The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1872-05-21 00:00:00

FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE SOUTII-WESTEaN

STATION.

On Ilooday nights HAM amodent occurred et the
Soutlr•Western railway &tattoo, Doroneeter, t Jean
Wills, aged 31 years, the lamp-man. He we noon the
roof of the carnage* of the mad train, adjusting the trim-
med lamps, and removing tat, others, when ho .lipped,
pitched bead foremost into the apses between the t•o
final of rails, and his legs fell over upon the down line.
At that moment the down train wee being backed out
of the station to proceed to Weymouth, and is pa•mo
over hia legs below the knees, crushing then nearly off.
He was removed to the hospital, where his legs were
amputated, but bodied in itas than four hours. When
consmous ho 1.13 his brother he coull not help it, and
there wee no one to blame.
. . _

Ail inquest was held At the Dorset County Hospital,
on:l.usway, bolore H., Look, Doputyieurooor.

Elisio Barden said he was bead porter at the douth-
W,aLrn Motion at Dorchester. It wm bid duty to
start emu main, mid do the shunting, and see every-
Mous is tight before the trains start. A b..ut ten o'clock
ou Monday eight he was attending to tee dowe train,
standing on the lower platform. After the engine was
detached which brought the train in, and the Wey.
mouth engine coupled on, be rang the bell, and the
Irma merged. The earrings. had remained at the down
platform. As tho carriages went bask he heard them
go over SOCllethlng, called to the driver to stop, end
showed his red light—a signal to stop the train. The
train and engine heti '' gene over" before the driver
could stop, though in pulled up seqack as he possibly
mould. Witham; went to see what . • it" was, end found
it wee a me.. The face was buried is the ground—
erevel was right round his face. The legs were lying
across the Dole, sod the feet inside. Mr. Bsnkes,
foremen of the locomotives, came up, and the drive, of
the engine. They lifted the man to the platform, and
saw it woe Will.. Ho heed wee bleeding end Ms legs
were nearly out off. Witness went away, and they sent
for Mr. &neon. Deceased was left in tue °ere of Kr.
limikes and the pointsman Pitcher. Witness found
roof lamp broken near where demised was found.
Welli wat a lamp man, and his ditty was to get on the
roof, of the carriages mad Owe the lamps In. He bad
been accustomed to the work for the last nine years
to witness's knowledge —he could not say how long
before. A ladder ix used to get upon the carriages
from the platform aide and alter adjusting the treat
tempo he returns by the same way with the lamps be
takes out. Did UAW.) Will, get upou the carriages at
the Mute of the acciderit. Last saw him at 6.15 p.m.,
when he was on the platform, having just lighted up
um 6.15 Maio. He wm then quite steady. Lie.l never
seen him the wordo for liquor.
Thomas Henke/ said he was foreman of the 1 memo-
ries, depsamoht between Dorcheattr and Poole, and
was at the station after the arrival of the 5.15 from
Weymouth, and oontinued there tiU alter 10. Hs
ezehuned the earriages of the down train on its snivel
at 10 &Week, which was pert of hie duty- He pawed
between the mail and down trains as they were both
standing, and turned on to the down platform aid weld
towards the engine. By the time be got to the
engine the signet was given to put bask for Wey-
mouth. The train had not gooe more them 2D
'aide' before he heard the head porter call to
the driver to atop, an "something" was supposed to be
on the Lae. The driver pulled op al winkle as pos-
sible, sad witches. made way towards the engine to see
what was the matter. On arriving at the cesium and
clues to the post-01100 von of the snail train, be saw
the body of a man lying in the sm-foot between the
two trams. His fees was towards the ground, and his
legs extended only the rails of the down line. He sew
a roof lamp by his side, the glass of which was broken.
With others he Isolated to torn the was over, and
found it to be the body of John Wills, the lamp-men.
Halted to take him to the platform. Mr. Honaoo, who
had been seat for, was there very quickly. In the
sometime they hod packed hie bead up with rinablona.
Wills was than put in a stretcher end biought to the
hospital. The mail train bail not Moved whea the
amident happened. At that time the ditties of the
I:64cliseal were cob tined to the stall tram. it, did soli
suttee Will, when he was on the roof.

By the Jury: It was his opinion that the maa either
dipped off the roof or over•baseeed aunaed sod pitched
on the his head, and his lop fell over

the insists of the down train, Willie when the Way.
mouth testa was in motion or just before it started.
Thu driver of the train we, in Sunlamplen, and would
not be 411,wit till 740 in the evening.
Henry Wills brother of the deceased. 'aid he was at
the station within five minutes after the asiestenf, and
assisted to b.ing him t, the hospital. Wheo there al,
leased beeame verysensible, and spoke t• him several
timed. Witness asked him if he knew bow it occurred.
He told him "ye.," but he did not state the az sat par-
ticular. 11, toll him "he mold nut help it himself,
our was inero aay one else to blame." lie dietiootly
asked his biotser if the up.mail movcd by any mane
es to C. 011.. is to • t • !filth n
• 1,. 1p 11.1ft1 •L.. 0000 s.. •0 .0, 'lii•
it him"-if, 00r coUld shy one else —it was a purl
accident.." lied not seen him the whole day, it being
very wet and witnees's duty being at night. Deeemed
bad been In the serviee of the oorepeny 13 years, and
tuoroughly understood his doliem lie believed no one
had ever seen him the worse for drink during all those
Pearl. He had lath a widow and three children.
iiMieved be had put In the trimmed lamps and was
, about picking up the othere, when be slipped off.
I Mr. Alfred Kamm, surgeon, said on Monday night
he warn sent for to the station, and saw Will. ow the
platform laid on a couple of first Mass railway eusbioam
Notioed • bruise on the left side of the bead, temple,
and forehead, and that both lags were wetly off. Took
means to at ip the bleeding, tying a couple of head.
kerchiefs round the thighs, by widish he had the main
arteries under oommand to some extent. His son went
home for a wept* of tourniquets, and be put them oe
.4 soon as he got them, ile aosompanied decamped to
the tuupitol, and remained with him till he died about
half.paet on. lounedietely on his admission there was a
eonsultatioa, and it was Mond'd to remove both the lega
Chloroform warn administered, but he needed very
little as the "book had stunned him. He was
supplied liberally with brandy and other stimulants,
but, In spite of MI, he died from the shook to the
system. Most likely be was 'Stunted by pitching on
his bead in an oblique direction, sod than his lees fell
weer on the rasl . it is very likely • 1.11 of that sort,
it the leas bad not been taken off, would have bees
very serious. He bemuse OonfOiOcis to a 410.1(184,ble
stoat in about thrasequaiters of an hoar. He did not
lose very much blood— toes was not Galatea' to
death. He believed the great shook from the fall and
having Ma loge tweaked caused his death. Could hardly
fancy lees blood could be lost than was from seed
severe Jejune. The fall would be about 111.4.

The Coroner ritniar-ird that trove the evidenee there
did not 'coact lob. any one to blente for the man'e
death. There you eo 8.104a/him' as to how he fell
from the earri.ge, but no doubt the toll wai the eau*
of hie death, and If Wu* wee their opiales they would
Sod • verdict that be axidentelly fell treat the carriage,
and that his death war eseeed by the shook to Ole
071500 L
The jury returned a verdict of "Accidental Death,"
sod very kisidly handed their fees to the brother for
Vie widow.