SEQUEL TO BANGOR I RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

INQUEST ON MAIDSERVANT.

JURY RECOMMEND RAISING LEVEL OF STATION PLATFORM.

Mr J. Pentir Williams, coroner, resumed on Friday night the inquest, on the body of Margaret Williams, a maid in the service of the Rev. E. Lumley, Bangor, who died at the Carnarvonshire Anglesey Infirmary after injuries received when alighting from a train at Bangor Station.

Mr H. C. Vincent appeared for the relatives of the deceased, and Mr S. R. Dew for the London and North Western Railway Co.

The witness J. Owen James, porter and goods guard, was recalled and in answer to Mr Vincent he said there were about thirteen carriages attached to the train in which the deceased travelled. He was not quite certain of the number. He was certain the train stoppcd once only. The engine was near the water column, but he did not know the position of the guard's van. Witness was standing on the Menai Bridge side of the footbridge. The carriage in which the deceased travelled was in the front part of the train - the fourth carriage from the engine. She got out of the train in a natural way. He could not say whether anyone jumped out of the carriages at the rear of the train before her because he could not see them. There were about eight carriages he could not see. He noticed doors all along the train being opened, and he shoutod "Keep your seats." The train came in quite slowly up to the pump.

Mr Vincent : There was nothing in the nature of a stop or slowing down? - No, the train came up quite naturally to the water column. No irregularity of any kind? - No, I notice from the shorthand transcript of the evidence you gave last time that a very important question was asked by a member of the jury. You know the Bangor platform? - Yes.

HEIGHT OF STATION PLATFORM.

Is it the same as the Menai Bridge platform? - No, one is higher than the other. And if you are a passenger and wish, to alight, what is the difference? - You have to drop down from the step at Bangor. How much have you to drop? I should think it wouid bo a good step.

The Coroner : I think the jury will know. Mr Dew : About 18 inches. I will put a witness in the box who will give the information.
Mr Vincent : Following that question, you know how this accident happened - she got her foot between the platform and the train? - Yes. Supposing the Bangor platform had been the same as the one at Menai Bridge, could the accident have happened?
Mr Dew : The witness cannot express such an opinion. The Coroner : He is merely a railway worker and does net come here as an expert.
Mr Dew : Can this man say that if a passenger got out of a train in Menai Briiga when in motion, he would not be injured?
The Coroner : He cannot say that. He cannot reply to that question "Yes" or "No."
Mr Vincent : Why not?
The Coroner : If you step on any platform when the train is in motion you -
Mr Vincent : You may examine him again (To witness): What is the distance between the platform and the carriage step at Menai Bridge? - They are level. Mr Vincent remarked that he took it the inquiry was intended to ascertain the cause of this poor girl's death.
The Coroner : So far as we can.
Mr Vincent : Yes, on the evidence I put before the jury. If this wealthy railway company had taken such precautions as they had taken at Menai Bridge this accident -
The Coroner : You have no right to address the jury. You can only ask questions.
Mr Vincent: I am asking questions, but I am subjected to constant interruption by Mr Dew and yourself. Will you allow me to go on?
The Coroner : Certainly.
Mr Vincent : I am trying to show you why I consider these questions so important.
The Coroner : Ask your question.
Mr Vincent (to witness): Now. assuming that this girl had been alighting from the train at Menai Bridge, could this accident have happened? - I don't know how she might get out there. Whatever way she got out, could this accident have happened? - Yes, she might have fallen between two carriages. How long since has the Railway Company made the platform at Menai Bridge as it is now?
The Coroner : Do you think that is material?
Mr Vincent : If I am asking questions which are improper I will submit to your ruling, but if I am asking questions which will help the jury to understand how this girl died you have no right to interrupt me.
The Coroner : I do not know that these questions will help the jury. You are one of the shrewdest lawyers I have come across, but I do not think these questions are proper. All the jury know that Bangor has an old-fashioned platform.
Mr Vincent : If you do not think the questions are proper I will sit down and not ask another one.
The Coroner : We are not here assessing civil damages. The jury have very little to do with negligence unless it is criminal negligence, and if there is anything arising out of the inquiry about which they think they should make a recommendation, they can do it. It is a fairly simple case, but seeing there was no one present except, two officials of tho Railway Company at the first inquiry, I adjourned it. If other people had been called I would have been perfectly satisfied. What we have been labouring for the last ten minutes is perfectly obvious. Any other questions you can ask, Mr Vincent.
Mr Vincent : It is perfectly useless asking questions if I am to be stopped every moment.
Mr Dew then examined the witness, asking whether he noticed the signal on tho down side, at the Menai Bridge end of the platform, and if so whether it was on or off? - It was red light.
Mr Dew : I want you to explain your meaning when you say she was the only person that you saw get out of the train.
Mr Vincent : Is that fair? The Coroner : Yes, quite fair. Witness : She was the only passenger who got out of the train when the train was moving.
Mr Dew : And how far did your line of vision extend ? - I was a coach length from the scene of the accident.

