The Express.
London, England, 1862-02-15 00:00:00

THE FATAL ACCIDENT IN THE WATERLOO-

-16;th:

Yesterday afternoon Mr. Berjeant Payne opened
an inquiry, at St. Thomas's Hospital, into the cause of the
death of Edwin James Robbins, aged 27, a carver and
gilder, one of the unfortunate individuals who was precipi-
tated: with a number of others, a distance of 30 feet,
from the giving way of an iron grating in the front of No.
199, Waterloo-road, the facts of which have been fully re-
ported in our columns.
The jury having been sworn, the following evidence was
adduced.
George Gatehouse, bootmaker, Watorloo.road,
that about one o'olock Mood ay last he heard ad=
hence at the house of Mrs. Clayton, 199, Waterloo-road.
The disturbance caused • crowd to assemble in front of that
house and et 198; there were nearly 200 persons present
there was as iron area is front of 198, which gave way, and
the pawns, about 30 is number, fell 30 or 40 feet. The
lower part of the places where the houses are built consists
of the back yards of homes in the Belvedere-road. There
is no thoroughfare from the kitchen to the lower part of the
yards. He kuew the demand Robbins. He was one of
those who felL When he was extricated he eomplaissd
very mach, and said his leg was broken. The house in
which witness lived, 199, was the same as the other.
The area grating appeared to him to rest upon brickwork.
and was embedded in the arches over which the mid is
constructed. The area railing always appeared to be
secure, and he never noticed anything to cause any ap-
prehension of danger ; the only cause he could amain
fur it was the sudden assemblage of • large number of
pezaoos. He had seen as large a number of persons present
MI the =Yin of • fire a few doors off. He attributed the
accident in some measure to the violenos used by Mr. Cole,
the broker in breakiag open the door of the next house,
which shook, the stone work.
_ .

Mr. Hugh Macintosh, one of the district surveyors of
Lambeth, said—He was only appointed ill March last. His
attention had not been 01111111 d to the houses in question, and
he only knew them generally. His attention was not.called
to them until the present accident. He had since found by
the books that a complaint wee made in Isb9 about the
railing, but that was extra of lciaL The public pathway
was entirely independent of the place where the gratings
were. They lighted the back of the buildings
called Commercial•buildings and were private property.
The distance from the essement of the houses in
the Waterloo-roed and those beneath is Wi feet. He
had since examined the area and stonework where the
&coldest took place. It consists of a large slab, which is let
into a house front wall three or four inches and rests on the
walls of the approach to Waterloo-bridge for a passage, a
a narrow piece of stone running the entire length of the
front of the houses. The iron grating is in front of the
window next to the narrow slip of stone in front of the
shops, and resting on another slip of stone on the bridge
approach. The entrance Mose was nine feet tiro by five
feet four. The large stone fell, and upon examination of the
pieces he found an old flaw had existed in the stone from
north to south. When the large stone fell it carried with
it the narrow slip of moue in front of the shop, and also
the iron grating. In his opinion the accident wee attributa-
ble to the flaw in the large slate stone, and the number of
persons assembled upon it ; it was just possible that the
vibration caused by the breaking open the door might have
accelerated the accident.

By a Juror— Where the accident took place was extra-
judicial, and out of the control of the powers of the vestry ;
they could do no more than give notice to the owners, as
the pavement was private property.
By Mr. Walker—The vestry had no authority to inter.
(en. All they could do was to give notice to the owners.
He was of opinion that the liidjacent stonework and iron
gratings were perfectly safe.
Mr. Walker said it was important to know whetter the
Dag stones resting on the walls of the bridge highway were
Ws-

*Same —I considered they were.
Mr. Gatehouse here said, that since the accident he had
received a notice directed to the landlord, sigoed by Sir
Richard Mayne, directing that the approach ghoul be
carried over a rced arch.
. . _

Yr. Serjeaot Yayne, paring reed the notion asked Mr.
Macintosh whether it would be possible to make a pathway
over sack an arch t _ _

Mr. llaeintosb—No doubt it could be done.

Mr. Colbert, who said be wail connected with the building
I profession, deposed that his sisters resided in the house No.
199. There are two doors to the house. The landing-stone
leads to the private door of one house and the shop door of
the next house. He had observed defects in the grating,snd
the " joddles" by which they were secured, and pointed out
the &sager to several papaw. He had since examined the
pavement, and was of opicion that it we. most insecure.
Evidence we. this adduced as to the braking in of the
adjoining house by a piece of timber.
Mr. Robbins, of Waterloo-road, oarirerand gilder, deposed
that the deceased was his eon. He was not present at the
time of the accident. In his opinion, the wall upon which
the stonework rested was soil safe, sod he believed, if the
jury sew it, they would be of the mine opinion.
Medical evidence was given that the deceased died from
internal rupture of the entail intestines, causing indamms-
tion of the abdomen.

iiii;i:p;il;;;T the inquiry, the coroner complained
that Mr. Jones, the proprietor, was not present.
Mr. Robinson, the barrister, said he represented him.
The Coroner—l will not hear you if he is not present.
The Coroner then said he did not think there was suM.
cleat to creates criminal liability on the part of Mr. Joins,
or on that of the broker.
The inquiry was adjourned to view the spot.