150 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (22 - 28 MAY 1873)
This week's many stories include the train smash at Sutton Oak, the Bridge Street pickpocket, criticism of the new Thatto Heath post office, the prolific wife deserter and the story of the defunct duck that was being plucked at Pilkingtons.
We begin with a meeting of the council's Paving and Highway Committee, which heard that the flagging, kerbing and sett pavement of Cotham Street between Hall Street and Hardshaw Street had been completed. We know that stretch of road as Corporation Street. However, the new Town Hall had yet to be built and so the highway was yet to change its name to reflect its status as the HQ of municipal administration. Many of the town's streets were in a poor condition. However, the council's surveyor was able to report to the meeting that Lowe Street, New Cross Street, North John Street, King Street and Park Road were currently being flagged.
The council's Health Committee met on the 22nd and its Nuisance Inspector reported having dealt with a number of incidents, including "pigs kept in improper places", although he did not specify where. The Medical Officer also detailed the town's mortality stats for the past five weeks, which included four deaths from typhoid fever.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 24th: "The movement to make Whit-Monday a general holiday is rapidly spreading. It is now a bank holiday throughout the country, and next Whit-Monday is likely to be a general holiday in St. Helens. Many of the shopkeepers have already agreed to close their establishments on that day. A variety of arrangements for out-door amusements have been made, including a Band of Hope Procession and Gala, also a Gala at the Victoria Gardens, Thatto Heath."
Note the distinction between a bank holiday (in which the banks all closed) and a general holiday, as the two had yet to merge. Workers would likely have had very mixed feelings about such holidays. They'd have been glad to have a day off – but not happy about losing a day's pay.
The Newspaper was also heavily critical of the new sub-post office that had opened at Thatto Heath. That was because it would be served from Prescot instead of St Helens, which they described as "perfectly ridiculous". Such post offices also acted as mail sorting offices and the paper was not happy that it could be 10 am before a delivery of post could be made from the office.
There would also only be one delivery a day, which the newspaper described as "a serious inconvenience to men of business, and also to private persons." They also criticised the fact that the office closed at 5:35 pm, which they said was "perfectly monstrous" as no mail collection would be made after that time.
There was another reminder this week of the dependency that many married women had on their husbands. If their spouse walked out on his family, the wife could be left penniless and have to go cap in hand to a Relieving Officer. He doled out small amounts of cash on behalf of the Prescot Union which administered the Poor Law and then would attempt to retrieve the money from the wayward husband.
In the case of John Ashton the St Helens Relieving Officer James Fowler cut out any discussions about repayment and took the man straight to court. The bottlemaker was described in the Petty Sessions as an old offender who had deserted his wife on four previous occasions. The Chairman of the Bench decided enough was enough and sent the man to prison for three months with hard labour.
Also in court this week was Mary Buckley, who was charged with attempting to pick pockets in Bridge Street. Two women gave evidence of watching a sale and being interfered with by the woman, with Margaret Hunter saying her purse containing £1 3s 4d had been stolen. The theft took place on a Saturday and I expect the money stolen had been her husband's weekly wage, as most men were then paid on that day. Mary Buckley said she was totally innocent and had not been in the crowd. However, she had a police record and was sent to prison for three months.
The most unusual court case of the week concerned a stolen duck that belonged to Robert Davies. He was a blacksmith that lived on Cowley Hill and discovered his live duck had gone missing. The fowl was found inside Pilkington's glassworks but, as the Newspaper said, by then it was "defunct". Michael Donoghue gave evidence to the court of having seen Joseph Greenough inside Pilks plucking a white duck. He said he had his cap beside him which he filled with feathers as they were being plucked and then Greenough burned them in the fire. The Newspaper wrote:
"The next act of the tragedy was an attempt to roast the body at the fire, but witness [Michael Donoghue] had charge of the place, and even the prospect of so savoury a morsel as a roast duck was not sufficient to induce him to allow the cooking." Greenough was also charged with stealing a coat that belonged to Frederick Shawcross of Brook Street and then taking it to a pawnbroker. He was committed for trial at the Liverpool Assizes on both charges and in July was sent to prison for four months.
Being illegitimate was a stigma that could follow you into death. On the 25th Thomas Hayes of Prescot died from his burns after being badly scalded two days before. The 12-month-old toddler had fallen into what was described as a mug of hot water near to the fireplace and was severely burned about his head. In devoting a few lines to the tragedy, the Newspaper felt the need to point out that Thomas had been the illegitimate son of Alice Hayes. Although, of course, the boy's birth status had no bearing whatsoever upon his death.
