Mexborough and Swinton Times February 6, 1909

Railway Fatality at Mexboro’.

Foreman Shunter’s Terrible Death.

How Did The Accident Happen?

A sad fatality, which occurred on the Great Central Railway, at Mexboro’, early on Monday morning, formed the subject of an enquiry which Mr. Deputy Coroner Kenyon Parker held at the Primitive Methodist Institute, on Wednesday afternoon. The victim of the sad occurrence was William John. Benbow, a foreman shunter.

Mr. Freeman represented the G. C Railway Co., and Mr. Holmes watched the case on behalf of the widow, who is left with two young children.

Frances Jane Benbow said the deceased man was her husband. He lived in Harlington Lane, was 30 years of age, and was employed as a foreman shunter on the Great Central Railway at Mexboro’. He had been in the employ of the Company for about eight years. He was a healthy man, and had not had a doctor to attend to him since four years ago. Both his sight and hearing were good. He went out on Sunday night to go to work, and at about 9 o’clock on Monday morning she saw him at the hospital. He was then alive, but died just before noon.

Eli Downing said he lived in Doncaster Road, Mexboro’, and worked as a shunter on the G. C. Railway. On. Monday morning he was working near the carriage sidings at the triangle formed by the Doncaster, Sheffield and Barnsley lines. Deceased man was working at the same place. Between 7-10 a.m. and 7-15 deceased left witness at the points of No. 3 siding. They had been working together for just over an hour. Deceased seemed to be as usual in his manner. They were getting passenger trains out of the siding prior to their departure from the passenger station at Mexboro’. There were about seven passenger coaches coupled together, standing in No. 3 siding. A light engine came up for the purpose of drawing the empty coaches out of No. 2, clearing the points and then shunting Into No. 3 to draw out the seven coaches there.

When deceased left witness the engine had come out of No. 2 siding , with about seven coaches attached to it. Witness was told to hold up No. 3 points whilst deceased went to catch on as the other coaches came up. Deceased went away and for two or three minutes witness waited at the points. Then he began to get anxious as to deceased and went in search of him. Witness discovered Benbow lying on his face with both his legs across one of the rails of No. 3 siding. He was “tightly gripping the cuter rail with his right band. He was alive, but was not moaning at all. He was lying near one of the brakes of the empty train standing in No. 3 siding. At that time the engine and ’empty coaches had backed into No. 3 siding,and. stood near other seven coaches. The backing was in progress at the time deceased left witness. The two trains were coupled together at the time witness found deceased, and. the latter was the only person who could have coupled them. The “screwing up” of the couplings, however, had not been attended to. Deceased would signal the engine into No. 3 siding by the use of a lamp. Witness had known Benbow for about twelve months. The lamp which Benbow had been using was on the ground on the outside of the outer rail, and was showing a white light towards the engine. When witness found his foreman he shouted for help. There was a deep cut on Benbow’s head over the right eye, which was ‘bleeding. Thomas Hornsby came up, the ambulance was obtained, and deceased removed to the porter’s room. Here he ‘was seen by two ambulance men and afterwards was removed to the hospital. Deceased never spoke. Witness did not see the ‘accident and was unable to express an opinio as to how it occurred. Deceased would have to bend down in order to couple up. It would be possible for his head to be court by the drawbar, but witness did not think that this was the cause of the accident. He was inclined to think deceased’s head was struck by the shackle ball, a weight at the end, of the rod which had to be swung round to “screw up.”

Mr Freeman said this was a most unusual case. He bad never known one like it before.

In reply to Mr. Freeman, witness said there was no violent contact as one train went on to the other.

William Arthur ‘Potter, Swinton, said he was an engine driver on the G. C. Railway. On Monday morning he was driving the engine which took the coaches out of No. 2 siding and backed ‘them into No. 3. He received a white light as a signal, and then backed his train into No. 3. He went steadily and: there was no violent bump. He did not know anything Miss had occurred, until he stood with the train in Mexboro’ platform.  His vacuum brake was perfectly in order. He moved out of No. 3 on a signal given by another shunter, not Benbow or Downing. Witness spoke to Benbow at ten minutes past seven, deceased being on his engine for a few minutes. The foreman then seemed to be alright.

The Coroner briefly some hope the evidence. He said there seemed to be no doubt that this was an accident, but it would be more satisfactory if the jury could include in their verdict an opinion as to how the accident happened.

One solution mentioned by Downing seemed to be the most likely of the theories that had been put before them.

The jury returned a verdict to the effect that deceased was accidentally killed by being struck on the head with a ball of a shackle bar.

The funeral takes place today.