South Yorkshire Times, May 19th, 1935
THREE POSSIBILITIES
“It is a matter of assumption,” said the Doncaster District Coroner, Mr. W. H. Carlile, summing up after witnesses at an inquest on Charles Chapman (60), foreman shunter, of 50, Winter-well Road, West Melton, at the Montagu Hospital last Friday, had told him three ways in ‘which the man might have received the injuries from which he died at the hospital on May 10th.
Evidence showed that Chapman was employed at Wath Concentration Yard, where wagons are brought up a gradient by an engine and are allowed to run down into sidings controlled by shunters, who regulate their speed by the wagon brakes. Chapman was walking past two wagons for No. 22 siding when two more came down for No. 24 siding. These bumped on to the other two, and when all four had passed Chapman was seen lying by the track.
WIDOW’S EVIDENCE.
Mr. J. S. Campbell, organiser, represented the National Union of Railwaymen, and Inspector P. Glavey, of the railway police, was also present. Mrs. Beatrice Chapman, widow, gave evidence of identification, and said that when her husband went to work on May 10th he was in good health. Arthur Kitching, 40, Chaucer Road, Mexborough, a shunter, said he was controlling wagons at t h e Concentration Yard at 11-30 a.m. on May 10th. Wagons were being shunted down the -ladder” as the mainline was called into sidings on both sides He was working the bottom man’s position
Lion. Which from No, 18 to 30 inclusive on the even Side, and 17 to 31 On the odd side, and Chapman was assisting him. Was standing at No. 18 point and the first wagons to arrive for him were
Three for No, braked them and walked by His side of them as No. 22 siding, leaving them then to proceed on their own into, 24 siding. He then turned back and passed Chapman ‘between 20 and 18 points. And Chapman was then walking by the of two Wagons for 28 siding. As witness arrived at No. 18 points two wagons arrived for 24 siding, at the same time. He turned to ace where the other wagons which Chapman was attending to were and saw them “jumping” on the rails at about No. 20 points. He thought they had become derailed. but -when the following shunt for 24 siding had pushed them out of the way saw Chapman lying in the V between 18 and 20 sidings. He ran and shouted for assistance and another shunter helped him to lift Chapman clear of the line. Ambulance men attended him and he was then taken to hospital. There were five shunters and a foreman employed at the “ladder” and another man at the top to regulate the wagons coming down.
CORONER’S QUESTIONS
The Coroner said that he understood that an engine pulled the wagons up a gradient and then let them run down the other side, and that the points to the sidings where they were intended for were controlled by a man in the signal box, and witness agreed. The Coroner: The shunters are there to control the wagons’ speed. How do they do that? Witness: By putting on the wagon brake if they are going too fast, and by pulling it up if they are going too slow. The Coroner: At what speed do they come over the top? Witness: At fast walking pace as a rule. The speed depends on whether they are laden or not. In reply to further questions witness said that the wagons were easy to brake, and they had to go close to do so. The Coroner: What I want to know is how he came to get under the wagons
Witness: When I last saw him he–was on the ladder side of the wagons, yet when I arrived at No. 18 he was not in sight.
The Coroner: Could you understand how he came to be trapped?
Witness: No, unless he went in front of the wagons and we usually go behind.
The Coroner: One of the witnesses will say that on the way to hospital Chapman said the ratchet brake caught him. How did he come to get into contact with the brake?
Witness: I do not know.
In reply to further questions from the Coroner he said if the brake refused to act they put a skid, or metal shoe. on the rails and it stopped the wagon. Chapman was lying with his right arm and leg across the line.
The Coroner: If he had been attending to the brake was he in a position that suggested it?
Kitching: He was and he was not. Perhaps lie caught his toe on the metals.
HEARD RUBBING SOUND.
In reply to Mr. Campbell witness said
That when the wagons Chapman was attending to passed. Him lie heard a rubbing sound on the other side, and lie thought that the brake blocks were binding on the wheel.
Mr. Campbell Would that mean the foreman would have to go from the working side to the nonworking side to lift the brake?
Witness agreed and admitted that with the wagons only travelling at walking pace it was possible that Chapman had gone in front and either been knocked down or had tripped and fallen in front of the wagons.
In reply to inspector Glavey, Kitching said that about 2.000 wagons were’ dealt with daily in that yard.
Henry Parkes, or 96, Arnold Crescent, Mexborough. Another hunter, said he also) controlling wagon and was working! In the position above Kitching He heard Kitching shout that the foreman had been knocked down. And shouted up the ladder to get the signal at danger and stop wagons coming down. He the helped Kitching to lift Chapman clear of the line. William Guest, of 21. Park road. Wombwell, traffic inspector at Wath concentration yard, said in consequence of what he saw he went to where Chapman had been knocked down and was receiving attention from ambulance men. Chapman was conscious. He asked Chapman what had happened and he said that the ratchet brake on the box wagon had caused the accident. He thought perhaps Chapman had been trying to get the brake up off the box.
Wagon, and the other two coming down for 24 had hit those for 28 and pushed them forward. Chapman having hold of the brake handle might have caused him to be thrown in front of them. The only blood marks he could find were on the last pair of wheels on the second wagon going for 24. There was a possibility that the man’s clothing had
Stopped the blood from being shown until the other wheels had passed over him. In reply to the Coroner, Guest agreed that the “jumping” of the wagons seen by Kitching might have been caused by them passing over Chapman, but there were no marks but those he had mentioned. He Said he had examined the ratchet brake on the. Box wagon and it appeared to be in good order.
LEG AND SHOULDER BROKEN.
Dr. W. C. McGuire, house surgeon at the Mexborough Montagu Hospital, said Chapman was admitted at 12-15 p.m. on May 10th and he was conscious. He had a compound fracture of the bones about the right shoulder, a compound fracture of his right leg, and a fracture of the pelvis. There were lacerations on his right arm and leg, and above his right hip, and also minor lacerations to his face. He had a fracture of the right ribs and the right side of his body appeared to be somewhat crushed. He was suffering from shock and said that he had been run over by a wagon, but did not say how it had been caused. He died about 1 p.m. and was conscious nearly up to the time of his death.
The Coroner: It is amazing that the man should have been conscious nearly up to the time of his death.
The doctor said that death was caused by loss of blood and shock following multiple injuries.
Summing up, the Coroner said the man was apparently, of long experience. The jury had heard how the wagons were put into the sidings and apparently they proceeded at a reasonable. Pace. That meant that in all probability the man had gone in front of the wagon to attend to the brake. It was merely a matter of assumption. Another man had said that he might have been holding the brake lever and tripped as he did so. There did not seem to be any negligence attached to anyone. They had heard the number of wagons dealt with, and accidents were infrequent. If they were agreed there was no negligence the only verdict they could return was one of “Accidental death.” The jury returned a verdict accordingly.