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 26th, Supt. James Ludlam (who was in charge of the town's police force) told the magistrates that the men in Parr were becoming ungovernable. He said on the previous Sunday a bare-knuckle prize-fight had taken place in Parr and a policeman who had attempted to stop the bout had been driven away by a crowd.
The superintendent's remarks were made when Edward Dillon and Henry Deering were charged with assaulting PC Gill. The officer told the Bench that the two men had been making a disturbance in Parr and he and another officer had ordered them to cease. Dillon threatened to drive the police from the locality and a shower of stones was thrown at the pair. Both men were fined 20 shillings and costs.
I expect some of the more difficult inmates at Rainhill Lunatic Asylum (pictured above) received a lot of rough treatment from their attendants. After all, who would believe a "lunatic" if they complained? However, committing a violent act in front of a policeman was not very wise and Frederick Bellamy was accused of doing just that. The attendant at Rainhill appeared in court on the 26th charged with assaulting one of his patients. However, the case had been brought under the wrong section of an Act and so the charge was dismissed but would, it was said, be brought to court again at a future date.
Train crashes were very common in the 1870s. Only occasionally with loss of life but often frightening the living daylights out of passengers and train crew! At 8pm on the 28th two passenger trains crashed near Sutton Oak station. One had left St Helens Junction a few minutes before and the other was making its way to Widnes. The tender of one engine was considerably damaged by the collision, as were four carriages attached to the other train.
Those had their windows "smashed to atoms" and buffers torn off. The passengers escaped without serious injury, although were described by the Newspaper as "much shaken and alarmed". One accident on the railway would sometimes lead to another and a platelayer called Ralph Henshall lost one of his fingers while uncoupling the carriages to clear the line.
And earlier in the week William Hutton from Sutton had both his feet cut off while working on the railway. The young man was employed as a stoker and while on a goods train near Eccleston had slipped off a wagon and fallen with both of his legs stretched across the line. His feet were cut clean off by other railway wagons and he lay for an hour before being found. Surprisingly, Hutton did not bleed to death and he was reported to be progressing favourably.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the explosion in a coal miner's fireplace, the Corporation's night soil deficiency, the delinquent magistrates on St Helens Bench, the fast writing course in Hardshaw Street and the Grand Gala in Thatto Heath.
We begin with a meeting of the council's Paving and Highway Committee, which heard that the flagging, kerbing and sett pavement of Cotham Street between Hall Street and Hardshaw Street had been completed. We know that stretch of road as Corporation Street. However, the new Town Hall had yet to be built and so the highway was yet to change its name to reflect its status as the HQ of municipal administration. Many of the town's streets were in a poor condition. However, the council's surveyor was able to report to the meeting that Lowe Street, New Cross Street, North John Street, King Street and Park Road were currently being flagged.
The council's Health Committee met on the 22nd and its Nuisance Inspector reported having dealt with a number of incidents, including "pigs kept in improper places", although he did not specify where. The Medical Officer also detailed the town's mortality stats for the past five weeks, which included four deaths from typhoid fever.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 24th: "The movement to make Whit-Monday a general holiday is rapidly spreading. It is now a bank holiday throughout the country, and next Whit-Monday is likely to be a general holiday in St. Helens. Many of the shopkeepers have already agreed to close their establishments on that day. A variety of arrangements for out-door amusements have been made, including a Band of Hope Procession and Gala, also a Gala at the Victoria Gardens, Thatto Heath."
Note the distinction between a bank holiday (in which the banks all closed) and a general holiday, as the two had yet to merge. Workers would likely have had very mixed feelings about such holidays. They'd have been glad to have a day off – but not happy about losing a day's pay.
The Newspaper was also heavily critical of the new sub-post office that had opened at Thatto Heath. That was because it would be served from Prescot instead of St Helens, which they described as "perfectly ridiculous". Such post offices also acted as mail sorting offices and the paper was not happy that it could be 10 am before a delivery of post could be made from the office.
There would also only be one delivery a day, which the newspaper described as "a serious inconvenience to men of business, and also to private persons." They also criticised the fact that the office closed at 5:35 pm, which they said was "perfectly monstrous" as no mail collection would be made after that time.
