RAILWAY ACCIDENT - Death of Mr. Senior - A melancholy accident destroyed the life of Mr. Edward Senior, one of the Irish Poor Law Commissioners. It occurred near the residence of the deceased, Ashtoun-lodge, Phoenix-park, about two and a half miles from Dublin.
About five o’clock in the afternoon, the mail train from Galway was coming at its usual rate of speed, when Mr. Senior presented himself at the gate where there is a crossing, and wished to pass over before the train came up. The railway policeman on duty, Giles M‘Bane, refused permission till the train had passed. But the deceased, unfortunately, insisted on passing, directed the policeman to stand back, and pushed through the gate. He was struck down by the engine, and dragged about thirty yards along the line.
He was found quite dead, and the body fearfully mutilated. Mr. Senior was highly esteemed. He was fifty-eight years of age.
An inquest was held by Mr. Davis, the Coroner, on the body of the unfortunate gentleman. The jury proceeded to view the remains, which presented an appearance extremely shocking. The body was literally cut into fragments. After being dragged about thirty yards by the engine, which caught his clothes, he appears to have fallen obliquely upon the rails, in which position the wheels passed over him, severing the body from the right loin to the left side of the head.
The only portions found complete were the upper part of the head and the right leg. The remains were collected, placed in a sheet, and brought to his residence. Some fragments were found the next morning scattered about on the line.
Dr. Mapother, Medical Officer of Health, deposed that - “He had seen the body of the deceased. Found it completely severed above the abdomen, the viscera being scattered about. The left leg was divided from the trunk and lacerated in many places. There were several fractures of the skull, from which the brain protruded. Considering the nature of the injuries, death must have resulted instantaneously. The lower part of the face, the entire chest, and other portions of the trunk were destroyed.”
It appears that Mr. Senior was in the habit of walking home from his oflice through the park. At the Ashtown-gate level crossing, there is a policeman always on duty to shut the gate when a train is approaching. It was stated that the deceased was frequently remonstrated with for crossing when a train was in sight, and he wrote to the directors complaining of the obstructions he met from their servant, saying, that, being warned, he accepted the responsibility of passing, and desired not to be annoyed. On this occasion he was earnestly warned, but he persisted, and had reached the middle of the second line of rails, on which the mail train from Galway was approaching at a rapid rate. He miscalculated, and perished awfully as the consequence of his own temerity.
The Jury returned a verdict of “accidental death,” in accordance with the evidence.
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