Widnes Examiner. — 1901-01-11 (Widnes, Cheshire, England)

SAD DEATH OF THE NEWTON GAS AND WATER ENGINEER. Found in the Bath.  lkit.ch consternation was caused in Newton, on Sunday morning, by the circulation of a report, which unfortunately proved only too true, that David Henry Lloyd, the Gas and Water Engineer, to the Newton Urban District Council had been found deal in his bath, at his residence Park-road, Newton. Mr. Lloyd had been working in his office at the Gas Works, later than usual on Saturday afternoon. He arrived home somewhere about 11 o'clock,and his wife shortly afterwards went to bed leaving him sitting up with a neighbour named Emmett About three or four o'clock on Sunday morning %Ire Lloyd awoke, and hearing'water running in the bathroom, concluded her husband was having a bath, and took no further notice. She went to sleep again and did not wake until about eight o'cleck. and hearing the water still running in the bathroom , she got up and opened the bathroom door, when she was horrified to find her husband in the water, quite dead She at once called for assistance and sent for Dr. Watkins, who after examination, gave it as his opinion that Mr. Lloyd had been dead some hours. It appears it was a customary thing for the deceased to have a bath before retiring to bed, and this fact accounts for Ifrs. Lloyd taking no notice of the running water. The deceased had held the position of Gas and Water Engineer of Newton for about two years, he heving prior to that been Assistant Gas and Water Engineer to the Wallasey Urban District Council. It was at first thought the case was one of suicide, but the absence of motive, and the testimony of the medical man disposed of that theory. The I,:nqu est. The Dangers of Geyser Lamps. Mr. Brighouse, Coroner, held an inquiry into the circumstances at the Police Buildings, Newton, on Tuesday evening. Eleanor Kate Lloyd said deceased was her husband. He was 35 years of age and had acted for the pas; two years as Gas and Water Engineer to the Newton-in-Makerfield Urban District Council. Deceased was a healthy man. He got home about 11. o'clock on the evening of the sth inst and commenced playing with the children. Hearing one of the children crying in bed, she went upstairs to see what was the matter with it. Soon afterwards she went to bed leaving deceased with a friend named Emmett. She awoke about three'o'clock in the morning and heard the bathroom tap dripping and immediately concluded that her husband was having a bath as was his custom. She was so used to hearing him having a bath at that hour that she , did not take much notice of the dripping of the tap and was very soon asleep again. She awoke again at ' about a quarter to eight and hearing the bathroom tap still dripping, she went to stop it and on opening the door found deceased lying on his back in the bath, dead. She went out for a neighbour and at the same time sent for Dr Watkins.—Questioned by the Coroner, witness said that the bathroom window was opened a little when she went in. She did not know who had opened it. On going into the room she noticed a noxious odour of the fumes from a Geyser lamp, which was used for heating the water in the bath. A month or two ago she had to call the doctor in to two of her children who had been rendered unconscious in the bath by the fumes emanating from the lamp. She had not the slightest cause for suspecting that deceased had intended doing anything to himself. He had not been at all peculiar in his ways. Frederick James Emmett, of Park-road, Newtonle-Willows, said he was an engineer in the employ of the L. and N.-W.Railway Company at the Wagon Works at Earlestown. He was with the deceased at his residence at 11 o'clock on Saturday night. Ile sat with him in the sitting-room talking about various matters for about five minutes. When be left him, deceased seemed to be in perfect health and spirits, and on going out he opened the door for him and called out "Good night Police Constable Powell said that he received information at about 8.15 on Sunday morning and on going to the house of the deceased he found him lying on his back with his face just above the water. His head was across the room from the heating apparattis. He did not perceive any noxious fumes when he entered the room, beyond a slight smell of burning. Dr. H. Watkins said that he was called in to see the body of the deceased on the 6th and he made an examination of it. On Sunday soon after 9 a.m. he saw the body of the deceased and it was then lying on the bed. The face was placid, but the hands were clenched The right forearm was pertly bent, and the body was lying on the back. He made a postmortem examination on Monday. Discolouration was already well marked. Ile was of opinion that, death was violent, and due to syncope, acid en failure of the heart, and partial asphyxia from drowning. The foreman of the jury asked how could deceaeed be drowned, if his head had not been in the water. Dr Watkins said the struggle for life would draw the face above the water. The body was in such a position as to indicate that a struggle had taken place. A verdict in accor line. with the medical testimony wag given, and the jury conveyed their sincere regret tn Mee Lloyd. Deceased he left five young children.