There was another reminder this week of the dependency that many married women had on their husbands. If their spouse walked out on his family, the wife could be left penniless and have to go cap in hand to a Relieving Officer. He doled out small amounts of cash on behalf of the Prescot Union which administered the Poor Law and then would attempt to retrieve the money from the wayward husband.
In the case of John Ashton the St Helens Relieving Officer James Fowler cut out any discussions about repayment and took the man straight to court. The bottlemaker was described in the Petty Sessions as an old offender who had deserted his wife on four previous occasions. The Chairman of the Bench decided enough was enough and sent the man to prison for three months with hard labour.
Also in court this week was Mary Buckley, who was charged with attempting to pick pockets in Bridge Street. Two women gave evidence of watching a sale and being interfered with by the woman, with Margaret Hunter saying her purse containing £1 3s 4d had been stolen. The theft took place on a Saturday and I expect the money stolen had been her husband's weekly wage, as most men were then paid on that day. Mary Buckley said she was totally innocent and had not been in the crowd. However, she had a police record and was sent to prison for three months.
The most unusual court case of the week concerned a stolen duck that belonged to Robert Davies. He was a blacksmith that lived on Cowley Hill and discovered his live duck had gone missing. The fowl was found inside Pilkington's glassworks but, as the Newspaper said, by then it was "defunct". Michael Donoghue gave evidence to the court of having seen Joseph Greenough inside Pilks plucking a white duck. He said he had his cap beside him which he filled with feathers as they were being plucked and then Greenough burned them in the fire. The Newspaper wrote:
"The next act of the tragedy was an attempt to roast the body at the fire, but witness [Michael Donoghue] had charge of the place, and even the prospect of so savoury a morsel as a roast duck was not sufficient to induce him to allow the cooking." Greenough was also charged with stealing a coat that belonged to Frederick Shawcross of Brook Street and then taking it to a pawnbroker. He was committed for trial at the Liverpool Assizes on both charges and in July was sent to prison for four months.
Being illegitimate was a stigma that could follow you into death. On the 25th Thomas Hayes of Prescot died from his burns after being badly scalded two days before. The 12-month-old toddler had fallen into what was described as a mug of hot water near to the fireplace and was severely burned about his head. In devoting a few lines to the tragedy, the Newspaper felt the need to point out that Thomas had been the illegitimate son of Alice Hayes. Although, of course, the boy's birth status had no bearing whatsoever upon his death.
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 26th, Supt. James Ludlam (who was in charge of the town's police force) told the magistrates that the men in Parr were becoming ungovernable. He said on the previous Sunday a bare-knuckle prize-fight had taken place in Parr and a policeman who had attempted to stop the bout had been driven away by a crowd.
The superintendent's remarks were made when Edward Dillon and Henry Deering were charged with assaulting PC Gill. The officer told the Bench that the two men had been making a disturbance in Parr and he and another officer had ordered them to cease. Dillon threatened to drive the police from the locality and a shower of stones was thrown at the pair. Both men were fined 20 shillings and costs.
Train crashes were very common in the 1870s. Only occasionally with loss of life but often frightening the living daylights out of passengers and train crew! At 8pm on the 28th two passenger trains crashed near Sutton Oak station. One had left St Helens Junction a few minutes before and the other was making its way to Widnes. The tender of one engine was considerably damaged by the collision, as were four carriages attached to the other train.
Those had their windows "smashed to atoms" and buffers torn off. The passengers escaped without serious injury, although were described by the Newspaper as "much shaken and alarmed". One accident on the railway would sometimes lead to another and a platelayer called Ralph Henshall lost one of his fingers while uncoupling the carriages to clear the line.
And earlier in the week William Hutton from Sutton had both his feet cut off while working on the railway. The young man was employed as a stoker and while on a goods train near Eccleston had slipped off a wagon and fallen with both of his legs stretched across the line. His feet were cut clean off by other railway wagons and he lay for an hour before being found. Surprisingly, Hutton did not bleed to death and he was reported to be progressing favourably.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the explosion in a coal miner's fireplace, the Corporation's night soil deficiency, the delinquent magistrates on St Helens Bench, the fast writing course in Hardshaw Street and the Grand Gala in Thatto Heath.
This week's many stories include the train smash at Sutton Oak, the Bridge Street pickpocket, criticism of the new Thatto Heath post office, the prolific wife deserter and the story of the defunct duck that was being plucked at Pilkingtons.
