Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald, Saturday 30 September 1911.

Sequel to an Accident.

Albert Bridges, junior, v. the Mayor, burgesses, etc., of Folkestone.

Claim for £10 10s. for damages for negligence.

Mr. M. F. Blake appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. R. W. C. Turner (London) for the Corporation.

Mr. Blake said that the claim was made by the son of the licensee of the "White Horse," Hawkinge, and was for damages sustained through the negligence of the defendants or their servants in leaving a road opposite Walton Farm, on the Canterbury Road, in a dangerous condition. An obstruction was caused by a heap of stones being left in the road, and this resulted in the plaintiff being thrown from his machine and sustaining injuries to himself and damages to his machine.

Albert Bridges stated that he lived with his father at the "White Horse Inn." On Sunday evening, May 20th, he was cycling to Folkestone. He had proceeded as far as Walton Farm when he fell from his machine. He was riding at about 7 miles an hour. He passed a wagon that opposite the New Road. It was on the left-hand side of the road. It was just getting dusk at the time; it was about 8:30 p.m. He noticed nothing in front of him as he was riding down, and saw no lights further down the road. After passing the wagonette he turned to the left side of the highway, and was thrown from his machine. On getting up he looked at the stones in the road. They stood up about six inches above the level of the road, and they extended right across from Walton Farm to the other kerb. He did not feel any pain until he was returning home, when he was assisted back by a young fellow. His machine was badly damaged, the brakes, crank, and wheel suffering considerably. He cut his coat across the arm, and slit the jacket. He was unable to wear the suit again on Sundays. He was bruised right down the arm, and had marks on his hand still. On arriving home he bathed himself with warm water, and about an hour afterwards his father drove him down to Dr. Barrett. On the way his father looked at the stones and pick some up. He produced a very fair sample of the stones on the road at the time.

His Honour:- They belong to the Corporation.

Mr. Turner:- We will have to have a counter claim. I am not sure this is not a criminal offence.

Mr. Blake:- I was expecting something of this kind.

Witness, continuing, said that the damage to the machine took about £2 off its value. It was practically a new machine. It was repaired about a month afterwards, and cost 10s. He made a claim for £2 5s. In repect of his suit of clothes, which he could not wear again on Sundays. He was laid up for three weeks. His father paid him 16s. per week, and he put in a claim for £2 8s. on that account.

Cross-examined by Mr. Turner, witness stated that he saw the doctor 8 times. He could not use his arm for a week after, but he used it three weeks later. With regard to the suit, he bought it 6 months before the accident. He paid 35s. For it when it was new.

Mr. Turner:- And yet you claim £2 5s.

Witness, continuing, stated that he had had no medicine or lotion, but ointment to put on his arm. It was not lighting up time. Witness's bicycle had two breaks, and he was riding at a "decent rate." Right across the road, opposite Walton Farm, there was a range of stones, 6 inches high, and three or four feet wide. There was a manhole, and stones were round the same. Witness denied that the stone had been rolled down.

Mr. Albert William Bridges said that he was the father of the plaintiff, After his son came home he drove him to Folkestone, to the doctor. As he drove back, he examined the stones, and picked a few up. He could have filled his cart with them. They were six inches high, and in his opinion they had never been rolled in.

Cross-examined by Mr. Turner:- The Stones were not right across the road, but 20 feet from kerb to the manhole in the middle of the road.

Mr. Hedley Baring said that he resided at Hawkinge. On the day in question he was going to Folkestone, and noticed that outside Walton Farm a portion of the road had been opened up. The stones were not a great height at the side, but they were 6 inches high in the centre.

William Clark said that he was a carter, and on the day in question he was up at Walton Farm. He saw that the road had been taken up, and it had never been rolled. The stone were piled up in the middle of the road where, he should think they were five or six inches above the surface. When he was returning home plaintiff passed him higher up the road. He was going in the same direction as witness, and was riding at quite an ordinary paste. It was not lighting up time. Witness saw the plaintive thrown off his cycle.

Cross-examined by Mr. Turner witness said that he was 30 or 40 yards away from the plaintiff when the latter was thrown.

Question by his Honour, witness said that it would have been possible to see the stones 30 or 40 yards away.

Mr. Charles Skinner, licensee of the "Wellington," Beach Street, said he was in company with the last witness on the Sunday in question. He saw the stones opposite Walton Farm. He should say that they extended halfway across the road. They had not been rolled in. Plaintiff passed witness on a cycle as he was returning, and he saw plaintiff fall.

A young man named Godden said that he assisted the plaintiff on the night in question. He saw the stones in the road previous to the night of the accident. He rode down on a cycle about 5 minutes after the accident to the plaintiff. He should say that the stones were five or six inches high, extending from the curb to the center, and also down the centre of the road. He saw the plaintiff's cycle, which was badly damaged. Witness was warned before we got to the stones, so that he was able to get off in time.

