The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-30 00:00:00

TAL ACCIDENT ON THE EAST LANCASHIRE
RAIL WAY.

THE INQUEST YESTERDAY.

Yesterday we were only enabled to announce the fact that
a fatal accident had occured on the above line of railway, by
which two persons had been killed, within the immediate
precincts of this borough.
The accident occurred about eleven o'clock, on the arrival
of the luggage train at the goods station in Great Howard-
street. The parties killed were, William Parker, the guard
to that train, and a female named Mary Hurst, wife of Mr.
John Hurst, veterinary surgeon, Juvenal-street. It appears
that the latter left her home in the morning on business to
Ormskirk, and being ton late for the last passenger train
from that place, she, in company with another person, re-
quested the favour of being permitted to come home by the
luggage train, and took second class tickets at the station for
that purpose. Upon the arrival of the train they entered
the guard's van, and arrived safe at the Liverpool station,
where they alighted, and were crossing the rails, when the
engine attached to the train, having been disunited from
the carriages, knocked them down and most frightfully
mangled their bodies. The guard's head was so much lace-
rated that his features were not in the least discernable, and
he was killed on the spot. Mrs. Hurst had one leg com-
pletely severed from her ,body, and the 'other partially so ;
she lived but for a few minutes. Their bodies were imme-
diately conveyed to the Northern Hospital.
Yesterday evening, at five o'clock, p.m., an inquest was
held at the coroner's office, upon the bodies of the two
unfortunate deceased, William Parker, the guard, and Mary
Hurst, killed at the goods terminus of the Lancashire and
Yorkshire Railway, Great Howard-street, on Monday night.
The jury having been impanelled, proceeded to the
Northern Hospital to view the bodies, which present a
most awful sight, both being dreadfully mutilated, after
which the evidence was proceeded with.
The following gentlemen were present, from the Railway
Company :—Mr. James Callen, goods manager, Mr. John
Penme, joint superintendent, and Mr. Shaw, passenger
superintendent. Mr. Yates, solicitor, attended to watch
the inquiry on behalf of the relatives of Mrs. Hurst
George Glaister stated : I am a stone-mason in the
employ of Messrs. Holme. Last night about a quarter-past
ten o'clock, I left Ormskirk by the luggage train of the
East Lancashire Railway for Liverpool. The train was a
long one, consisting of about twenty-four wagons. The
deceased female was in the same train with me. Near
eleven o'clock we arrived at Liverpool station. The train
was stopped nearly opposite the stairs which lead
from the line to the yard in Great Howard-
street. It was very dark. The deceased man, who
was a guard got out, having first put out his own lamps.
I was well acquainted with the locality of the place where
the train stopped, having frequently had work to do there.
I asked the guard to take us down by the stairs, and he
said he would. I then got out of the van, and the guard
and I then helped two females out. There was only light
from the lamps on each side of the railway. Before I
got out I could see the engine, which had been attached to
the train, go a-head, and return past us on another side—on
the side next the docks. After we had walked about 18
or 20 yards, as I supposed, for the purpose of getting to the
steps, the engine came alongside the line on which we
happened to be; walking and struck against me and shoved
me sideways and then struck against the guard. I saw the
engine strike him and drive him before it. I did not see
whether it struck the • female, for she was just in advance
of him. The first intimation I had of the approach
of the engine was the striking against me ; but I
think it must have been coming at a slow pace.
I walked up the line to see what had become of the parties.
I found the portion of a limb on the off side of the rail. I
was going towards the wall when a person called out, —what
are you doing there ? I said there has been a sad accident
to the guard and a female. Two men came up with lights.
I saw the female lying on the line ; the engine had passed
down ; part of one leg being cut off. About 70 yards further
I found the guard. He was quite dead. Ido not consider
there was any blame to any person, as I had asked the guard
to take us down by the stairs. It is not usual to take pas-
sengers by the luggage trains. There was no other person
connected with the train but ourselves, the driver and
stoker.

By Mr. YATES—I paid the fare at Ormskirk, and asked
the station-master, as a favour, if he would let me come by
the luggage train, as I was too late for the passenger train.
I paid second class fare. I have travelled on other lines by
the luggage train, but not on this. I never asked the favour
before. I asked to come by the train. The station-master
said, " The guard is responsible, I don't know if he will
take you, but you can come and see." When we arrived at
the station, the carriages were shunted on the west side of
the line at the goods station. We came in the one with the
guard. When the train stopped we got out on the east
side of the line, m here all the rails are bad ones. It is the
usual side for t'-ie passengers to get out. I asked the guard
to take us down the wooden stairs. They are on the west
side. I saw the engine go forward, but I did not know it
was coming back. It was the buffer of the engine struck
me. I did not hear any whistle directly before the accident
occurred. There• was no other warning given that the engine
was approaching. I heard a whistle about three minutes
before, but I thought I was quite safe, being with the guard,
as he had told me he ran that station regularly. The guard
pat 011 th. vat before we got out of the van. When
I asked the guard to take us out at the station he said he
would. I have no doubt but that he intended to take us
by the stairs into Great Howard-street. There are a number
of lamps near. Just before the engine came up I saw that
we were on the line, and called out. The guard was per-
fectly sober at the time.
Re-examined : The guard put out the lights connected
with the carriages.
By a Juror : There were lights on the engine, but our
backs were towards it, and it was running slowly. The
engine had not been turned, it was merely backed.
Peter Whelp, a night-inspector on the railway, spoke to
going up and finding the bodies as described by the witness.
He said after the arrival of the goods train it is the duty of
the engine driver to go-a-head a little, and then return by
the outer siding, so as to go up the departure line and put
the engine up for the night. I detached the engine from
the train but did not see the porters, and went away to my
work. The deceased persona and the last witness must have
been walking on or near the departure line, along which the
engine had to go. Henry Bulfield was the engineer and
Wright Wetherton, was the stoker attached to the train.
By Mr. Yates : The engine belongs to the East Lanca-
shire company. It is very seldom that passengers come by
the goods train.
••John Mitchel was examine], but his :evidence was :not
material.
The engine driver, after being cautioned by the coroner,
said he did not know there was any person in the van. I
saw the guard, as I thought, but I could not swear that it
was him put the lights out. The engine was going on very
slow—merely walking, at the time of the accident. I had
sounded the whistle. I did not feel the engine pass over
either of the bodies; if it had I think I must have
felt it.

The Coroner summed up the evidence, and left it for the
jury to say whether it was' by any gross neglect on the part
of the company, or their servants, that the two deceased
had met with their death. _ _

The jury, after consulting together for about half an
hour, returned a verdict that the deceased, William Parker
and Mary Hurst, were accidentally killed, but at the same
time deprecated the practice of allowing passengers to travel
by luggage trains.