Railway Accident or Typhoid Fever

1875

1875 Jan 30 Sheffield Telegraph

The Extraordinary Enquiry before a Coroner’s jury

Railway accident or Typhoid Fever?

On Thursday, the enquiry as to the cause of the the death of Mr Wood, a well-to-do farmer, was resumed at the Cross Keys Inn, Darfield, near Barnsley, before Mr Blackshaw, deputy coroner. Mr Tyas appeared for the widow and six children of the deceased, and Mr Parker for the Manchester and Sheffield railway company.

The enquiry was remarkable for the conflicting character of the medical evidence. Mr Lister, of Doncaster, and Mr Seabourn of Wombwell, who attended the deceased up to the time of his death, together with Dr Morris, Barnsley, who made a post-mortem examination, deposed that the cause of death was inflammation of the brain, in all probability caused by a blow on the Temple received in a collision, which took place on the night of 21 November last, at Conisbrough, on the Manchester and Sheffield railway.

On the other hand, Dr Fox, of Manchester; Dr Leach, of Manchester; and Mr Blackburn, surgeon, of Barnsley, swore most positively that the deceased died from typhoid fever. At the close of the medical evidence the jury consulted together, as stated that they should require evidence as to the accident on the railway, so that they did not consider that typhoid fever was the cause of death.

On the witnesses who could speak as to the collision on the line being called, the Rev H.B.Cooke, the foreman of the jury, said his brother juror’s were of the opinion that the Railway servants should not be examined in the presence of the officials of the company, upon which the latter retired.

James Daley, labourer, said that on the night of 21 November last he was a passenger on a train from Doncaster to Barnsley, which stopped at Conisbrough, when it was run into by a pilot engine. The night was a foggy one, and a lamp could only be seen for a short distance.

Henry Barnsley, a West Riding constable, stationed at Conisbrough, said he was near to the station when the collision took place. On going to the end of the train. He saw a light engine behind it, and heard the driver of the latter cavilling about the signal. The driver said the signal was lowered, whilst the signalman said it was not. He saw the deceased at the station, who said to him, “take notice of this, and the time.” The stationmaster had told witness that the passenger train was over an hour late. It was about 5 miles from Doncaster to Conisbrough.

Charles Skayman said he was the guard of the train from Doncaster, on the night of 21 November last, in which the accident took place. The train had come to stand at Conisbrough, and whilst he was standing on the platform it was a run into by a light engine at the rear. The night was very foggy, and fog signals had been put down in consequence. If the distance signal indicated “danger,” it would have been the duty of the driver of the light engine, according to 162 of the company’s rules, to proceed at such a rate as would enable him to stop short at the station and other stopping places.

John Helliwell, the driver of the light engine, said that when approaching Conisbrough, on the night of 21 November, he saw that the distance signal had a white light, which indicated that the line was clear. The danger signal was not up against him, otherwise he should not have gone up to the station as he had done.

Thomas Dawson, an old man said he was in charge of the fog signals at Conisbrough on the night of the accident, and noticed that the danger signal was up when the light engine was passing. As the train was passing he showed a green, and not a red light.

After a brief address from the coroner the room was cleared. After consulting together for nearly an hour, the jury returned the following verdict.

The deceased died on 10th day of January 1875, at Upper Woodall farm, in the parish of Darfield, from inflammation of the brain, caused by injuries received in a collision on the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire railway is at Conisbrough station, on the 21st day of November 1874. And the said jurors are further of opinion that such collision was caused or contributed to by the negligence of Thomas Dawson, John Helliwell and Edward Hulme servants of the said railway company and that the said Thomas Dawson is quite incompetent was so important the post as that of a fog signalman.

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