WITNESSES' VERSION OF TRAIN MOVEMENTS.

Miss Maggie Williams, 1, Mountain View, Menai Bridge, gave evidence that while standing on the up platform at Bangor, she noticed the train, in which the deceased was travelling, stop, and then move again. She noticed it stopping by looking between two carriages of the mail which was then at the platform. She was sure the whole train moved a second time, and not the engine alone. Then, as she was crossing the bridge, she heard screaming, and when she got to the down platform she noticed some men carrying the deceased. The down platform was lit by the ladies waiting-room, but it was dark towards the footbridge.

Questioned by Mr Dew, witness said it was when she got to the steps of the footbridge that she noticed the train on the down platform moving again. The mail was not moving when she looked between the carriages and saw the other train stopping. It was a very dark night, and notwithstanding that the mail was between her and the other train, she noticed the latter stopping. She made the first statement about the matter in a letter she wrote to the Rev. E. Lumley before the last inquest. She wrote of her own accord.

Mr. Vincent : Has the railway detective been to see you? - Yes.

Mr. Vincent : And he took a note of your evidence?

Mr. Dew : That is entirety wrong, as I understand it. She was being examined by the police, and Mr Morris the detective was present.

Mr John Grosvenor Jones, commercial traveller, Bryn Rhyllt, Llandudno, stated that he travelled on the same train as the deceased, which was one hour and ten minutes late. It entered the station as usual and stopped once.

The Coroner : It did not stop and move on again. It was a long train, He did not witness the accident.

Miss Gladys Jones, 1, Greenfield-terrace, Menai Bridge, who was with Miss Maggie Williams, said she noticed the down train coming in slowly.

The Coroner : Did you notice it stopping? - No.

Mr Harry Edwards, school master, Portdinorwic. stated that he was on the down platform when the train came in. It entered the station very slowly he never saw a train coming in so slowly. It was running along smoothly, steadily, and at a uniform pace, and came to a stand-still without, anything in the nature of a pull or jerk, He did not notice the accident. The train did not stop and move on again. He did not hear the first witness shouting.

The Foreman of the Jury (Mr Wickens) : A train going slowly might give the impression that it had stopped? - I think it did; because several persons opened doors.

Mr Vincent : Was there anyone on the platform telling them the train had not stopped?

The Coroner : It is -

Mr Vincent : Mr Coroner, it is the only question I have asked this witness.

The Coroner : It is admitted there was only one porter there.

A Juryman : Why did you notice this train so particularly? - Because of its particularly slow speed.

Mr Vincent : May I ask a question now, and will you not interrupt me? The Coroner : Not unless it is irrelevant. You can ask a dozen questions.

Mr Vincent (to witness) : A passenger might have been easily deceived into thinking the train had stopped? - Yes. Was there any railway official on the platform to tell people that, although the train appeared to be stopping, it had not really stopped? - I did not see anybody myself.

THE FIREMAN'S EVIDENCE.

Ernest T. Hewer, Crewe, fireman of the train, stated, in answer to the Coroner, that when they were late they were just as careful in observing signals as though they were in time. They entered Bangor station probably a bit slower than usual because they had to detach a portion of the train at Bangor. The train pulled up only once. Mr Dew : The signal was at danger. The train was stopped by the vacuum brake, worked from the engine. When the vacuum brake was once put on it was impossible for the engine to move on again until vacuum was recreated, and that would take about two minutes.

Mr Vincent : The train came in at about four or five miles an hour, and there was no ir regularity of any sort. It came so slowly that anyone travelling in the train might easily have thought it had stopped? - No. But you were on the engine while I am talking of any ordinary passenger. Do you agree that a passenger might have thought so? -No. From the time you came from the tunnel until you got to the water column did you stop? - No. Nor was there any irregular movement of any kind? -No.

George Roberts, Kingsland, Holyhead, guard of the train, said it did not come slower than usual. He knew nothing of the accident, as he was at the rear of the train, which stopped once only.

The Foreman of the Jury : Supposing the engine driver was not sure he had got the whole of the train on the platform and you were at the rear, in what way would that fact be made known to him? - If it was a short train and it was not all on the platform we give him the white signal to draw up.

Mr Vincent : But if the train is a long one, too long for the white light to be seen, have you any other means of communicating? - No,, only by the hand lamp.

