The Times 1841 - 1850 July 7 1846 Penrith Fatal Accident

July 7 1846 Penrith Fatal Accident

TUESDAY, JULY 7, 1846 / FATAL ACCIDENT / PENRITH Penrith, July 4.  A dreadful accident occurred on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway, which is in the course of construction at a place called Hugh's Crag, near to the village of Clifton, on the border of Westmoreland. It appears that a wooden viaduct of 103 feet high, and of considerable length, has been constructed over the river Lowther, for the purpose of running over earth waggons to deposit earth for forming a very large embankment adjoining to the village, until a large and substantial stone bridge for the intended railway was erected at that place. The bridge was finished a short time since, and, earth waggons having been forwarded over it to complete the embankment, the viaduct consequently was rendered useless, and workmen have for some time past been engaged in taking down the large timbers which formed the viaduct, for the purpose of their being forwarded to the Caledonian line of railway for railway purposes. This morning the workmen were engaged in removing the centre and lower beams, as all the timbers forming the parapet had been taken down, and in doing so, from some unseen accident, one of the large timbers suddenly gave way from a great height, and in its descent, fell upon two young men, natives of the town of Penrith, of the names of STOUT and GUARDHOUSE, and narrowly missed a third person. Assistance was speedily obtained, and in as short a time as possible, the poor men were extricated from under the fallen timber and medical aid shortly arrived, but on examination it was found that one of them had been killed instaneously, and the other young man, although alive when taken up, could not, it was considered, survive many hours. They were both fine young men, apparently from 20 to 25 years of age, and their loss will be much lamented by their relatives. The accidents on this line seem to be much on the increase, as it was only yesterday that a poor fellow of the name WESTMORLAND, also a native of Penrith, had both legs severely fractured in consequence of his accidentally slipping on the embankment, and one of the waggons loaded with earth going over him, only at a short distance from the scene of the former accident. And it is not above eight days since three men were killed between Hesketh and Penrith on the same line. It is much to be regretted that more caution is not used by the workmen employed on this part of the line, as the dreadful and serious number of accidents which have occurred in this neighbourhood undoubtedly shows that proper care or management is not employed in conducting their work by the men engaged.

 

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