We begin with a meeting of the council's Paving and Highway Committee, which heard that the flagging, kerbing and sett pavement of Cotham Street between Hall Street and Hardshaw Street had been completed.
We know that stretch of road as Corporation Street. However, the new Town Hall had yet to be built and so the highway was yet to change its name to reflect its status as the HQ of municipal administration.
Many of the town's streets were in a poor condition. However, the council's surveyor was able to report to the meeting that Lowe Street, New Cross Street, North John Street, King Street and Park Road were currently being flagged.
The council's Health Committee met on the 22nd and its Nuisance Inspector reported having dealt with a number of incidents, including "pigs kept in improper places", although he did not specify where.
The Medical Officer also detailed the town's mortality stats for the past five weeks, which included four deaths from typhoid fever.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 24th:
"The movement to make Whit-Monday a general holiday is rapidly spreading. It is now a bank holiday throughout the country, and next Whit-Monday is likely to be a general holiday in St. Helens. Many of the shopkeepers have already agreed to close their establishments on that day.
"A variety of arrangements for out-door amusements have been made, including a Band of Hope Procession and Gala, also a Gala at the Victoria Gardens, Thatto Heath."
Note the distinction between a bank holiday (in which the banks all closed) and a general holiday, as the two had yet to merge.
Workers would likely have had very mixed feelings about such holidays. They'd have been glad to have a day off – but not happy about losing a day's pay.
The Newspaper was also heavily critical of the new sub-post office that had opened at Thatto Heath.
That was because it would be served from Prescot instead of St Helens, which they described as "perfectly ridiculous".
Such post offices also acted as mail sorting offices and the paper was not happy that it could be 10 am before a delivery of post could be made from the office.
There would also only be one delivery a day, which the newspaper described as "a serious inconvenience to men of business, and also to private persons."
They also criticised the fact that the office closed at 5:35 pm, which they said was "perfectly monstrous" as no mail collection would be made after that time.
There was another reminder this week of the dependency that many married women had on their husbands.
If their spouse walked out on his family, the wife could be left penniless and have to go cap in hand to a Relieving Officer.
He doled out small amounts of cash on behalf of the Prescot Union which administered the Poor Law and then would attempt to retrieve the money from the wayward husband.
In the case of John Ashton the St Helens Relieving Officer James Fowler cut out any discussions about repayment and took the man straight to court.
The bottlemaker was described in the Petty Sessions as an old offender who had deserted his wife on four previous occasions.
The Chairman of the Bench decided enough was enough and sent the man to prison for three months with hard labour.
Also in court this week was Mary Buckley, who was charged with attempting to pick pockets in Bridge Street.
Two women gave evidence of watching a sale and being interfered with by the woman, with Margaret Hunter saying her purse containing £1 3s 4d had been stolen.
The theft took place on a Saturday and I expect the money stolen had been her husband's weekly wage, as most men were then paid on that day.
Mary Buckley said she was totally innocent and had not been in the crowd. However, she had a police record and was sent to prison for three months.
The most unusual court case of the week concerned a stolen duck that belonged to Robert Davies.
He was a blacksmith that lived on Cowley Hill and discovered his live duck had gone missing.
The fowl was found inside Pilkington's glassworks but, as the Newspaper said, by then it was "defunct".
Michael Donoghue gave evidence to the court of having seen Joseph Greenough inside Pilks plucking a white duck.
He said he had his cap beside him which he filled with feathers as they were being plucked and then Greenough burned them in the fire. The Newspaper wrote:
"The next act of the tragedy was an attempt to roast the body at the fire, but witness [Michael Donoghue] had charge of the place, and even the prospect of so savoury a morsel as a roast duck was not sufficient to induce him to allow the cooking."
Greenough was also charged with stealing a coat that belonged to Frederick Shawcross of Brook Street and then taking it to a pawnbroker.
He was committed for trial at the Liverpool Assizes on both charges and in July was sent to prison for four months.
Being illegitimate was a stigma that could follow you into death. On the 25th Thomas Hayes of Prescot died from his burns after being badly scalded two days before.
The 12-month-old toddler had fallen into what was described as a mug of hot water near to the fireplace and was severely burned about his head.
In devoting a few lines to the tragedy, the Newspaper felt the need to point out that Thomas had been the illegitimate son of Alice Hayes.
Although, of course, the boy's birth status had no bearing whatsoever upon his death.
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 26th, Supt. James Ludlam (who was in charge of the town's police force) told the magistrates that the men in Parr were becoming ungovernable.
