The Bucks Standard December 12th. 1896

A BOAT CHILD DROWNED IN THE CANAL.- On Monday last T. M. Percival, Esq., coroner, held an inquest at the navigation Inn, touching the death of Emily Elwell, an orphan child, aged 13, employed on a canal boat. Reuben Green, of Brierly Hill, Staffordshire, canal boatman on the Grand Junction Canal, said the deceased was no relation of his. She was an orphan, and the daughter of Joseph Elwell, late of Brierly Hill, and she was 13 years old. The grand-mother put her in witness’s charge, and she had been with him since Whitsuntide, travelling on his boat with his wife and self. The deceased helped witness and his wife in looking after their children, and occasionally after the horse when witness had his meals. Witness did not know that deceased’s life was insured. Last Saturday they stopped at the Barley Mow, Cosgrove. Witness went to get his horse at five o’clock on Sunday morning, and they started about half-past five; it was quite dark. Witness had the little girl with him on the towpath to assist him coming round the corner of the bridge close to the Navigation Inn, at Cosgrove. When he got through the bridge with his horse he asked her if she had pegged the line to the mule. She said “yes go on.” Just as witness got up to the stretch of the line he said, “Emily, come here”; and his wife shouted, “Oh Lord, she’s in the cut.” Witness stopped the horse, undid the line, and ran back with the line. His wife also got the shaft and felt about for deceased, and three men ran down with lamps and shafts, but they could not see her in the water. Witness got the drag on the line, and dragged for the deceased. The drag pulled her to the side, and witness dragged her on to the towpath. The landlord of the Navigation Inn came down to the towpath, and they brought her to the Inn. Efforts were made to restore animation, but without avail. Witness did not know how she got into the canal, and did not know she was in until his wife called out. He never heard her scream, and witness did not know whether she was trying to get into the boat. He had told her to get into the boat. From the time witness’s wife called out to the time she was found would be about 25 minutes. Hannah Green, the wife of the witness, also gave evidence. Mr. Charles Simpson, surgeon stated that he was just temporally acting for Mr. Maguire during his illness. He was sent for on Sunday morning between nine and ten to go to the Navigation Inn, and he saw the body of the deceased, who had been dead apparently about four hours. He examined the body, which was that of a well nourished child. There was no evidence of violence about the body with the exception of a small unimportant bruise on the lower part of the left side of the abdomen. From various signs present he had no doubts the cause of death was asphyxia from drowning. The Coroner having summed up the evidence, the Jury returned a verdict of “Accidentally drowned,” and added the following rider: “That the Jury wished the Coroner to write the Secretary of State informing him of the facts of the case, and to state that neither the witness Green or his wife was in a position to state the age of the child, neither had they the pass book that is necessary under the Elementary Education Acts, and that the jury believed that the provisions of the Acts relative to those duties were frequently neglected, and they considered some more active steps should be taken to see that the Acts were more efficiently carried out.” The Coroner promised to forward the recommendation to the proper quarter.