The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-21 00:00:00

FATAL 'FELL ACCIDENT.

An inquest was held before Rupert Clarke, Esq.,
coroner, on Thursday last, at Mr. John Cooper's,
Norcot Farm, Tilehurst, on the body of Mr. Robert
Hart, aged 44 years, a tinman and brazier, residing
in Gun-street, Reading, who met his death the
previous day under the distressing circumstances
disclosed by the following evidence :
David Cox deposed—l was in the employ of the
deceased. I came here with the deceased yesterday
morning to mend the pump. We commenced work
at ten o'clock. I went down the well about 15
feet. I could not go further because of the smoke
in the well from straw having been lit to test the
foul air. I went down the well as far as where i
the pump works in August last, and in the previous
May, Mr. Colman's man, a plumber, went down
to restuff the box of the pump, I assisted him at
the top of the well. I think there must bo about
six stages down the well, the first about 4 feet
frOm the surface, and the other about 10 feet apart.
It is 66 feet to the pumii., I have measured it.
When I was down at the pump in August it was
all boarded over to keep things from. falling into
the water. The stages consist of two pieces of wood
four inches square.- We used a sack, and let it down
with a rope to buffet the foul air out of the well.
The deceased went down about half-past 10 as far
as I had been down. He could not go beyond for
the foul air. We then let some wood on fire in an
iron basket down the well. It went out. About
half-past 11 the deceased descended again, as far as
before. but could not stand it, and returned. I then
used the sack again, as far as before, but could not
stand it, and returned. I then used the sack again
for three-quarters of an hour, we then tried a light,
it went out at about 30 feet. down ; deceased said it
was better. At half-past 12 I was on the ladder to
go down, and asked the deceased for my cap ; he
said, " I will go down ; if it is not safe for me it is
not for you." He went down to the third stage, he
then said, " It is better now," and he then landed
on the fourth stage, about 35 .feet ; he then said,
Pull up, I cannot go further, 1 feel so faint." He
got up to the third stage, but before he could step
off the ladder on to the stage I heard him say, " Oh!
I am done," and he immediately 'fell off the ladder
down the' well. I heard him break through the
bottom and splash into the water. Mr. Cooper im-
mediately afterwards proceeded to Reading, and
Mr. Workman, the surgeon, and others were soon
on the spot. The mode adopted on going down and
coming up was to attach a rope to the ladder, and
let down to the different stages, and pull up by
hand, and the deceased walked down and up the
ladder from stage to stage ; this was the first time
the deceased was ever in a well. The first time I

. _
had been in a well was in August last. Neither the
deceased nor I were brought up to the trade of a
plumber. I have only been down one well since
August. The distance from the pump to the water
in this well is 12 feet, and there was about three
feet of water in the well. When Colman's man
went down in May NV) used the sack, and after
about half an hour he went down by the gime
means as used yesterday. I believe Colman is an
experienced man in well business. After some
further evidence, the jury returned a verdict of
" Accidental death."—Berlshire Chronicle,