He said on the previous Sunday a bare-knuckle prize-fight had taken place in Parr and a policeman who had attempted to stop the bout had been driven away by a crowd.
The superintendent's remarks were made when Edward Dillon and Henry Deering were charged with assaulting PC Gill.
The officer told the Bench that the two men had been making a disturbance in Parr and he and another officer had ordered them to cease.
Dillon threatened to drive the police from the locality and a shower of stones was thrown at the pair. Both men were fined 20 shillings and costs.
I expect some of the more difficult inmates at Rainhill Lunatic Asylum received a lot of rough treatment from their attendants. After all, who would believe a "lunatic" if they complained?
However, committing a violent act in front of a policeman was not very wise and Frederick Bellamy was accused of doing just that.
The attendant at Rainhill appeared in court on the 26th charged with assaulting one of his patients.
However, the case had been brought under the wrong section of an Act and so the charge was dismissed but would, it was said, be brought to court again at a future date.
Train crashes were very common in the 1870s. Only occasionally with loss of life but often frightening the living daylights out of passengers and train crew!
At 8pm on the 28th two passenger trains crashed near Sutton Oak station. One had left St Helens Junction a few minutes before and the other was making its way to Widnes.
The tender of one engine was considerably damaged by the collision, as were four carriages attached to the other train.
Those had their windows "smashed to atoms" and buffers torn off. The passengers escaped without serious injury, although were described by the Newspaper as "much shaken and alarmed".
One accident on the railway would sometimes lead to another and a platelayer called Ralph Henshall lost one of his fingers while uncoupling the carriages to clear the line.
And earlier in the week William Hutton from Sutton had both his feet cut off while working on the railway.
The young man was employed as a stoker and while on a goods train near Eccleston had slipped off a wagon and fallen with both of his legs stretched across the line.
His feet were cut clean off by other railway wagons and he lay for an hour before being found.
Surprisingly, Hutton did not bleed to death and he was reported to be progressing favourably.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the explosion in a coal miner's fireplace, the Corporation's night soil deficiency, the delinquent magistrates on St Helens Bench, the fast writing course in Hardshaw Street and the Grand Gala in Thatto Heath.
We begin with a meeting of the council's Paving and Highway Committee, which heard that the flagging, kerbing and sett pavement of Cotham Street between Hall Street and Hardshaw Street had been completed.
We know that stretch of road as Corporation Street. However, the new Town Hall had yet to be built and so the highway was yet to change its name to reflect its status as the HQ of municipal administration.
Many of the town's streets were in a poor condition. However, the council's surveyor was able to report to the meeting that Lowe Street, New Cross Street, North John Street, King Street and Park Road were currently being flagged.
The council's Health Committee met on the 22nd and its Nuisance Inspector reported having dealt with a number of incidents, including "pigs kept in improper places", although he did not specify where.
The Medical Officer also detailed the town's mortality stats for the past five weeks, which included four deaths from typhoid fever.
The St Helens Newspaper wrote on the 24th:
"The movement to make Whit-Monday a general holiday is rapidly spreading. It is now a bank holiday throughout the country, and next Whit-Monday is likely to be a general holiday in St. Helens. Many of the shopkeepers have already agreed to close their establishments on that day.
"A variety of arrangements for out-door amusements have been made, including a Band of Hope Procession and Gala, also a Gala at the Victoria Gardens, Thatto Heath."
Note the distinction between a bank holiday (in which the banks all closed) and a general holiday, as the two had yet to merge.
Workers would likely have had very mixed feelings about such holidays. They'd have been glad to have a day off – but not happy about losing a day's pay.
The Newspaper was also heavily critical of the new sub-post office that had opened at Thatto Heath.
That was because it would be served from Prescot instead of St Helens, which they described as "perfectly ridiculous".
Such post offices also acted as mail sorting offices and the paper was not happy that it could be 10 am before a delivery of post could be made from the office.
There would also only be one delivery a day, which the newspaper described as "a serious inconvenience to men of business, and also to private persons."
They also criticised the fact that the office closed at 5:35 pm, which they said was "perfectly monstrous" as no mail collection would be made after that time.
There was another reminder this week of the dependency that many married women had on their husbands.
If their spouse walked out on his family, the wife could be left penniless and have to go cap in hand to a Relieving Officer.
He doled out small amounts of cash on behalf of the Prescot Union which administered the Poor Law and then would attempt to retrieve the money from the wayward husband.
