The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-09 00:00:00

WORCESTER CATASTROPHE. t
INQUESTS ON THE TWELVE BODIES.
WORCESTER, WEDNESDAY EVENING.—Eight of the
bodies of the unfortunate navigators were conveyed to
the Whitehall Inn, near to the city, but in the county of
Worcester. These, having b aen taken out of the river
on the western bank, were conveyed to the nearest
county inn, while those of the other four, which were
landed on the east bank, were taken to the Anchor Inn,
Deglis, in the city of Worcester. To explain this it is
necessary to observe, that at the point where this dread-
ful catastrophe occurred, the Severn divides the city
from the county of Worcester. To-day inquests have
been holden on all the bodies ; on those at the Anchor,
before Mr. Hyde, the city coroner, and on those at
Whitehall, before Mr. W. S. P. Hughes, the coroner for
the county. The evidence adduced on each inquest was of
course almost precisely similar. One of the navigators
employed on the work, named Charles Head, deposed to
the nature of the accident, which he witnessed, having
declined to enter the boat, which he thought was over-
loaded. The real cause of the accident appeared
from his statement to have been a rope, by
which a barge was moored to the bank. To
cross the river the boat must necessarily pass
under the rope, and on reaching it one of the men
(Richard White) lifted up the rope. At the same
moment the fifteen men standing up in the boat stooped
down to clear the rope, and this caused the boat imme-
diately to capsize, precipitating the whole of the ill-fated
fellows into the river, which, at this point, was deep and
rapid, from being contracted by the works in progress..
It was a fiat-bottomed boat, and the men were all stand-
ing on the bottom of the boat, and not upon the seats.
There was no " larking" going on at the time amongst
the men, as was at first stated, but all of them were very
steady. The witness (Head), on witnessing the accident,
seized a piece of timber, with which he succeeded in ex-
tricating one of the men, named John Dodson. This
John Dodson was also examined on the inquest; he de-
scribed the rope attached to the barge to have been lying
on the surface of the water, and thought the boat might
have passed over it had not White caught hold of it.
Head, however, was of a different opinion.
The two juries returned verdicts of " Accidental
Death," with regard to all the deceased. Their names
are—
Richard White, aged 21, of Defford.
Charles Baker, aged 24, from near Brighton.
Mark Lewis, aged 27, from Walsall.
William Rose, aged 24.
Thomas Packwood, aged about 27, a native of Om-
bersley, near Worcester.
George Poulson, jun., of Cheltenham, aged 19.
John Pegg, aged 24, married, leaving a wife, but no
family.
Charles Child, a Herefordshire labourer.
George Smith, aged 25.
Charles Moscow, aged 23.
Henry Manks, a native of Solihull, aged 24.
James Marshall, aged 45, married ; his wife keeping a
public-house at Liverpool, and having five small children

THE FIRE NEAR GRAVESEND.

OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE LOSS OF PROPERTY.

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The premises where the fire originated, the cause being
attributable to the foulness of an oven flue, belonged to
Mr. Solomons, consisted of a cottage, which was ad-
joined by three others, all tenanted by labourers and
their families, employed on Mr. Solomons' estate. The
whole were consumed, and the walls have fallen in.
None of the parties are insured.
The farm in the rear (belonging to the estate) much
damaged ; the northern wing partly burnt.
Second Fire.—The greater portion of the agricultural
buildings on Queen's Farm (belonging to the same gen-
tleman, Mr. Solomons) consumed—namely, the barn,
two stacks in the rick-yard—one of beans, containing
80 qurters, the other of wheat, the produce of 14 acres ;
also a granary and some bullock sheds. The above
formed the east side of the farm ; the dwelling-house
and stable, forming the west frontage, saved. The barn
contained two floors, and was very large, being upwards
of 200 feet in length. The distance of the farm from the
' cottages above mentioned, is nearly 100 yards.
Third Fire.—The King's Farm (the property of the
' same unfortunate owner as the above) totally burned
down. The distance from the Queen's Farm, over a
meadow, is between 150 and 200 yards. It occupied an
immense area, and the number of buildings was greater
and more extensive than at the Queen's. They were as
follows :—Two barns, one 60 feet in length and 30 feet
in breadth, and the other 70 feet in length and 40 feet in
depth ; a granary, 24 feet long and 14 feet in breadth.
These buildings, with a range of stabling, 50 feet in
length, formed the eastern frontage of the farm, to be
added to which was the rick-yard at the back, contain-
ing several stacks. This is also destroyed. A brick
hen-house, and two four-stall stables (each separate
brick buildings, with lofts above) formed the south
frontage to the farm, of 160 feet. The opposite frontage
was likewise burned down. It was upwards of 200 feet,
and formed of bullock and cow sheds. The farm-house
is partly destroyed. It was tenanted by the labourers
and families, eighteen in number.
A fourth fire occurred at the dwelling of Mr. Solo-
mons' shepherd, a wooden building, about SO yards dis-
tance from the King's Farm. Part of the furniture de-
stroyed, but it was fortunately checked without any
damage to the building.
In addition to the above, there were a number of carts
and waggons destroyed ; likewise a horse and several
pigs burned to death. All the fires were occasioned by
the first, the burning embers being carried by the wind
on to the roofs of the different buildings.
Ono, man lost his life, and two were severely injured
by the fall of burning thatch.