John H Pettit

GEDCOM Note

From the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 12th April 1911:

On Saturday night Messrs Sellick, Morley & Price received a wire from Galway, Ireland, stating that skipper John Pettit, junior, of the steam trawler "Gloxinia", was dead. The news caused a painful sensation in the town, and as the cause of death could not be ascertained the anxiety of the relatives and friends was naturally great. Captain Charles Garnish was sent off by the 10.25 train to catch the boat train from Fishguard, en route for Galway, to bring the vessel home. Another wire was to hand on Sunday, but the facts did not come out till Monday morning, when the daily papers contained the painful news that skipper Pettit was drawn into the winch. When in the act of heaving in the trawl he became entangled therein, and was dragged round several times and killed before the machinery could be stopped. The body is being brought home in the trawler which was expected to arrive on Tuesday evening. A strange coincidence is that last trip it was reported that the headless body of a seaman was brought up in the trawl by the same vessel off the Irish Coast. Mr Pettit was one of the youngest skippers sailing out of the port and was only 29 years of age. He leaves a wife in delicatehealth, and three young children, and was the son of Mr John Pettit, Fish Merchant, and himself a former skipper. Mr and Mrs Pettit had another son drowned at sea some years ago.

From the Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph of Wednesday 19th April 1911:

SKIPPER'S TRAGIC FATE

SAD STORY TOLD AT MILFORD HAVEN

THE INQUEST

As reported in our last issue, John Pettit, aged 28 years, skipper of the Gloxinia, belonging to Messrs. Sellick, Morley & Price, met with his death under peculiarly sad and distressing circumstances while fishing off the Irish coast. The circumstances were investigated by Mr. Price, the county coroner, and a jury at the Sessions House, Milford Haven, on Wednesday afternoon. ....

Mr. W. J. Jones appeared for Messrs. Sellick, Morley & Price, the owners of the Gloxinia.

The Coroner said they were met to enquire into the cause of the accident which resulted in the death of John Pettit on board the Gloxinia. It appeared the body was taken to Ireland and the matter was reported to the Irish police; but the Coroner for the county of Galway for some reason, perhaps because the Irish laws were different from ours, decided that an inquest was not necessary. According to English law if a dead body was lying within the jurisdiction of an English coroner, death having resulted from an accident, the law compelled him to hold an inquest. That was the reason they were there that day. He thought they would find the facts very simple.

The first witness, John Pettit, residing at 32, Dartmouth-street, fish merchant, said the deceased was his son, and was 28 years of age last January. He was skipper of the steam trawler Gloxinia. Witness did not know anything about the accident.

A CRY OF DISTRESS

Bertie Hawkins, boatswain, in the employ of Messrs. Sellick, Morley & Price, said he was on board the Gloxinia on April 8th. About half-past ten on that day they were ten miles south-west of Allen Island, on the west coast of Ireland. Witness was ordered to start the steam winch to heave up the trawl, but as the winch stopped the skipper came to it. He heard the winch stop and jumping fromthe bridge came and asked what was the matter with the winch, and when he told him he told witness to get out of the way, and he would see to it. The skipper opened her out full, and witness went away. He was working with his back to the skipper, when he heard him cry out "Bert."

The Coroner: Was it a cry of distress?

Witness: He shouted "Bert" and then gave a cry. When i looked around I saw the skipper going round the winch, and jumped and stopped her, but before that the skipper had gone round the winch many times. I gave the winch a half reverse turn out and the body fell clear but the legs were still entangled. With the help of the crew we got the skipper out, and we tried to stop the flow of blood by tying a muffler around him. He opened his eyes and when i asked him did he feel better, he said "Yes", and he added, "Pull out my arm," meaning the one which had come away from him altogether. Wemade for Galway. The skipper died at 12.15 and we reached Galway about 3 o'clock. I asked him how he got into the winch, but he could not answer. He was wearing a loose jumper, and it was probablethat the front of the jumper was caught when the skipper was stooping to see what was wrong with the winch.

By the Coroner: He could not say what was wrong with the winch. It stopped, as it had done before, but witness had not reported it.

The Coroner: If it had not stopped this would never have happened?

Witness: If it had not stopped the skipper would not have come to it.

By Mr. W. J. Jones: It was a pure accident.

By the foreman: They had been fishing six days when this happened and had been using the winch every day.

By a juryman: Witness had been on the vessel about two months. The winch had stopped on various occasions during the six days. By reversing it was set going again.

Dr. W. S. Griffith said he had examined the body, and found severe injuries as the result of the accident. In his opinion shock was the cause of death.

NO CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE

The Coroner said that was all the evidence to be brought before them, and having heard what the witness Hawkins had to say, the only verdict they could find was one of accidental death. Of course their duty was simply to enquire whether anybody had been guilty of criminal negligence, such as would make them answerable to the criminal law for the consequences of such negligence. In this case there might have been something wrong with the steam winch, but if it had been reported, and the person in charge knew there was something wrong with it he would not be guilty of such neglect as to beanswerable in a criminal for it, but the remedy might be found in a civil court. He thought a verdict of accidental death was the only verdict the jury could bring in.

The jury brought in a verdict to this effect, the foreman giving expression to the sympathy with the relatives of the deceased.

The Coroner said he joined them in that expression; and Mr. W. J. Jones, on behalf of the owners, said they desired to express their sympathy and regret for what had happened.

On Wednesday all the trawlers in dock had their flags at half-mast for Capt. Pettit. BIRT: RIN MH:IF98 DEAT: RIN MH:IF99