WALKED TO DEATH.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2192, 29 March 1880, Page 3

WALKED TO DEATH.

The rewards of long distance walking (says the London “Daily News”) are generally believed to be considerable, else why should any rational man submit himself to the tortures of that kind of competition ? William Hill, however, a “ night mail man ” at Welwyn, in Hertfordshire, appears to have walked himself to death, merely in the way of duty, and without the encouragement of public applause, for 18s a week. The account of Ins exertions as given at the Coroner’s jury, which examined Ids body, is really painful reading. Hill’s wife tried to waken him at five minutes to one o’clock in the morning on Saturday, and found that he was dying. He presently expired of heart disease. No one who looks at this statement of his duties will be surprised at his disease. At 9.15 p.m. he met the mail to take a bag from the train at Welwyn station, at 1.38 a.m. he did the same, and met the mail again at 2.35 a.m. That was Lis night duty, which, roughly speaking, occupied him from nine at night till half-past three in the morning. His day duties began about three hours later. He had" to be at the post office at six or seven in the morning to carry letters to Dancsbury, at half-past six in the morning ; and at a quarter past eight in the morning and about noon he had to meet two other trains. He was thus tramping with scarcely an interruption from nine at night till some time after noon. The place in which he had to wait for the mail on rainy or snowy nights was 1 a slight box, ” which had no stove in it. Forj| all this, as wc said, Hill was paid 18s a-week. It is obvious that only very strong persons can hope to be night mail men at Welwyn for any length of time. The crews of the Sultan’s caique are said to break down every two years, but we have no statistics as to the length of life generally enjoyed by the not overpaid night mail men at Welwyn. It is said that the night mail man is not allowed to decline day duty, which is paid for at the rate of four shillings a-week, in addition to the fourteen shillings given for night work. , Here seems to be a clear case of a man driven to death.