From the Kentish Gazette, 4 November 1845.

Fatal Accident on Board Her Majesty’s Steam Vessel Avon, And Coroner's Inquest.

On Friday a coroner's inquest was held at the "Mitre Tavern," Woolwich, before C. J. Carttar, Esq., and a highly respectable jury, assembled to inquire into the death of John Osborne, a private of the Royal Marines, aged 22, who lost his life under the following circumstances:-

Albert Winstanley, master of the Avon steam-vessel, now off her Majesty's dock-yard, stated that on the 10th of this month he placed the deceased as sentry over some rum casks, about ten o'clock in the morning, on the wharf in the basin where the vessel then was, when going to relieve the deceased, about 12 o'clock, he was found to be missing off his post. Seeing that the casks had not been "broached," and all right, also knowing that he had once before absented himself, no notice was taken, but another man placed on the same duty. Her Majesty's ship Avon is now fitting out for the coast of Africa, and the deceased was one of the Royal Marines attached to her. The police authorities of the dock-yard received notice that he was missing from the vessel. Corporal Chadwick, of the Royal Marines, stated that a reward of 10/. was offered for the recovery of the deceased, but nothing was heard of him till Monday last, when the leading foreman of the shipwrights discovered the head of the deceased above the water in the basin of the dockyard, and it was brought on shore, he could only identify the body by the clothes being marked with his name and company. The body presented the most awful sight, being so dreadfully decomposed. Marines have escaped recently off their post in her Majesty’s Dockyard, but how they did so he is unable to tell. Deceased has absented himself from duty previous to this. The Marines will "run" sometimes. Deceased has been in the corps about three years, and was perfectly sober when placed upon duty. No one was present to see how it occurred, as the men were at dinner. The Coroner and jury said it was a most mysterious circumstance, and one they should never discover the cause of. There was no doubt as to the identity of the body on account of the clothes; therefore they thought it would he best to return a verdict of Found Drowned, but by what means there is no evidence to show.

South Eastern Gazette, 16 October, 1860.

Death of a Bargeman by Drowning.

Yesterday week an inquest was held at the "Mitre Tavern," Woolwich, before C. J. Carttar, Esq., coroner, on the body of John Conner, who was found drowned in the Thames, off North Woolwich. The deceased with another man left Sittingbourne for London on Tuesday last, in charge of a barge laden with bricks, belonging to Mr. Farmer, of 57, Black-friar's road. On the following morning, whilst in the Galleons Beach, below Woolwich, the deceased was attending to the chain of the anchor, when be fell forward into the water, and was drowned before assistance could be rendered.

Verdict, "Accidental death."