A Somerset Boat Disaster

SHOCKING OCCURRENCE FOUR MEN DROWNED

Somerset County Gazette – Saturday 20^th January 1877

Our readers have already been informed that for some time past the turnpike-road leading from Bridgwater to Westonzoyland has been deeply inundated between Clanniford's “half-way” house and Pensoy Farm, and that that portion of the roadway has been impassable even on horseback or in vehicles. Several boats have, therefore, been brought into requisition for the purpose of conveying persons to and fro, and amongst those who were thus engaged were Edwin Reed and George Reed (brothers), John Pollard and John Howe. These four men on Monday evening were hired by William Heal, a master baker, of Westonzoyland, to row him from the “half-way” Inn to the village, together with six sacks of flour which he had brought with him so far in a cart. The party started shortly before seven o'clock, two oars being used for rowing the boat. It was growing dark at the time, and a stiff breeze was blowing, causing the water to be very turbulent, and to splash over the sides of the boat. When nearing the village, and about a quarter of a mile therefrom, in a field adjoining the road, and belonging to Mr. Chapman, the boat “shipped” a considerable quantity of water, and at length capsized. The five men having been thus precipitated into the water, which at this spot was about seven feet in depth, screamed loudly for assistance. Their cries were heard by some of the villagers, and, amongst others, by Mr. Frank Ling and Mr. Pavey, who, as quickly as possible, procured boats and rowed to the spot. They did not reach this, however, in time to be of any service, except to John Howe, who, having succeeded in laying hold of a withy tree, clung thereto until their arrival, when, in an exhausted condition, he was rescued. Howe happened to be the only unmarried man of the party, and the four others, who were drowned, have all left wives and families to mourn their untimely end, Edwin Reed's children being seven in number. The bodies of the four deceased men were secured about eight o'clock on Tuesday morning, and conveyed to the Shoulder of Mutton Inn, where the inquest will take place. This sad fatality has caused a gloom over the entire neighbourhood.

The inquest on the bodies of the deceased were held at the Shoulder of Mutton Inn, on Thursday. It was believed at first that the occurrence took place in the parish of Westonzoyland, which is within the jurisdiction of Dr. Wybrants, and that gentleman was communicated with. In his stead, however, Dr. Munckton put in an appearance, and attended as Dr. Wybrants' deputy, but in the course of the proceedings it was elicited that the spot where the boat capsized, and the bodies were recovered, was in the parish of Bridgwater, being, therefore, Mr. Munckton's own district. Mr. Munckton came in a boat from Aller to Othery, and thence drove to Westonzoyland.

The jury were:- Mssrs. James Mountstevens (foreman), Francis Reed, George Dorse, Richard Spartks, Johnathon Peppard, Henry Bond, James Field, Robert Peppard, Henry Pavey, John Palmer, Henry Bond and William Spurdell.

After the jury had viewed the bodies of the four men, which were lying in one of the adjoining outbuildings, John Howe, the only witness examined, disposed : I knew the deceased persons whose bodies the jury have now viewed. Their names were John Pollard, a labourer, 55 years of age ; William Heal, a baker, and about 40 years of age ; Edwin Reed, 45 years of age ; and his brother George, twenty-three years of age, both labourers. On Monday morning about half-past ten, we took a boat and went to Canniford's Half-way Inn, the other side of the flood waters, on the Bridgwater-road, with bread for Mr. William Heal, one of the deceased. We had to meet him there at from half-past three to four o'clock to take him back. We returned to Westonzoyland about twelve at noon. We intended to fetch Mr. Heal at half-past three, and went for the boat to do so, but found it had been taken away, and we could not leave Westonzoyland in consequence to five o'clock. We found that Mrs. Charles Ling and her son, who lived near, had broken the lock and taken away the boat, and this prevented our meeting Mr. Heal at the time we appointed. We took some potatoes across, and met Mr. Heal near Canniford's. He had been waiting some time for us, and found fault that we were late. We explained the reason that Mrs. Charles Ling took away the boat. We put six sacks of flour in the boat, and then went to Mrs. Canniford's and had a quart of beer ; and afterwards we went in the boat, and started for home. When we had proceeded three-quarters of the way home a gale arose and the boat took in water. It was dark, and we could not see the water, but I felt it in my boots. We turned the boat, and she capsized ; and we all five went into the water. All were drowned but myself ; I was saved by clinging to a tree. The bodies were all found next morning. The water was more than six feet deep, and it was over my head. Ours was a flat-bottomed fishing boat used on the Parret. We carried more weight in our boat on our way to Mrs. Canniford's than on our return in the evening.

The Coroner intimated that, in his opinion, no further evidence was necessary, but expressed his willingness to receive more that might be forthcoming. He thought however, they did not require to hear anything further about this melancholy disaster, and that they could only come to one conclusion, namely, that the men were accidentally drowned.

Several of the jurymen expressed an opinion that great blame was due to Mrs. Charles Ling and her son, and that it was their duty, in some way or other, to mark their sense of such conduct.

The Coroner pointed out that their duty was simply to ascertain the cause of death, but if they felt disposed to add a rider to their verdict he would of course receive it.

After a short time occupied in consultation the Coroner asked whether the jury had made up their minds what to do, remarking that he had to go home through the floods.

