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Croydon's Weekly Standard, December 22nd 1866
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SHOCKING RAILWAY ACCIDENT.- On the night of Friday the 7th instant one of the London and North-Western Railway Company’s porters was killed at Wolverton station, by coming into collision with a carriage whilst riding on the steps of an engine. An inquest was held on Monday at the Radcliffe Arms Inn, before J. Worley, Esq., coroner, and a respectable jury, Mr. J. Lepper, foreman. After being sworn the jury proceeded to view the body, which presented a shocking spectacle. The following evidence was then adduced:- Joseph Scrafton said- I am a driver living at Rugby, and am in the employ of the London and North-Western Railway Company; on Friday the 7th instant I was in charge of No. 1047 engine at Wolverton; about 11.45 p.m. I crossed with my engine and tender from the down to the up line, for the purpose of removing some loaded trucks from the up to the down line; when the trucks were coupled the shunting porter said “All right,” the policeman gave me the signal, and I started; before reaching the main line points there are a pair of siding points leading to the carriage department; I was not aware there was anything wrong till my engine struck a carriage on the siding, I then found I was on the siding leading to the carriage department; I was going about six or seven miles an hour when the collision took place: I did not see the deceased, but my fireman told me the man was knocked off that was standing on the steps of the engine; I looked under the trucks and saw the deceased stretched on the ground; he quite dead, his bowls protruding; I struck the carriage at an angle, and where deceased was standing he would come into collision with the carriage, and would be crushed between that and the engine. Robert Algar said- I am a policeman in the employ of the London and North-Western Railway Company; I was on duty on Friday night at the locomotive bridge when the last witness crossed to the up line to remove some loaded trucks from the arcade to the down line; Robinson, the foreman porter, told me they wanted to cross to the down line; I then went to the down line points north of the station, and signalled to the driver to come on; between these points and where the engine was there was a pair of siding points, and as I passed I saw they were all right; near there I met Samuel Styles; he said, Robert, shall I go to the points; I said, no I must attend to them myself; the distance from the main line to the siding points is seventy yards; after the engine started I saw it leave the main line, and directly heard a collision; I ran back and met the fireman, who said, “Oh policeman, we have killed the porter who was on the step of the engine; I passed on to the siding points and saw Styles standing there; he was very much agitated, and said, “Oh, Robert I have turned it in here,” and said something about his poor mate; deceased was not in his place, but it is not unusual for porters to ride on the steps of the engine; Smith was 35 or 40 years of age, and had been a porter I think about two years; Styles has been at Wolverton fifteen or sixteen years, and has often assisted at the points, but I do not know that he has ever assisted me at the points in question; I had no communication with Styles about the siding points before the collision; he had no right to interfere with them; sometimes three or four points require moving at nearly the same time; the policeman then takes the main points, and assistance is given by porters or others; the marshalling of trains always takes place south of the station, but the work was done north of the station the night in question, owing to a previous collision on the south siding. William Hadfield, fireman, said – I live at Rugby; I was on duty with Scrafton at Wolverton on Friday night last; when we left the arcade to cross the line deceased got on the step of our engine; I afterwards saw him knocked off; he was squeezed between the tender and one of the carriages on the siding; the collision took me quite by surprise; deceased and I were talking at the time; I saw a light at the points just before the collision, and some one had hold of the handle, but I could not see who it was; the policeman came up with his lamp, and we went and found deceased. James Robinson, foreman porter, said - I was in charge of the station on Friday night last; I gave directions as to the shunting of some trucks from the up to the down side; at 11.45 p.m. I was under the up arcade and saw the deceased couple the trucks; he said to me, “Are you all right?” I gave the word “All right,” and the engine started; I did not see deceased get on the step, but expected he would do so; I should have done it myself; I then went back to see that the line was clear where the trucks would eventually come to; I had given Styles directions to assist, but did not see him when the engine started; I expected he would be further down the line to assist the police if required, or to assist in getting trucks back; he would be about in his proper place near the points where the collision took place, but he had no direction from me about the points; they are in the charge of the police; I either told the policeman myself or told Styles to tell him that we wanted to cross; I knew nothing of the accident till Styles came back and said poor Smith was killed; I asked how it was done, and he told me he held the points and turned the engine into the siding; he said he thought he was turning them across the main line. The jury, after deliberating some time, returned a verdict of manslaughter against Samuel Styles, who was accordingly committed to take his trial, but admitted to bail. The sad occurrence cast a gloom over Wolverton, Styles being an old servant, and generally respected. Deceased leaves a wife and eight children, the two youngest being twins only four months old.
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