The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-26 00:00:00

VERDICT OF MANSLAUGHTER AGAINST THE CHAIRMAN AND

SUPERINTENDENT OF THE SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.
On Tuesday, Mr. C. J. Woods, the coroner for West
Surrey, resumed at the Railway Arms, Farnham, the
adjourned inquiry respecting the death of Charles Can-
ning, aged twenty, who was killed by being run over, on
the 14th instant, by a special survey train, near the
Farnham station.
James Edwards, the gatekeeper, said that he had been
in his situation four years next October. There were six
passenger trains to Farnham, all of which stopped at the
station. No ordinary passengers' train passed without
stopping. When he heard the train approaching which
caused the accident, he thought it was the ordinary
train. He had received no notice that a special train
was expected, and until it had passed him he had no idea
of one coming. They had sometimes a verbal and some-
times a written message that special trains were coming,
and generally a red board at the end of the train preceding
them. They had had a coal train de. without any
notice, but that came in very slowly,'When he first
saw the deceased, he was at the end of some palings
which had been recently put up at the station, just at
the end of the platform. He was running, and was run-
ning about sixty or seventy yards away. He got hold
of the fence with one hand, and his left leg was on the
brick wall of the platform, when something caught him
and hurled him down, but whether it was the engine or
one of the carriages he could not tell. Deceased did
not fall before he reached the spot. Some persons got
out of the train, but he did not know who they
were. The ordinary train came in five minutes after
the accident.
By a Juror—The usual signal tail-board was not on
the preceding train.
By the Coroner—The fence had since been put back
about a foot or eighteen inches.
Mr. Crombie denied *hat •the,traisk in question was a
special one ; it was a service train for the company's
servants. It was his duty to show that the station was
clear, and having ascertained such to be the case an
engine could then pass. He had done so on the day
the accident happened.
By the Coroner—The deceased had time to get out of
the way by crossing the line. His duty was to attend
to the trains.
By Mr, Crombie—The porters ought to be on the
platform, and the train that day was behind time.
By Captain Simmons—The palings had been put up
about the Thursday before the accident, and were altered
the same day as the inquest was commenced last week.
He did not know the exact height of the palings.
William Gerrard, a porter of the company, was next
examined. Had been in their employment for upwards
of seven years. The deceased and witness were working
together in the warehouse, which was below the station,
near to Alton. It was 61 yards from the station. When
a train arrived it was his duty, as well as that of de-
ceased, to attend to it. He had a book of the rules, but
no part of it related to the porter being on the platform
at any particular time. On the afternoon of the 14th,
they were waiting to hear the signal for the ordinary
train, which was then expected. There was a bell
sounded at the station on the arrival of each train. He
heard both the whistle and the bell on the evening when
the special train came in. They both went to attend to
it. There was one way upon the platform, and another
through the office. They were not forbidden to go upon
the line. That was a nearer way than through the office.
By the Foreman—They had time to get on to the
platform after the whistle was sounded.
By Mr. Crombie- He did not know how many per-
sons were on the engine, but they appeared to be beckon-
ing the deceased to get out of the way. They were
moving their hands. The deceased was rather slow and
careless. He had cautioned him, by Mr. Kitchen's
order, from running into danger. The paling was put
up to prevent the people from getting on to the line. If
a special train had been known to have been coming, he
thought that Mr. Kitchen, the station master, would
have told him. The deceased was cautioned of the
danger he ran some time back, when he Was pushed by
some coal waggons against the same wall.
Richard Eaton, the driver of the engine, was cautioned
by the coroner that his evidence might possibly be here-
after made use of against himself, and was asked if he
was willing to be examined.
The witness replied in the affirmative, and stated he
was principal foreman in the locomotive department.
He was on the train on the 14th instant by which Can-
ning was killed. They left Nine Elms about half-past
four in the afternoon, and came to Woking with the en-
gine only. Henry Ireton, a driver, and Mr. Joseph
Beattie, superintendent of the locomotive and carriage
department, was also on the engine with witness. Some-
times he was driving, and sometimes Ireton. They
went to Woking to meet the Hon. Francis Scott, the
chairman of the company, to go and survey several sta-
tions. At Godalming, whilst Mr. Scott and Mr.
Beattie were examining the station, he attached a
coupe carriage to the rear of the train, that they
might view the lino better. They returned to Guild-
ford about 6.12 or 6.15. He believed the down
London train must then have arrived, but he did net
see it. They remained at Guildford about three minutes,
and then proceeded to Farnham. He understood from
the first that they were to precede the five o'clock Lon-
don train. He did not originally know that he was
going to Godalming. He received instructions at
Guildford from Mr. Beattie to proceed to that place
before going to Alton. When he returned to Guildford
from Godalming he saw the Alton train getting ready.
He knew therefore that he must be in advance of the
five o'clock train. That train ought to leave Guildford
a few minutes after six. The proper time would be 6.5 ;
and he believed it was about eight minutes past that
time when they arrived at Guildford from Godalming.
Had the train gone on ho should have ascertained the
precise time at which it proceeded. Had that train ar-
rived at Guildford first, it would have gone before them.
Witness had directions from Mr. Beattie to precede the
five o'clock train. When they arrived at the Farnham
station, the usual " all right" signal was up, and the
gates open. Witness sounded the whistle two or three
hundred yards before he could see the signal, which he
could see 300 or 400 yards. They gave a good long
loud whistle. He would have done the same thing had
he been driving an ordinary train. The steam was shut
off nearly half a mile from the station. The signals were
all right. On passing a station he always kept his eye
on the platform. He did so on this occasion, and turned
round to put the steam on again, when he heard Ireton
call out ; and, on turning round again, he saw him and
Wakefield motioning to somebody to get out of the way
or stop where he was. Witness did not see Canning
until the engine was passing him. He was then at the
extreme end of the platform, with his back to the wall.
Canning was then looking up at the engine, which
passed him all right. He did not see him struck, but
Ireton called out that he was so, and put on his break.
They were travelling at a rate of from seven to nine
miles an hour.