Two or three of the jurymen retorted that the Coroner had plenty of time, and that they were not going to be hurried, and another jurymen suggested that, in order to give them time for full deliberation, the inquest should be adjourned.

The Coroner disclaimed any wish on his part to hurry them, and said if the jury thought it necessary he would adjourn the inquest, and attend there again, day after day, week after week and month after month.

The jury returned a verdict that the four men were accidentally drowned, and appended the following rider : “We consider that Mrs. Charles Ling and her son were much to blame in breaking the lock and taking the boat, and thus detaining the men for about an hour, as in all probability their lives would have been saved if the boat had not been thus detained”.

The jurymen kindly gave their fees to the widows of the deceased, who were in attendance in the adjoining room.

Mr. Heal was a married man, but without family ; Pollard has left a wife and seven children, most of them grown-up ; Edwin Reed has left a wife and seven children four of them being under nine years of age and the youngest less than three months ; and George Reed has left a wife and an infant child, five months old.

FURTHER PARTICULARS

After the termination of the inquest our reporter “interviewed” Howe, the only survivor, who informed him that the four deceased men and himself started from Canniford's on the evening in question about six o'clock. It was then growing very dark and blowing fresh. The breeze, a south-westerly one, soon grew stronger, and increased to “something like a gale”. Howe and Edmin Reed rowed, and Pollard steered the boat, which is named the “Ready Penny”, and belonged to a boatman named Frampton, of Bridgwater. It was not too heavily laden, and could have carried a good deal more. [Its dimensions are 19ft. 4in. In length, 5ft. in width and 1ft. 9in. in depth.] They had been in the boat nearly half an hour before they discovered that they were “shipping any large quantity of water” ; and at the time the boat capsized they were within 300 or 400 yards of their destination – the lower part of Elworthy's orchard. When they discovered that they were taking in water so fast they endeavored to turn the position of the boat so as to prevent the waves dashing over her. She then capsized, and they were thrown into the water, which at that point was six feet deep. Mr. Heal could swim a little, but the others were unable to do so. When they felt the boat turning over they all shouted loudly, and continued to do so after their immersion. Fortunately for Howe he managed, almost directly, to get hold of the boat, which was drifting bottom upwards. Just after he succeeded in obtaining a hold of this, however, Pollard seized him by the arm, and this additional weight caused the boat to turn over again. Howe failed to reach it a second time, but was fortunate enough to grab both oars. After that he does not remember seeing or hearing anything of Pollard or of the others. The oars kept his head and shoulders above water, and drifted him to a withy tree, which was about two feet above the surface of the water. This he took a firm grasp of and again shouted for help. In that position he remained about half an hour before he was rescued in a state of exhaustion. He believes he could not have held on a minute or two longer.

Another informant states that the screams of the drowning men were heard by several persons living about 400 yards distant, and they at once ran to the water's edge. Amongst them were Mssrs. F. Pitman, butcher, and Clifford Morrish ; and after obtaining lanterns and boats, they, and eight others – named respectively William Reed, Mark Reed, Frank Ling, Charles Stacey, Charles Bryant, Charles Davis, George Winn, and Benjamin Chinn – pulled a boat towards the spot, to which they were directed by the continued cries of Howe; for by this time the fate of the four other men must have been sealed. When Howe was reached he was, to quote the words of our informant, “all but gone”. He was taken on board their boat and conveyed to the house of Mr. Pitman, where he received attention.

Mr. Pavey, whose residence is about the nearest to the scene of the disaster, states that he distinctly heard the men's screams and recognised the voice of Mr. Heal exclaiming “Lord, have mercy upon us ; we shall all be drowned”, this being probably as the boat was filling and about to capsize. Mr. Pavey got into his own boat with a lantern, and heard the cries of three persons after doing so. Soon after he began to pull in the direction of the sounds all the voices ceased, with the exception of Howe's. When he came to within one hundred yards of Howe he exhibited his lantern, and called to him to hold on, and, keep still ; and at that moment he was passed by the men in the other boat above referred to, and who succeeded in rescuing him.

Intelligence of the disaster soon spread through the villages, and caused great consternation, and deep commiseration and sympathy for the bereaved wives and families. Other boats with grappling irons, crooks &c., were used in order to recover the bodies the same night, but unsuccessfully. Immediately after daylight on the following morning these efforts were renewed with almost immediate success. Within a distance, it is computed, of about twenty yards from where the boat capsized Daniel Branfield found the bodies of George and Edwin Reed, the two brothers, and William Chinn in the second boat, found the body of Mr. Heal ; and Charles Chinn, in the third boat, that of Pollard. The boat was discovered still bottom upwards, between some withy trees not far distant, and the six sacks of flour were found by Robert Banks washed ashore near Pensoy. Only a small quantity of the flour was injured, the outer portions of it, about half an inch in thickness, having formed a kind of paste and protected the remainder even from dampness.

Text courtesy of The British Newspaper Archives

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Edwin Reed married Betsey Stow in Bridgwater in 1857. As quoted above “Edwin Reed has left a wife and seven children four of them being under nine years of age and the youngest less than three months ; and George Reed has left a wife and an infant child, five months old”. We find Betsey four years after the disaster in the 1881 census living in Westonzoyland. She's listed as a widow and has a young child, Beatrice, who is probably the child mentioned in the article. I wonder how they all fared after such a disaster.

 Image courtesy of Ancestry.com

  

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