Mystery Why Rushden Granary Floor Collapsed
Inquest Brings No Solution
Herdsman Asphyxiated Under Fall Of Grain

  The inquest on William Arthur Lewis (52), who was buried and asphyxiated under 20 tons of grain following the collapse of a granary floor, did not reveal at Rushden on Friday afternoon any satisfactory reason why the floor should have fallen.

  One witness stated that two years ago an even heavier stock of grain was stored in the granary, quite safely, and as it was not an old structure he could not understand why the joists had snapped.  The joists were stout and set close together.

  Mr. J. S. Parker (Deputy Coroner for East Northants) conducted the inquest at the Rushden Ambulance Room.  Mr. Roland Cox was foreman of the jury.

  Mr. C. J. Snell (Messrs. Wilson and Wilson, Kettering) appeared for the widow, and Mr. J. J. Johnson (of Messrs. Burnham, Son and Lewin, Wellingborough) was present upon instructions from Mr. Robert Marriott.

  Dr. O. A. J. N. Muriset said that on September 13^th, about 2.30 p.m., he was called to what is known as Clark’s Farm, on the Wellingborough-road, Rushden.  People were digging Lewis out, and his arms were already exposed.  The rescuers got his face into view, and sufficient grain was removed so that witness could examine the man’s heart, but he found he was dead.

  On a further and fuller examination later, the doctor found that the head and neck were very cyanosed, and there were many small subcutaneous hæmorrhages.  There was no evidence of any injury to the bones or breakages of the skin.  The condition of the nose, head and neck suggested that death was due to asphyxia.

  John Walter Lewis, porter, “Sunny View,” Hayden’s Estate, Rushden, identified the body as that of his father, who was a herdsman, in the employ of Mr. Robert Marriott.  Deceased had been in normal good health of late.  He had been working for Mr. Marriott for about ten months, and had never made any complaints about the barn or the way it was used.  He had never complained about his work.

  In reply to a juryman, witness said his father was well acquainted with the premises.

Floor Fallen In

  Edwin Robinson, sewage works manager, 205, Wellingborough-road, Rushden, said he passed the barn at Clark’s Farm every day.  He knew deceased very well, and usually passed the time of day with him every day.  That day he went to his dinner about 12.30, and he passed the barn, but Lewis was not there then.  Everything at that time appeared to be in order.

  Mr. Robinson said he returned to work about 1.20 p.m., and when he reached the corner of the cart shed he saw oats littered over the road.

  He called out, “Arthur, are you throwing oats about?” but got no answer.  He looked in, and saw the floor of the granary above had fallen in.  He shouted “Arthur,” but again got no answer.

  He knew Lewis ought to be about somewhere, as his dog was waiting outside.

  He called to his son-in-law to fetch the police and Mr. Marriott.  In a very short time a constable arrived, and Mr. Marriott’s men came on a lorry and proceeded to dig away the oats.

  Everything was quiet when he first saw the building.  No grain was falling.  The electric motor was not switched on, but the jar of the fall might have switched if off.

  Joseph Hewitt, 4, Victoria-road, Rushden, said he was foreman at Clark’s farm, which was occupied by Mr. Marriott.  Lewis was with him in the meadows about 12 o’clock and he sent Lewis to the granary, where part of his duty was to grind the oats.  The grinder was on the second floor and the grain was stored above.  There was a shute from a hopper upstairs.

20 Tons of Grain

  There was about 20 tons of loose grain spread all over the floor of the granary, which was 40ft. long by 30ft. wide.

  Witness had been accustomed to visiting the barn for years, and he had never noticed the floor being weak, nor had he heard any cracking of the boards or caving-in of the walls when the grain was put in.

  He saw the floor boards which collapsed, and joists, he noticed, had snapped in two.  Two years ago they had even more grain stored in the granary, and the floor should have been able to withstand the weight of grain, as the joists were very close together.

  The grinder was run by an electric motor, he said, and there would certainly be a little vibration when anyone was grinding.  It was a 5 h.p. engine.

  Witness was present when Lewis was found just against the grinding mill – where he would have been, in fact, if he had been grinding when the floor fell.

  Lewis had worked almost every day in the barn.  He was a very good workman indeed, and one who could be trusted to do his work without any supervision at all.  He had never mentioned to witness the state of the barn, or complained about it.

  Asked by the Coroner whether he could explain why the floor should have fallen, witness said that perhaps the joists could have been further over the walls.  The walls were 14 inch, the joists were 9in by 3in., and were nearly a foot apart, and should have held.

  In reply to questions by Mr. Johnson, witness said there was an internal wall in the building, nine inches thick and the joists went across the narrow part of the room, not along the room.

No Visible Cause

  Robert Marriott, builder and farmer, said he was the lessee of Clark’s farm.  He thought that a jerk of the motor might have caused the fall, but really he could not understand it.  There was a nine inch wall down the middle supporting the granary.

  He looked into the granary the day before the accident and saw nothing that gave cause for anxiety.

  The Coroner:  If there had been anything wrong you, with your experience, would have noticed it?

  Witness:  Oh, yes, I think so.

  The wood certainly seemed extra-ordinarily dry and light, he added.

  Mr. Snell:  No sag of the floor was noticed at all?

  Witness: No.  If we had noticed a sag, we would have put props up.

  The coroner, summing up, said that the jury had heard from the doctor that deceased was undoubtedly asphyxiated by being covered over with the grain.  The weight of it alone would have pressed on his chest and prevented him from breathing.  He had been working every day in the granary and if there had been anything wrong he would have had ample opportunities of noticing it and reporting it to his foreman or to Mr. Marriott.

  Why the floor did collapse no one really knew, although there were several theories.

  The jury decided that death was purely accidental, and was due to asphyxia.  No blame could be attached to anyone.

  Mr. Johnson expressed regret, and sympathy with the family, on behalf of Mr. Marriott and his employees.

The Funeral

  The funeral took place on Saturday at Rushden Cemetery, the Rector (Rev. Travers S. Stoney) conducting the service.

  The mourners included Mrs. M. E. Lewis (widow), Mr. J. W. Lewis (son), Miss Olive Lewis (daughter), Mrs. M. A. Lewis (mother), Mr. and Mrs. A. Coombes (brother-in-law and sister), Miss E. Stowe (sister-in-law), Miss M. Reynolds, Mr. and Mrs. P. Holmes, Mrs. F. Rowbotham, Miss C. Lilley (cousins), Mr. and Mrs. R. Marriott, Mr. J. Hewitt and fellow employees, Mr. and Mrs. Holley, Mrs. Parker, and Mrs. Jolly (friends), and others.