from injuries received, became insensible for several hours. — Also on the same first of September, another George — Mr. George Clement, whilst out shooting with a party of friends, received several shots in one of his legs from one of the guns which in the first aiming at a flight of birds went off all together. — About the same time a man named Ashdown, whilst sinking a well at St. Leonards, fell a distance of 40 feet, and though he was much shaken and bruised, no limbs were fractured. — On the 4th of October, some squibs let off in the public road so frightened a team of horses that one of them reared up and broke the shaft of a waggon and one of his own legs. The horse — a valuable one — had to be killed. — On the 21st of the same month, a fatal accident occurred in the railway tunnel to Wm. Clark, of Coggeshal (sic), Essex, 34 years of age, by the falling of the tail-board of a loaded waggon, thus letting him down, to be run over by the next waggon. — Four days later, another, but less serious accident occurred to a youth named Cripps, who fell down while cleaning bedroom windows at the South Colonnade. — [The numerous accidents at and near Hastings are described in the next chapter. ]
Railway Progress. 1850
In the month of March, at the suit of a shareholder, the Rolls Court granted an injunction to restrain the South-Eastern Company paying any more dividends until so much of the line from Bopeep to Hastings as had been transferred from the Brighton, Lewes and Hastings Railway Company to the South-Eastern Company should be open for public traffic. This decision caused a fall in the price of shares, but quickened the work of construction between Ashford and Hastings.
On the 18th of June — a memorable day in military annals[a] — 200 persons availed themselves of a cheap train from Bopeep to Portsmouth, to witness the celebration of the battle of Waterloo, including a review of the troops, and the inauguration of the statues of Wellington and Nelson. The excursion was for two days, and most of the Hastings excursionists — the present writer among the number — crossed over to the Isle of Wight there to seek Somnus for the intermediate night.
Two days later the same (South-Coast) Company trains brought nearly 1,000 persons from London to Hastings and St. Leonards.
On the same Company’s line in the same month (the exact day is not remembered) were conveyed 1,247 persons, in 37 carriages, drawn by two engines, to the Swiss Gardens at Shoreham. This excursion was got up by the Benefit Societies of Hastings.
Urged on to expedite the work on the South-Eastern line by the recent decision of the Rolls Court, the contractors were at this time employing 3,000 men, and only 200 yards (180 m) of the St. Leonards tunnel remained to be bricked.
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