Railway Accident

Following on with the train theme ... Please do not read on if you are likely to be upset by details of a local accident ... 

Transcribed from a report in the 'Leicester Journal' of Friday March 8th, 1878. Paragraph breaks added for ease of reading.

LOUGHBOROUGH

FATAL ACCIDENT NEAR LOUGHBOROUGH

On Monday afternoon an elderly man, named John Hyde, about 70 years of age, residing at Cherry Orchard, Loughborough, was crossing the line on a level crossing, about half a mile in the direction of Barrow, from Loughborough, when the Midland Express, which leaves Derby at 2.5 [not sure what time this is actually meant to be], and passes through Loughborough about half-past one, came up without him perceiving it. He was caught by the engine and killed instantaneously.

His grandson, who was with him, saw the train in time, and so escaped un-injured, but he was unable to warn his grandfather in time. At the place where the accident happened there is a clear stretch of railway of about a mile, so that there was plenty of time to get out of the way of the approaching train.

An inquest was held before H. Deane, Esq., coroner, a the Duke of York Inn, on the 5th instant [of this month]. The deceased was 73 years of age. On Monday, he and a grandson, James Rumsby, 10 years of age, went on a walk to the Station on some business, and returned by the Old Cricket Ground, on Nottingham Road, leading to Moor Lane. When they got to the Railway, deceased wished the boy to go across the line; he hesitated, seeing a train coming, and said, they perhaps might get run over.

The deceased wanted to go, so the boy made the best of his way, and got safe across, then turning round he saw the engine of the up express train “strike him up in the air.”. Willaim Brookes, being a short distance from the spot, the went to him crying, and told him the circumstance. On going to the spot he found the body 47 yards from the crossing, with one leg cut off, and the body knocked to pieces.

James Pegg, the driver of the engine in question, said being behind time, they were going at the rate of about 45 miles an hour. He saw the boy cross the line in front of him, and shook his head at him for so doing, but he never saw the deceased.

The body was frightfully mangled. A verdict of ‘Accidental death’ was recorded.

Note: This unfortunate event took place on the Midland Mainline, as although the Great central Railway is in the vicinity of Moor Lane, the line wasn't built until 1899. 

 

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This is one in a series of posts for the ‘April A-Z Blogging Challenge’.

 

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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