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SATURDAY, AUGUST 12.NAVIGATIONOFTHE RIVER INQUEST ONTHE BODY OF DAVIS*Yesterday evening an inquest was held before Mr. W. Carter, the Coroner for Surrey, and a Jury, on the body of William Davis, a waterman, aged 47 years, who lost his life on Sunday afternoon last while ferrying two passengers across the river in his boat, which was run down by the Topaz Gravesend steamer. The investigation took place at the Europa tavern, Rotherhitlie, which was crowded to excess on the occasion. Mr* Southgate, solicitor, and secretary of the Diamond Company, attended on behalf of Mr. Fox, the master of the Topaz, the vessel alleged to have caused the accident. Mr. Cooper, a gentleman from the office of Messrs. Clark and Haught, clerk of arraigns, and solicitors to die Waterman’s Company, attended for the relatives of the deceased.Thomas Cradock, a waterman, stated that he picked up the body of the deceased on the river, near the Horseferry, Rotherhifche, on Thursday morning, within fifty yards of the shore. There was a severe bruise on the right side of the forehead, but he could not say whether it W3S done before or after death. The upper part of the right arm was lacerated. He saw no other marks of violence on the body.Mr. William Hubbard, the master of the brig Swallow, lying in the Grand Surrey Canal Dock, stated, that on Sunday afternoon last, about one o’clock, he engaged the deceased at the Surrey Canal Stairs, to ferry him and a boy, about eighteen years of age, across the river to King James’s-stairs, on the opposite shore. The boat which the deceased rowed in was a common wherry. They had rowed out from the stairs about thirty or forty yards, when they saw the Topaz steamer coming down the river pass the tier. Directly he saw the steamer’s bows pass the tiers ot colliers, he directed thewaterman to stop. He either told him to back astern or lay on his oars, but he did not do so, and continued rowing, lie then repeated his request, and said the steamer would run them down. He said she would not, and that he should go a-head of her. He called out to the steamer to stop, and the people in the steamer called upon Davis to stop. He did not, but continued to row a-head. Witness then got up, and made an attempt to stop the waterman, but a thought struck him at the moment, th3t he and the waterman might have a struggle, and both would be drowned. The waterman continued rowing, and before he could pass the bow of the steamer, she was struck close to where he 4and the lad were sitting. The waterman disappeared instantly. Indeed he could not tell how he got in the water the collision was so sudden. He and his friend were also thrown into the river, and were saved by the steamer’s jolly-boat, which was lowered immediately. The steamer was not more than thirty or forty yards from the boat when he first saw her, and that was the reason he ordered the deceased to stop or back water, believing that he might keep clear of the vessel by doing so, and that the steamer might pass them. He believed the speed of the Topaz was considerably slackened before she struck the boat. In answer to questions, be said he could allege no blame to the steamer, except that there was only one hand in the jolly-boat, and there ought to have been two—on his conscience he could attribute no further blame to the Topaz.— A Juror—Was the waterman sober ? Witness—He was perfectly sober, gentlemen. Mr. Cooper—.How near was die steam vessel when you first told the waterman to stop ? Witness—About 30 or 40 yards. Christopher John Paulson, a sailor boy, who was in the boat with the last witness, confirmed his statement.Douglas Thomas White, a lighterman, said he was on a barge abreast of the Surrey canal, when the accident happened. He saw Davis shoot out from the tier and sing out to the Topaz, which was coming down the river. The people in the steamer also sung out “ Keep your boat astern.” Davis called out loudly, “ Ease her, ease her,” and continued to row as hard as any man could row. It was impossible for him to clear either the tier or the steamer, and he was obliged to suffer by one. The Topaz was going at the rate of between 12 and 13 miles an hour. It was not possible for a boat to get out of the way of a steamer 300 yards from it if the vessel was going at that raft. Coroner—Then you swear the Topaz was not stopped ? Witness—Not until the boat was cut in two; it was stopped dead then. Coroner— In what way do you attribute this man’s death ? Witness— By the steamer striking the boat through the rapid rate she was going. Four feet of the boat’s stern was not cut away. There was not width for him to pass between the tier and steamer.Mr. Joshua Gibson, a passenger, was then called, and he stated that he was in the bows of the steamer on the occasion. His attention was first called to the Captain calling out to a boat, containing three persons, to stop. No answer was returned, and the waterman continued to row on, looking up at the packet to see if there was any danger or not, or if he could go by. Before he could get by, the boat was struck, and he saw two persons thrown into the water, who passed close by the paddle-box. He did not see the waterman after the boat was struck. He could not speak accurately as to the speed of the steamer, but was of opinion she was going at the rate of six miles an hour. The speed of the Topaz was abated when the captain called out to the boat. He heard the captain give the order to ease or stop her. The boat was about sixty yards from the steamer when the captain called out. By the Jury—He believed it was quite an accident.Mr. George Davis, a saddler, who was a passenger on board, said if the waterman ,had stopped when he was first called to when he was endeavouring to cross in front of the steamer, the accident would not have happened. The steamboat people, in his opinion, were not to blame.The Coroner briefly summed up, and the Jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of “ Accidental Death, with a deodand of 51, on the steam-vessel.” The Jury at the same time begged leave to recommend the distressing situation of the widow and four infant children of the deceased. The Solicitor and Directors said they would not be unmindful of the recommendation.
Newspaper Details
London Shipping Gazette
London, Middlesex, GB
Sat, Aug 12, 1837
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Lisa C.
OR, USA 30 Mar 2021
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