Dr. Barrett stated that he attended plaintiff, who had a puncture wound in the elbow, and was badly bruised on the shoulder and arm. He was unable to do this work for three weeks. He attended the plaintive about 10 times, and his charges amounted to £2 6s.

For the defence, George Thomas Sharpe said that he remembered the sewer being repaired near Walton Farm. He was at the farm on the last Sunday in May. He motored up there, but did not notice anything extraordinary about the road. It was up, but did not think there were stones of the size of those produced on the road. He would have noticed it had the stones proved an obstruction to traffic.

Albert Hughes, of 43, Princes Street, said that he was foreman in the employ of the Corporation. He was in charge of the work of laying the sewers near Walton Farm. It was finished on Thursday, 25th May. The cross trenches were 10 feet long, and the trench down the middle was 12 feet long. He should say that the stones (produced) were foundation stones. Above those there would be 4 inches of fine stone. The trenches were rolled on Thursday, 25th May, and the work was practically finished on that day. On the Friday, the 26th, the road was rolled down within an inch of the surface of the road.

George Philpott, 4, Ernwell Road, a Corporation employee, said that the steamroller was at work on the cross trenches and the middle trench on the Wednesday and Thursday, 24th and 25th May. On the Friday they were no stones about, nor on the Saturday. He went on the Monday after the accident and found that the road had been skidded up. The skid had not got down as far as the foundation stones. On the Monday morning there was not a pile of stones on the road 6 inches high, and of the size of those produced. Witness stated emphatically that the stones were not lying about on the road on the Saturday.

Questioned by his Honour, witness said that the work was not quite finished on Saturday. The road had to be wetted again and rolled on the Monday, but it was fit for use.

William Mills, 86, Blackbull Road, driver for the Corporation, said that he rolled the road opposite Walton Farm on the Thursday before dinner. They had rolled the top binding. It was the practice after three or four days to wet the road and roll it. The hole in the road was quite close to the manhole. It looked as if it had been pulled up by a skid. The road was finished for traffic when they left on Thursday.

Stephen Binfield, a Corporation employee, corroborated Mills' evidence.

His Honour stopped the case at this juncture and pointed out that even assuming that the evidence of the plaintiff was correct, and that a ridge of stone six inches high did extend across the principal part of the road, the plaintiff, according to the evidence, was able to see the stones from a distance of about 40 yards. Assuming that the corporation had been guilty of negligence of leaving the road in a state dangerous to the public, still if the plaintiff has exercised reasonable care he could have averted the accident.

Mr. Blake said that his suggestion was that the plaintiff when about 40 yards off and his eyes concentrated on the lights of another portion of the road below this particular portion, and thus overlooked this part of the road.

His Honour pointed out, however, that the plaintiff should have seen this portion of the road, and that if he went into it he was guilty of want of care.

Mr. Blake stated that the plaintiff was not riding recklessly.

His Honour said that it was not a question of recklessness, but of the actual speed of riding. On that point plaintiff's case failed.

Mr. Turner asked for judgement, with costs.

His Honour, however in reply, said that he would simply not suit plaintive.

Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald - Saturday 12 June 1915.

ELHAM COUNTY BENCH. THE WHITE HORSE, HAWKINGE.

The license of the "White Horse," Hawkinge, was temporarily transferred from Mr. Albert Bridges to Mr. John Thomas Smith.

Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald, Saturday 12 June 1924.

Sudden Death of Licensee.

An inquest was held by the East Kent coroner (Mr. Rutley Mowll), at the "White Horse," Hawkinge, on Friday last, on the body of Charles Henry Thomas Goss, who died suddenly of the previous Monday.

Caroline Goss gave evidence of identification. She said her husband was the licensee of the "White Horse," and is age was 52 years. He had recently complained of pains and stiffness in his legs, which he thought was rheumatism, but he refused to have a doctor. On Monday, April 7th, he went into the lodge to saw wood, and about 4:30 p.m. brought in some blocks of wood. She was upstairs at the time, and she was called down to speak to the oilman. On going into the kitchen she found her husband sitting in the a chair. He said he was in pain, and thought he was going to choke. She sent for a doctor, but her husband died in the kitchen before he arrived from Folkestone. There was no suggestion that he had injured himself in sawing wood.

Dr. W. Claude P. Barrett, of Folkestone, said he arrived at the house at 5:30, and the deceased was then dead. At the time he could not say what was the cause of death, but on making a post-mortem examination he found the deceased was suffering from fatty degeneration of the heart. There was no sign of injury. Slight exertion might cause death in such a case.

The jury, of which Mr. Henry Kettle was foreman, returned a verdict of death from natural causes.

Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald 23 August 1930.

CORRECTION.

In our report of the Hawkinge Flower Show, in last week's issue, it was incorrectly stated that the show was held in Mr. Castle's meadow next to the "White Lion" Inn, Hawkinge. This should have been the "White Horse" Inn, Hawkinge, the proprietor of which (Mr. A. E. Fidge), kindly offered his recreation room for the use of the committee, before and on the day of the show.