The Coroner : Did you signal at all that. night? - No. Mr Vincent : The platform at Bangor is not the same as all platforms? Not like all. What about the Llandudno Junction, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl and other platforms on the coast, are they not level with the step? - Not all of them. But the ones I have mentioned? - Yes. In Bangor there is a gap between the platform and the step. Mr Dew says it is 18 inches, and was it not through this gap that this poor girl slipped into the line? - I did not see the girl. If the platform had been level with the step could this accident have happened?

The Coroner : I do not see how he can reply to that. Mr Vincent : Very well, I will not press it. How long has the Bangor platform been in this condition? - I cannot answer you.

Mr Vincent: Has it been in that condition for the last forty years? - I cannot tell you. Do you know that constant complaints are made to the London and North Western Railway Company about it ? - I have never heard a complaint. And that nothing has been done for the last 40 years.

Mr Dew : That is for the reporters. Witness said that several of the blinds of the carriages were down. Passangers were asked to draw the curtains.

Mr Vincent : All the jury know that. The Coroner : It is just as obvious as the points you have been making. James (re-called) said he could not say whether deceased got out of the carriage in the same direction as the train was travelling or in the contrary one. Mr Vincent mentioned that he took a statement from the deceased a few hours before she died, but, unfortunately, Mr Dew would not allow him to put it in. Mr Dew I never heard of it before. It is for the Coroner to decide the matter. I protest against such a statement.

Questioned by a juryman, the fireman stated that there was no regular place for engines to stop at Bangor. Mr Vincent said he tendered the statement made by the deceased to him as evidence.

The Coroner : Is it a dying deposition? If she mentioned anyone who saw the accident that could be made use of.

Mr Vincent : It is my duty to tell you -

The Coroner : It is not evidence.

Mr Dew : I wish it to be clearly understood that this is the first time I have heard of this statement, and that I have never refused to allow it to be put in.

The Coroner: It is not evidence.

CORONER'S SUMMING UP.

The Coroner, in summing up, said he was sure all present were sorry for the family of the deceased, who was an exceedingly good young woman. From tho point of view of the Jury, the inquiry was a sirnple one, and they would have not much difficulty in coming to a decision. All the witnesses agreed that the train came up to the platform slowly, and they were all agreed except, Maggie Williams, that it stopped once and finally by the pump. James made one statement which was not commented upon by anyone. It was strange that there was only one porter on the platform, and James admitted that usuaJly there would havo been six or seven. Of course, if there had been a couple of dozen he (the Coroner) did not say they could have prevented the accident.

The railway company were hard pressed just now, but only two officials on a platform on a night like this was a small number. The Jury, however, were not trying a civil case; their duty was to find out what was the cause of this girl's death. If there was any allegation of criminal negligence it would be their duty to send up the party guilty of such negligence for trial at the sessions, but -

Mr Vincent : There is an allegation of negligence.

The Coroner : But there is no allegation of criminal negligence. All that has been suggested is vague negligence by the railway company, but you cannot send a railway oompany up for manslaughter, though you can bring an action for damages. Proceeding, the Coroner said it was well known that the Bangor platform was very much out of date, and he believed the railway company had it in view to improve it, but it was out of question to-day. Thero was a duty upon a passenger to take care. He believed the driver came to the platform slowly, just as every same and reasonable man would have done, and there was not a tittle of evidence against him. If the Bangor platform had been modern it was quite possible that this accident would not have happened, though it might have happened. It was obvious that the Bangor platform was rather dangerous, but there were some worse than it, and no doubt the railway company would improve it in course of time.

THE JURY AND THE HEIGHT OF STATION PLATFORM.

The Jury, after a retirement of four minutes, returned a verdict of "Accidental Death." The Foreman stated that the Jury wished to add a rider calling the attention of the railway company to the highly dangerous state of the Bangor platform, and asking them as soon as possible to put it on a level with the carriage steps.

The Coroner : You mean as regards its height? The Foreman : We consider it highly dangerous. An accident might easily happen, even if a train was standing still, to a person alighting.

Mr Vincent : I am extremely obliged to the Jury for their verdict. The foreman added that he had difficulty himself when alighting from a carriage as there was a good deal of space between the carriage and the platform.

Mr Dew said the officials of the railway company, from the highest to the lowest, wished to express their true and sincere sympathy with the family of the deceased. They desired to make the inquiry as full as possible, so that the Jury would have every assistance in arriving at their decision. It was not usual for an advocate to thank a Jury for their verdict, but he wished to thank them for the patience and full consideration of the facts.

On tho motion of Mr A. Ll. Jones, one of the jurymen, a vote of condolence with the relatives of the deceased was passed.

North Wales Chronicle 21/01/1916