and shortly after returned with a verdict of “Accidental death," acquitting the driver of any neglect. The deceased was brought up in the Newbury Workhouse, to which he returned to die in the mangled description above described. He left the house about ten years ago to go out to service. His propensity was liquor. At the time of his accident he had scarcely a shoe to his feet, his clothing was very dilapidated, and owed one or two debts. He formerly lodged at the " Steamer," but latterly at the " Bull and Dog." He was buried on Monday. His mother is a lunatic, and has been confined In an asylum at the expense of the parish, ever since the deceased was a child. Two aunts and an uncle are reported being in an asylum at Fareham, and the grandmother also suffered from lunacy. His sufferings, the few hours that he survived, must have been most intense, and it is impossible in a newspaper to fully detail the nature of the injuries as they were described to the jury by the medical witness. The first person to arrive after the accident was Charles Ball, in the employ of Mr. Nutley, who was returning from the country with a spring cart, into which the deceased was placed. Mr. Richard Hickman, surgeon, came up soon afterwards, and approving of what had been done directed that the deceased should be taken to the hospital at the Nurses' Home, but all the beds being full Mr. Hickman ordered that he should be taken on to the Infirmary, and promptly informing Mr. Birch (who, conjunction with Dr. Ryott, the medical attendants at the Union), that gentleman arrived in time to see the poor fellow removed from the conveyance to the Infirmary, and did everything that surgical skill could suggest, but it was known from the first that this case was hopeless, and that death would be only a matter of a few hours. It is very shocking to learn that when the unhappy man was being lifted into the cart his groans were alternated with oaths. When an attempt was made to remove his shirt he adjured those doing so not to tear it as it was the only one he had. Our informant adds that the garment looked as if it had not been taken off from the day when it was first put on. |
