THE ABBOTSFORD FATALITY.

Evening Star, Issue 11453, 22 January 1901, Page 1

THE ABBOTSFORD FATALITY.

An inquost was held at the railway station ab Abbotsford yesterday afternoon touching the death o! William Goodrich Graham, who was run over on Saturday afternoon and killed on the viaduct over Freeman's Creek. Mr C. C. Graham, coroner, conducted the inquiry, and of the jury of six sworn Mr Lindsay Miller was foreman. Constable Leece represented the police.

John Graham, laborer, of Abbotßford, deposed that he was the father of deceased, whose body he identified. He was eight years of age. The lad left his house for* she picnic about two o'clock in the afternoon. Donald Graham (aged twelve), brother of deceased, said that he was with the latter on Saturday afternoon when he came down from the picnic with some boys to swim in the creek near the bridge. Deceased did not bathe, but'sat on the side of the railway line watching them. Witness took him away from the line into the paddock below. Witness went in for a bathe, and decessed then said that he would go back to the picnic. Ho went over the line out of witness's sight. It was about five minutoa after he left him that the train came by. He heard no whistle below; the wind was blowing across the rails, and the train may have whistled without his noticing it. It .was about 20yds from the centre of the bridge that they found deceased, tracing him by the blood. He and Edwin Elisor, who accompanied him, went across the bridge and found deceased dead, with his head crushed in.

Ldwin Ensor, aged eleven years, a schoolboy, stated that he was with the previous witness on the occasion of the accident, and corroborated his evidence. He did not hear the whistles, though the wind was blowing towards them across the line.

Henry Berry, platelayer, deposed that on baturday afternoon he was going down to the creek to have a swim at a place threequarters of a mile from Abbotsford. He was going down to the coal pits about nineteen minutes to four, and he saw a small boy go up the bank on the south side of the bridge and get on the bridge in the centre of the line. He seemed to stop to look down into the creek and retired a few paces, and turned ronnd and ran across towards the north side of the bridge. All this time he was trying to draw the child's attention to warn him off the line, but he failed to do so. He crosssed the bridge and again stopped, as if to pick np stones. He immediately returned to the centre of the bridge. It appeared to witness that he sat down, on the centre plank, with his legs hanging down. Witnßßs oould see the train coming along frcm the tunneL Although witness tried hard to warn him of its approach he could not succeed. He ran along till he saw the t'rain coming ronnd the curve, and he saw it was a hopeless case. He distinctly heard the whistles for brakes, and before he could reach the lad the engine had struck him. Witness was about 300 yards away when the engine struck deceased. Just as the train came on to the bridge he seemed to get on hi 3 knees and lie down on his face. There was no time then for him to get away, and the lad seemed to hope that by lying fl*t the train would pass over him. The grade down from the Chain Hills tunnel to the viaduct was 1 in 50, and though the brakes were put on at once and the train was brought to a standstill in two lengths (a areditable achievement, as it was twenty-nine waggons long and heavy), it passed over the boy's body. It would bo possible for the fireman on the engine to see the bridge about ISi yards off. It was difficult to say in what direction the wind was blowing at the time. Witness had often warned the children off the bridge. The speed of the train was not excessive.

Henry Banks, engino-driver, deposed that he was in charge of the engine of the gooHs train, which was due at Abbotsford at 3.52 p.m. on Saturday last. Ho first saw the boy on the line when he rounded the last curve on the approach to the bridge. He was then on his hands and knees in the centre of the bridge. Witness immediately whistled for brakes, and applied his own, including the emergency Westinghouse brake. The train was brought up in from 300 to 400 yards, but it was too late to save the boy. The other brakes were put on when he whistled. He had twenty-nine heavily-loaded waggons and the van behind the engine. They cime down the hill under twelve miles an hour—his usual speed. To Constable Leece: When he saw the boy he was about two chains and a-half away from him. The boy was on his hands and knees when he saw him, and he appeared to get up and fall flat on his face, making no effort to get away, though he was sure he could have escaped had he tried. Witness thought it was a dog on the line when he saw him first, but he applied the brakes all the Bame. William J. Will, medical practitioner, residing, at Green laland, saw deceased at ten minutes to five at Abbotsford station. He was quite dead, having been killed instantaneously! The chief injury and the cause of death, was to the top of the skull, which had been completely smashed. The Jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict to the effect that the deceased had met his death by being accidentally rnn over by a train, no blame beiDg attachable to anyone.