assembled to witness the sad departure. The hearse was preceded by about 140 persons connected with the works, and followed by a many Hastings friends of the deceased, among whom were Capt. Barlow, J .G. Shorter (Town Clerk), J. Newton (one of the contractors of the western part), Mr. Butt, W. Carswell, C. West, A. Amoore, J. Carswell, F. Hoad, and others. Then came Supt. Phillips, of the Railway Police, headed by a dozen labourers, carrying shovels reversed and the handles hung with crape. Following the hearse were four young men as chief mourners, they’ being nephews of Mr. W Hoof, sen., and also engaged in superintending the railway works. These were followed by a party of clerks, gangers, etc. The bell at St. Mary’s was tolled, and the shops along the route were partially closed. When arrived at the road leading up to the St. Leonard’s station, the processionists formed an avenue for the bearers and chief mourners to pass through, and then returned to Hastings. Agreeably to Mr. Hoof’s request, a substantial and quiet dinner was partaken of in the evening at the Royal Oak Hotel by about 60 clerks, time-keepers and gangers, who talked over the merits of their young master and drank in silence to his memory. This sudden and unlooked-for death of a young man of 24 years, whose active superintendence of the works was felt to be all-essential, caused a painful sensation throughout the town.
On the same day (May 27th) a gloom was also cast over the town of Rye by the intelligence of the deaths of the captain and crew of “The Bodiam Castle” (ten in number), which occurred at Bahia from a virulent fever that was raging there. Capt. Bray; of Rye, left a widow to mourn his loss, and the young men, John Small, William Tiltman, and a son of Capt. Cuff, all of the same town, left numerous relations.
At this time the railway operations in the Priory Meadow (where now is Havelock road) proceeded more favourably, and the mountain-waves of earth which the embankment had formed before by a pushing forward motion, had now come to a stand-still, and the embankment itself instead of sinking during night as much as it was raised in the day, began to find a foundation, and was mounting the summit of the upheaved portion. The meadow had been bored in three places, and a solid foundation of beach and stone had been found at a depth of nearly 40 feet. This raising of the ground to form the approach to the station was on a part of what had been the bed of the old haven. It has been noticed that the numerous springs met with in the tunnels were somewhat troublesome, and at this time the outbreak of another spring had caused the falling in of a heading, but the delay, it was thought, would not be great.
Another trouble with railway labourers occurred on the 3rd of June, -
