Page 250 - Reading Mercury

TOWN HALL ACCIDENT
On Thursday morning last, shortly before nine o’clock, an accident occurred on the
works at the new Town-hall, which, fortunately was not attended with serious results
as might have been anticipated. Five labourers had just reached the top platform on
the inside, each carrying a hod full of bricks, when a portion of the scaffold gave way
precipitating the poor men to the ground. Two were comparatively unhurt, but the
other three were much contused and shaken. Singular to relate, one of the labourers
who had assisted to take his unfortunate comrades to the surgeons, had scarcely
returned to his work when he lost his footing, from the slippery state of the wall (from
the frozen snow) on which he stood, and was thrown a considerable distance and
much cut and bruised. Mr. Noad and Mr. Barford, surgeons who promptly attended to
the sufferers, two of whom were conveyed in a fly to the hospital, but after being
attended to were enabled to be brought home, and we are glad to report they are doing
well.

th
Sat 4 June
PRESENTATION OF A SILVER INKSTAND TO W C BEECHEY
A dinner took place at the Rose Hotel, on Thursday last, on the occasion of the
dissolution of the society of Oddfellows, to which Mr Beechey had been Honorary
Secretary for 15 years. The late members of the society expressed their esteem for
him, by presenting him with a silver inkstand with a suitable inscription on it. The
Chair was occupied by Edward Weight, Esq., the late treasurer of the society, and the
vice-chair by Mr. John Simmons, of Waterloo. Many of the late members were
present, also, many gentlemen of the town and neighbourhood who were desirous of
expressing their high esteem for Mr. Beechey.
After the usual toasts, the chairman, in proposing the toast of the evening alluded, in
the most eulogistic terms, to the many excellent qualities and rare abilities of their
guest, and the hearty response with which it was met must have been most gratifying
to him. The chairman in presenting the inkstand in the name of the members of the
society, expressed his own personal respect, and that of all present for Mr. Beechey,
and hoped the small token of this esteem for him would be handed down to his
children, and children’s children as proof of his high character.
Mr. Beechey, who was almost overcome by the continued plaudits, expressed his
sense of the great honour they had done him, and hoped ever to deserve the respect
that had been shown to him on this occasion. The evening terminated most happily,
and as Mr. Beechey observed for him, as a red letter day in his calendar

th
Sat 4 June
A presentation of inkstand to W C Beechey at the Rose Hotel on the occasion of the
dissolution of the Society of Oddfellows to which Mr Beechey had been Honorary
Secretary for 15 years. The Chair was occupied by Edward Weight.

HOFFMAN’S ORGANOPHONIC BAND
This company gave a concert here on Tuesday evening last, in our National School
Room to a rather numerous audience, who seemed well pleased, both with the
performance of the band, and also Mr. Thurton’s clever ventriloquism, introduced
between the first and second parts of the musical programme.

th
Sat 29 Oct
TOWN SESSIONS

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