Captain Galton, and Alfred Mountain, station master
at Guildford, gave evidence as to the departure of the
trains from that place.

Captain Simmons said that he had been instructed by
the Board of Trade to make inquiries into the circum-
stances connected with this accident. The line was
single from Ashe. The place at the station where the
deceased met his death was 3ft. 3in. from the rails,
sufficiently distant to be safe. From what he had al-
ready heard and seen, the arrangements appeared to him
to be unsatisfactory ; but before he made his report to
the Board of Trade, he should be glad to hear further
explanations from the officials of the company on the
subject.

Henry Ireton deposed that he was an engineer in the
employment of the South-Western Company, but he
was acting as fireman on the occasion of the accident.
They passed the Aube station without stopping, and
about 600 yards from the Farnham station Mr. Eaton
sounded the whistle. They then proceeded cautiously
up to the station, till they found that the signals were
clear for them to proceed. He saw those signals. When
about one-third along the platform he saw the deceased
about four or five yards beyond the platform, as though
he was coming from the goods station. He was then
running between the line of rails, on the same road as
they were on, in front of the engine. He looked at him
hard, and saw him turn off the line to his left, and then
turned back on to the road, still running. Witness then
shouted to him, and beckoned to him with his right hand
to stand on one side. He looked up and smiled, and
witness thought lie understood what was meant. At the
end of the platform, instead of turning towards the six-
foot, he turned inside towards the platform. Witness
applied the break, and the engine and part of the car-
riage passed the deceased, who made another attempt to
get on the platform, when he was struck on the hip by
the centre step of the carriage. Deceased had ample
time to get out of the way. Would swear they were
not going at the rate of 15 miles an hour.
Mr. Joseph Kitchen deposed that he was the station
master at Farnham. He had been so for the last six
months. Canning had been employed at the station
rather more than three months. Witness had had to
complain of the slowness with which he performed his
duties, and to caution him to take care of himself, as he
had seen him once or twice in a dangerous position be-
tween the brickwork of the wall where the fence was
and the ordinary trains. On the last occasion he told
him that if he had to complain again he should be obliged
to recommend his dismissal.
Charles Weedon, of Farnham, driver of the omnibus
to and from the station, deposed he was on the platform
and saw the train come in as Charles Canning was run-
ning from the warehouse below the station. When
he first saw him he was about ten yards from the new
railing. On coming up to the old railings, he caught
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the step of the carriage caught him, and threw him
forward under the train. Witness heard the whistle
of the engine and the bell of the station, and it was
after that that he saw Canning running. Witness
did not notice that the train was going very fast, and
he thought it was an ordinary train until it passed him.
It was not going at any great speed, though rather be-
yond that of the usual trains. When Canning caught
at the fence, he appeared to have lost his presence of
mind, and looked frightened. Canning was about fifteen
yards from the fence when he first saw him. He was
altogether away from the rails—in the station yard, in