Boating accident on Medway:2 dead (1871)

Post date: Aug 06, 2012 10:17:27 AM

Extract from Whitstable Times 26th August 1871:

Melancholy Boat Accident.—Two Young Men Drowned.

A dreadful accident occurred on Wednesday night, at about half-past nine o'clock, at Hampsted lock, Yalding, by which two young men, named John Brooks, 16, and Charles Turner,[sic-he is subsequently referred to as Tucker] 21, were drowned. It appears that at about six o'clock on Wednesday evening five young men, assistants in shops at Wateringbury, hired a four-oared boat, named the "Nymph," from Mr. Charles Hutson's, at Wateringbury. The occupants of the boat were the two deceased, John Brooks and Charles Tucker, the former in the employ of Mr. Newington, grocer and draper, and the latter an assistant to Mr. Miles Saunders, grocer and draper, Mr. William Taylor Luck and Joseph Frank Dutnall, also at Mr. Newington's, and James Jackson, assistant to Mr. Allwork.

They started from Wateringbury, and passed through all the locks in safety and arrived at Branbridges, East Peckham, where they stayed about ten minutes, to procure some refreshment. They then returned, passed Stoneham lock by taking their boat round, and arrived at Hampstead lock about half-past nine. Three of the party got out of the boat, and they passed through the upper gate. There is no regular lock-keeper at this place, but when they went through the lock before they had been assisted by a man named Thomas Hutson, and he also agreed to help them when they went back again. Some of the party fetched him, and they all entered the boat after the upper gate was closed. It seems that none of those in the boat remembered to close the two sluices, and, it being dark, Hutson could not see whether the sluices were closed or not. Hutson then went to open the sluice of the lower gate, and the water rushed in with terrific force, drawing the boat first to the upper gate and then to the lower one, and at last it was completely smashed to pieces, and all the five young men were turned out into the basin. Mr. Luck was washed through the lower sluice, but he hung to the woodwork and was drawn up; Mr. Dutnall held on to part of the boat all the time ; and Mr. Jackson was washed against the lock and climbed up the sides. Assistance soon arrived, but the two missing bodies could not be found for a considerable time; but Mr. Brooks's body was found in the basin after about an hour's search, and about another hour's time Mr. Tucker's body was found in the river, some two or three rods from the lock.

Mr. Pout, surgeon, of Yalding, was sent for when the bodies were found, but, as the deceased had been so long in the water, his services were of no avail. The bodies were taken to the Railway Inn. The three survivors were rowed back to Wateringbury by Mr. C. Hutson. The inquest was held on Thursday afternoon, at the Railway Inn, close to the lock, before J. N. Dudlow, Esq., county coroner, and a jury, of whom Mr. Gilmore was chosen foreman. Evidence was given by the three survivors, Thomas Hutson, the man who assisted at the lock, and Henry Newman, who helped in rescuing those who were saved, and in searching for the missing bodies. The jury, having heard the evidence, returned a verdict of "Accidental death." The coroner expressed his surprise that care had not been taken to see that the sluices of one gate were shut before the. sluice in the other gate was opened, and also expressed an opinion that persons should not engage boats if they could not swim, as it was stated during the inquest that none of the party could swim. The friends of Brooks reside at Lenham, and the relatives of Tucker at Smarden, and after the inquest the bodies were conveyed home the relatives of the unfortunate young men. The sad accident had caused considerable excitement in the neighbourhood, and great sympathy is felt for the friends of the deceased. No blame can be attributed to Hutson, as, the night being dark, he could not see whether the sluices were closed or not, and he did not close the gate himself. None of the party possessed much knowledge of the lock, and consequently they did not think to close the sluices, probably being under the impression that would do so. It is to be hoped that some means will be taken to prevent a recurrence of accident of this kind, as the three survivors had a very narrow escape of sharing the fate of their unfortunate companions.

The Hutsons were a family living in Bow Road, Wateringbury who were closely connected with the river. In 1836 a Hutson operated the wharf in Wateringbury for Matthias Lucas and in Lucas 's words to the Medway enquiry of that year 'had a barge or two' (see Medway Navigation 1836). Hutsons competed in many of the regattas held on the Medway at this time and in 1878 A. Hudson [possible reporter's error for Hutson] of Wateringbury competed in the first international regatta ever held. T. Hutson won the sculling race at the Wateringbury regatta of July 1865 but in the sculling race the next year at the Tonbridge regatta he scratched. A boat called the "Nymph" participated in the the Four Oar Race for the Medway Plate at the Tonbridge regatta of 1866.