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A navvy
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Picture by kind permission of The Living Archive
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FATAL ACCIDENT. Another fatal accident occurred to a navvy, on Tuesday last, whose name is unknown, near the
Three Arches,
Castlethorpe. It appeared he was travelling from
Roade to
Wolverton, and was knocked down by a passing train and killed on the spot. His body was conveyed to the
Carrington Arms to await an inquest. This makes the third man killed on the railway between
Roade and
Wolverton in six days. The inquest was held at the
Carrington Arms, on Wednesday, the 10th inst., before
J. Worley,
Esq., when the following evidence was addressed:
David Smith said: I live at
South Leverton,
Nottinghamshire, and am an excavator, and have been seeking work in the neighbourhood. Yesterday morning I was walking up the
London and North-Western Railway, near
Castlethorpe, in company with a young man, when deceased came up to us and spoke to me. I knew him, and have known him for several years, as we have previously worked together. He has told me he came from
Manchester. I do not know his proper name, but he was generally know by the name of “Pincher.” The last time I worked with him was about three years back. His age I should judge at about 35. It was between ten and eleven o’clock yesterday morning when he came up with us, and we walked on together towards
Wolverton. He said he was going on there to try and get work. I stopped with my mate, and deceased walked on. When he was about 60 or 100 yards ahead there were two trains meeting, and I saw deceased in the six-foot way, between the two lines on which the trains were. I lost sight of deceased about the time the trains met, and as soon as they had cleared I saw him lying in the four-foot of the up loop-line, over which the train had just passed up. He was then quite dead. His head and his legs and arms were out. Deceased appeared to have got in front of the up train while endeavouring to avoid that passing down.
George Benson said: I live at
Goltam,
Nottinghamshire, and am an excavator. I am up here looking for work. Yesterday morning, I was going along the line with last witness towards
Wolverton, and deceased caught us up just before we reached
Castlethorpe. He and my mate recognised each other, and walked on together a little way. I did not know him. He then went on ahead; and I and my mate stopped whilst I cut some tobacco. I saw the deceased step out of the way of a train of a train coming down. He was then about 6 or 100 yards ahead. There was a train passing upon the new line at the same time. I did not see him struck by the up train, but when we came up we found him lying in the four-foot of the up line. He was quite dead. We did not move the body, but stopped a train following up, and the driver and fireman moved the body. The body was afterwards removed to the
Carrington Arms, in
Castlethorpe. It was about half a mile from
Castlethorpe where he was killed. The jury returned a verdict “That deceased was accidentally killed when stepping aside to avoid a passing train.
