The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-10 00:00:00

INJURED.

Joseph Jones, engine-driver, severely burned.
William Gower, engine-driver, severely burned.
John Chambers, boatman, of Warwick, injured
by immersion and partial suffocation.
Webb was only married this summer. The
other man, Broadbent, has left a widow and eight
children, the youngest having only been born on
the Ist inst.

STOKE BRITERNE, Sept. 9.
An inquest on the bodies of Webb and Broad
bent was held here this afternoon before P. E.
Hicks, Esq., the coroner for this division of the
county. Mr. Anderson, the chairman of the Grand
Junction Canal Company, Mr. Rogers, the secre-
tary, Mr. Fulton, the traffic manager, and Mr.
Lake, the engineer, were present. The company
was also represented by Mr. Arthur B. Markham,
solicitor, of Northampton, who attended to watch
the case. Mr. Richard Tiowts, solicitor, of North-
ampton, was present on behalf of the surviving re-
latives of the deceased men.
The jury having viewed the bodies, the inquest
was adjourned to the school-room of the village,
where the following evidence was taken :
Joseph Wickens—l live at Stoke Bruerne, and
am a " legger" in the canal tunnel at Blisworth.
I knew both the deceased. They were in the com-
pany's employ. On Friday evening last I was
"legging" a boat belonging to Mr. Fellowes
through the tunnel from this place to Blisworth.
We met a steamboat in the tunnel, but the smoke
was so strong that I could not see any one on board
of it. That was between 1,200 and 1,300 yards in
the tunnel. The steamer was coming towards
Stoke Bruerne, and had another boat which it was
hauling. We became entangled in the rope of the
second boat. I called to the men on board as loudly
as I could, but I received no answer. Some one
unloosed the rope or it would have pulled us
back. Owing to the smoke I could not get on
with my work. I laid down on the deck until the
smoke had blown by. There is always smoke in
the tunnel, and it depends upon which way the
wind is as to its clearing off. On this occasion it
blew towards the steamboats. On previous occa-
sions when passing through the tunnel I have been
affected by the smoke from the boats, but I never
felt so bad as on Friday night. There is one ven-
tilating shaft in the tunnel at the
distance of 1,760

yards from the Stoke Bruerne end. I knew there
was a steamer following us at some little distance.
Their smoke would blow towards the other steamer.
There would be more smoke in the tunnel than at
most times.

By Mr. Markham—We were entangled for about
ten minutes. lam only employed by boats that do
not belong to the company. I did not see any light
on board the steamboat or the boat which it was
towing. The smoke was so strong that I could not
see the light on my own deck. Ido not know that
the steamer was more free from the smoke than the
second boat. I did not see the second boat at all.
I do not know that the steamer broke the rope.
When I got back to the other end of the tunnel I
saw a man who told me that he loosed the rope, and
I told him I was very glad he did. I was close to
the gunwale of the boat. The steamboat was pro-
ceeding at the regular pace, so far as I could judge.
The two steamboats must have met in the tunnel at
about 750 yards distant from the shaft. The shaft
is just as it has always been. You can just see day-
light through it if you look as you pass in the day-
time. Some boards are nailed over it at the top, so
RS to form a little hut.
At this stage the proceedings were adjourned to
the Boat Inn, where the injured men were lying on
beds made up on the floor of the little parlour.
The examination of Gower, the second-engine
driver on board the steamboat, who was one of the
men who was so severely burned, was being pro-
ceeded with when our parcel was despatched, From
the number of witnesses in attendance the examina-
tion was likely to occupy some hours.