On the morning of Tuesday 9th July 1895, a sad accident resulted in the instantaneous death of a widow named Sophia Gower,  aged 59 of New Hithe.  Now known as New Hythe, the Maidstone Journal records the place name as New Hithe. The accident took place on a footway, across the North Kent Railway, close to the New Hithe Crossing. An inquest was held by the Coroner T. Buss, on the following wednesday evening, at the Ferry House Inn. Mr W. J. Johnson was chosen as foreman of the jury and having viewed the body, which was frightfully disfigured, the following evidence was given, regarding the accident:-

Ralph Gower, a clerk at the West Kent Cement Works, identified the body as that of his mother, with whom he lived. He stated she was very deaf, and as they lived close to the North Kent Railway, his mother was in the habit of crossing the rails. He had last seen her alive on tuesday morning, when she said she was going to Larkfield. On the journey home, he stated the deceased would have needed to cross the line, but she had always been very careful in doing so, before.

Henry Upton, another resident of New Hithe, stated as the 10:30 train from Maidstone was coming along, he was standing at the door of his son’s house, from where he could view the train coming. As it approached, Sophia Gower who was coming from Larkfield, having got over the stile, was crossing the line. She was walking very slowly and was holding her umbrella up, to shade the sun. Having noticed, she apparently had not seen the train coming, he shouted to her, whilst the train driver, turned off the steam and opened his whistle. Sophia, however took no heed and just as she got her left leg up on to the metals, the train caught her and knocked her down. Afterwards the train was pulled up, but Sophia was already dead.

George Mobbs, the gateman at the New Hithe crossing, also gave evidence. He stated he saw Sophia Gower on the line and the approaching train, he had shouted and waved his arms to warn her, but she did not see him. The force of the blow received to Sophia, knocked her off the up line, on to the down line. The foreman of the jury asked the witness, if there was enough time to have run to the deceased, when he saw Sophia had not noticed him, he was just 60 yards away from the deceased and the train 200 yards away. He also asked why there were no notice boards, warning people of passing trains.

William Robinson, the train driver stated when he saw Sophia, he blew the train whistle and partly pulled the train. When she seemed to have stopped, he released the brakes, however she started walking again and he did not have time to pull the engine up again, before reaching her. Subsequently he had found Sophia’s umbrella on the front of the engine.

The Coroner, in summing up, said he thought no blame could be attached to anybody. The jury returned a verdict of “Accidentally killed” and the jury asked the coroner to write to the South Eastern Railway Company, requesting the stiles at the footway should be replaced with clap gates, which could be locked from the New Hithe box, when trains were signalled. The inquest concluded, with the Coroner and the Jury expressing their sympathy to the relatives of the deceased, in their sad bereavement.

Home