George William Guthrie, a Carman, of 22 Crown Quay Lane, Sittingbourne, died at St Bartholemews Hospital, Rochester, on Wednesday of last week, from injuries received the same day from a tip cart, while in the employ of Messrs Standen & Sons, contractors to Messrs Edward Lloyds Ltd. of Sittingbourne.

The circumstances were investigated at an inquest, held on Saturday by Mr J. M. Stedman, the Rochester Coroner.

Mr Philip Heath, H.M. Inspector of Factories attended the inquest, but as the accident occurred outside the precinct of Messrs Lloyds Works, no material questions were necessary.

Evidence of identification was given by William Guthrie, a Carman, of 41 Creekhill Road, Fulham, who said the deceased was his father and was 65 years old. He last saw the deceased 5 weeks ago, when as far as the witness was able to tell, he was able to work.

Albert Cossey, a Blacksmith’s Hammerman, in the employ of Messrs Edward Lloyd Ltd, and living at 17, Dover Street, stated that at 11.30 AM on Wednesday July 21st, he was working at the Lloyds Iron Scrap Heap, and the deceased was in the road called ‘The Iron Run’. He was riding in his tip cart which was laden with tubes from a boiler.

Witness heard a noise just afterwards, and looking up saw the deceased fall off the cart on the offside, to the ground, and the wheel passed over him.

The witness was only about 5 yards off at the time, and the next thing he did was to run and catch the horse, as he saw someone attending to the deceased, whom the witness afterwards helped to place on a board.

He was taken into the Straw Building and attended to by Dr Robson, who advised deceased to be taken home and seen by his own doctor.

Witness spoke to the deceased in the Straw Building and asked him what was the matter, to which Guthrie replied "I don’t know yet," and placing his hand on his stomach said he thought he was hurt there. In reply to another enquiry as to how the accident happened, deceased said that a piece of pipe touched the hind-quarters of the horse and when he went to shift it the animal started off. The deceased was coming down a common road. In reply to the Coroner, witness said the weight of the tubing was 7 to 8 hundredweight.

William Alfred Standen of 81 Shortlands Rd. Sittingbourne, Manager for his Mother who carries on the business as a contractor, said they had a contract with Messrs Lloyds Ltd. and a few minutes before Noon on the day in question, he was rung up on the telephone and asked to send another man to take charge of Guthrie’s horse. He was then informed that Guthrie had been run over and that they had been loading pipes, one of which had touched the horse and startled it. The horse was a very quiet animal.

S.S.M. Neal, son-in-law of the deceased, who was present, inquired of the Coroner whether he could ask the witness a question, and having been given permission, he interrogated Mr Standen as to what kind of ropes were provided in order to make pipes safe on a two-wheeled cart. Witness replied that they did not provide any themselves but that Messrs Lloyds did.

S.S.M. Neal "Are you the employer?"

Mr Standen "Yes."

In reply to the Coroner Mr Standen added that their agreement was to provide horse, cart, man and shovel. Witness could not say how far the point of loading was from where the accident occurred.

Witness Cossey recalled said that the deceased told him he was only just above the Straw Building when he went to shift the pipe from the hind-quarters of the horse, not at the loading point. Later, after his evidence had been read over by the Coroner, the question was asked whether the witness knew if any rope had been used to secure the pipes, and he replied he did not know.

In reply to a juror Mr Standen mentioned that the instructions to Carmen were not to ride with the load.

The Foreman: "A good many instructions are given which are impossible to be carried out."

Mr Standen: "You will find that every day."

The Foreman remarked that the deceased might have been on the cart to prevent the pipes slipping, thus carrying out his duties.

A juror: "Pipes on a tip-cart are a funny load unless you have got some security for them."

Dr Spenser, House Physician at St Bartholemew’s Hospital, said that the deceased was admitted on the day of the accident, about 3.45 in the afternoon, suffering from a severely bruised left thigh, a fractured pelvis and haemmorage. He was in a collapsed condition, pulseless, and died from shock about three-quarters of an hour later.

The jury returned a verdict of ‘Accidental Death’. The Foreman added that no blame was attached to anyone, and that the jury wished to compliment witness Cossey upon the way he had given evidence, and suggested that a rider be added, to the effect that in future ropes should be provided for a load of pipes. Mr Standen mentioned that they had trolleys and waggons there "to carry long stuff" if necessary, and added that they simply provided the horse - Messrs Lloyds doing the rest. Rope was provided if necessary.

The Coroner asked the witness Cossy to take a message to Messrs Lloyds to see if they would carry out the Jury’s suggestion in the future.

Undated. Presumably a Newspaper report. Supplied by Ivy.