In the case of John Ashton the St Helens Relieving Officer James Fowler cut out any discussions about repayment and took the man straight to court.
The bottlemaker was described in the Petty Sessions as an old offender who had deserted his wife on four previous occasions.
The Chairman of the Bench decided enough was enough and sent the man to prison for three months with hard labour.
Also in court this week was Mary Buckley, who was charged with attempting to pick pockets in Bridge Street.
Two women gave evidence of watching a sale and being interfered with by the woman, with Margaret Hunter saying her purse containing £1 3s 4d had been stolen.
The theft took place on a Saturday and I expect the money stolen had been her husband's weekly wage, as most men were then paid on that day.
Mary Buckley said she was totally innocent and had not been in the crowd. However, she had a police record and was sent to prison for three months.
The most unusual court case of the week concerned a stolen duck that belonged to Robert Davies.
He was a blacksmith that lived on Cowley Hill and discovered his live duck had gone missing.
The fowl was found inside Pilkington's glassworks but, as the Newspaper said, by then it was "defunct".
Michael Donoghue gave evidence to the court of having seen Joseph Greenough inside Pilks plucking a white duck.
He said he had his cap beside him which he filled with feathers as they were being plucked and then Greenough burned them in the fire. The Newspaper wrote:
"The next act of the tragedy was an attempt to roast the body at the fire, but witness [Michael Donoghue] had charge of the place, and even the prospect of so savoury a morsel as a roast duck was not sufficient to induce him to allow the cooking."
Greenough was also charged with stealing a coat that belonged to Frederick Shawcross of Brook Street and then taking it to a pawnbroker.
He was committed for trial at the Liverpool Assizes on both charges and in July was sent to prison for four months.
Being illegitimate was a stigma that could follow you into death. On the 25th Thomas Hayes of Prescot died from his burns after being badly scalded two days before.
The 12-month-old toddler had fallen into what was described as a mug of hot water near to the fireplace and was severely burned about his head.
In devoting a few lines to the tragedy, the Newspaper felt the need to point out that Thomas had been the illegitimate son of Alice Hayes.
Although, of course, the boy's birth status had no bearing whatsoever upon his death.
In St Helens Petty Sessions on the 26th, Supt. James Ludlam (who was in charge of the town's police force) told the magistrates that the men in Parr were becoming ungovernable.
He said on the previous Sunday a bare-knuckle prize-fight had taken place in Parr and a policeman who had attempted to stop the bout had been driven away by a crowd.
The superintendent's remarks were made when Edward Dillon and Henry Deering were charged with assaulting PC Gill.
The officer told the Bench that the two men had been making a disturbance in Parr and he and another officer had ordered them to cease.
Dillon threatened to drive the police from the locality and a shower of stones was thrown at the pair. Both men were fined 20 shillings and costs.
However, committing a violent act in front of a policeman was not very wise and Frederick Bellamy was accused of doing just that.
The attendant at Rainhill appeared in court on the 26th charged with assaulting one of his patients.
However, the case had been brought under the wrong section of an Act and so the charge was dismissed but would, it was said, be brought to court again at a future date.
Train crashes were very common in the 1870s. Only occasionally with loss of life but often frightening the living daylights out of passengers and train crew!
At 8pm on the 28th two passenger trains crashed near Sutton Oak station. One had left St Helens Junction a few minutes before and the other was making its way to Widnes.
The tender of one engine was considerably damaged by the collision, as were four carriages attached to the other train.
Those had their windows "smashed to atoms" and buffers torn off. The passengers escaped without serious injury, although were described by the Newspaper as "much shaken and alarmed".
One accident on the railway would sometimes lead to another and a platelayer called Ralph Henshall lost one of his fingers while uncoupling the carriages to clear the line.
And earlier in the week William Hutton from Sutton had both his feet cut off while working on the railway.
The young man was employed as a stoker and while on a goods train near Eccleston had slipped off a wagon and fallen with both of his legs stretched across the line.
His feet were cut clean off by other railway wagons and he lay for an hour before being found.
Surprisingly, Hutton did not bleed to death and he was reported to be progressing favourably.
St Helens Newspaper courtesy St Helens Archive Service at Eccleston Library
Next week's stories will include the explosion in a coal miner's fireplace, the Corporation's night soil deficiency, the delinquent magistrates on St Helens Bench, the fast writing course in Hardshaw Street and the Grand Gala in Thatto Heath.