Victoria Tavern

Above photo, date unknown.

From the Borough of Greenwich Free Press, 11 July, 1857.

DREADFUL ACCIDENT AT Mr. ENGLAND'S FACTORY, NEW CROSS.

On Tuesday week, Mr. W. Carter, held an Inquest at the "Victoria Tavern," Pomeroy street, New Cross on the body of George Broughton, aged 24, who met his death in the following extraordinary manner.

Mr. William Duffell deposed, that he was a turner engineer, and resided at Ravensbonrne-hill, Lewisham, he was in the employ of Mr. England, of Pomeroy street. The deceased was also in the same employ as a labourer. Witness had worked for Mr. England for about four months. On Friday afternoon the deceased assisted him at the lathe, lifting up a large piece of iron, and afterwards went to his own work, which was drilling holes in some iron work by the use of the drilling machine. The machine was worked by steam vertically. The last time he saw the deceased alive, was on the same evening, when he again assisted him at the lathe. Some time after that, witness looked towards the part where the deceased was at work, and noticed that he was in a stooping position. The deceased's face was from him, and he thought at the time that he was looking at his work. A few minutes afterwards, however, happening to look towards the deceased again, and seeing him in the same position, went up to him, and found that the ends of his neckerchief were entangled in the machinery, which had stopped. The neckerchief was drawn tight up, and the deceased was choked. Witness unwound the machinery and got him away.

By the Coroner:— Witness did not believe that the deceased intended to destroy his own life. The drill machine was driven at the rate of 500 or more revolutions a minute, so that there was no chance of a person extricating himself if once caught. Witness believed that after the deceased had drilled a hole, he either stooped forward to look at it, or to blow away the dust of the metal, and the ends of his neckerchief, which were more than a foot long, were caught in the machinery.

James Clark having corroborated the evidence of the last witness, The jury unanimously gave their opinion that the case was a pure accident, and returned a verdict accordingly.