The Press. — London, England, 1858-08-28 00:00:00

836 THE PRESS, AUGUST 28, 1858. Attittnts nO Offences. FRIGHTFUL RAILWAY CATASTROPHE. On Monday last, at a quarter to nine o'clock in the evening, an accident of a very horrible nature oc curred on the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railway, near the Round Oak station, which unfor tunately was accompanied by loss of life to twelve people, while the number of maimed is very groat, and, indeed, cannot be ascertained, in consequence of such of the sufferers as were but slightly injured re turning home after the accident. It appears that an excursion-train left Wolver hampton for Worcester in the morning, and upon the return the train, which consisted of between thirty and forty carriages, called at all the stations. Upon reaching the Round Oak station, about nine p.m , the last three carriages and guard's-van of the train became detached, and as it is an incline from Dudley to Stourbridge, the carriages at first slowly, but after. wards with great speed, proceeded down the incline. The cause of the detachment of these carriages is unknown, except that it was by a coupling-chain breaking, but how or by what means we cannot learn. About the same time that this took place, a luggage train left the Brettle-lane station, and about a quarter of a mile from Brettle-lane, and a mile from Brierty hill station, a collision took place. The officials at neither of these stations could prevent the accident ; nor could the guard, and engineer, and stoker, who leapt off, the former from his van and the latter from their engine, avert the inevitable consequences. The occupants of the carriages do not appear to hav e been aware of their peril till the accident itself oc curred, or was near occurring. The crash was tearful, and was heard by people who were a consi derable distance from the spot. The cries, too, of the passengers acted as an alarm, and summoned people from all parts to the fatal scene. The officials of the telegraph, also, making known the casualty, summoned assistance, which it is almost needless to say was afforded in the smallest space of time ima ginable. Drs. Walker, Carden, Johnson. Jec., were on the ground, ministering to the sufferings of the luckless excursionists. Frightfully mangled bodies in which life was extinct, frightfully mangled bodies in which, though the breath of life still was, it only contributed to their tortures and fearful sufferings, limbs and brains lying about, pre sented a frightful picture. Some of the car riages were splintered into thousands of pieces, the buffers bent and broken, the materials of which they were composed distributed pell-mell about, and, in some instances, also, pieces of wood almost trans fixing the victims of this occurrence. The engine was shattered, and in almost as dilapidated condition as the carriages themselves. Altogether the dead amounted to eleven, and one, who has since expired, makes the number twelve. We tear there will be an addition to this already large number, as it is surmised that one or two of the injured cannot ulti mately recover. The passengers were so imbedded in the wreck that it took a considerable time to release them all from their still perilous position. The injured and killed were removed to the Swan Inn, the Cock Inn, the Whimsey, the Royal Exchange, anti other public houses in the neighbourhood. Such as had received injuries of a not very serious nature bathed their wounds and proceeded home the same evening. A number of the excursionists were from Prince's End, and the news having arrived, anxious groups pro ceeded to the scene of the accident, and sought mis sing friends in the persons of the dead anti injured ones, and it was a painful scene, and of intense interest, to:notice these persons when discovering among the living those whom they expected were gone from them for ever ; and in other cases finding that those whom they hoped had been spared to them hail indeed been numbered with the departed. In one instance on Monday, some people, apparently hard-working, and feeling acute sorrow, not only at their own, but at others' misfortunes, arrived at the neighbourhood where the bodies lay. At one place they found a young man, a relation of theirs, lying gory and lifeless on the floor; at the next they dis covered the body of his mother. Horrified and almost stupified at this dreadful confirmation of their anxiety, they still had one to look for, the father and husband of these two departed ones. They had not far to search, but learnt he was lying at that time under the influence of chloroform, and under going the operation of having his two mangled legs severed from his body. Though hoping to behold him once more in life, they alas! were disappointed, for the unfortunate man was taken from them, and perhaps was saved the agony of mind that must have attended his learning the fate of his wife and son, without considering his own sufferings. While lying in bed he inquired for his wile and child, and re marked that if the former was alive she wculd be sure to come to him. Eight destitute children have to lament their parents' loss, and also that of a brother. The following is a list of the excursionists who were killed or injured by this fearful collision, which what it was now, and whether he had attained a con dition of health which enabled him again fully to manage his own affairs, and with safety to himself, to his wife and family, and his acquaintances, to be again intrusted with his liberty. The learned sergeant recounted the circumstances under which his delusions had manifested themselves from time to time, and contended that the extraordinary rest lessness he had shown at intervals for several years was the commencing stage of a brain disea.se operating on a mind weakened by drinking and by other excesses, and the active exhibition of which was delayed until October last. He submitted that the taint of insanity was still upon him, and that, however he had tried to evade the subject, Mr. Ruck believed a kind, affectionate, and virtuous wife to be the cause cf that with which, in point of fast, she had had nothing on earth to do. Shortly after four o'clock the inquiry was adjourned until Thursday at ten. FOURTH D.Y. The Inquiry was resumed on Thursday. Mr. E. J. ii addressed the court in opposition to the petition. The learned counsel, after an eloquent speech, called Mr. ROBERT ALEXANDER FISHER, who said : I am a member of the bar. I married the sister of Mr. Ruck in 1842. A younger brother of mine also married another gist( r. After my marriage I went down to his house and stayed there from August to October. In 1851 lie visited tile Exhibition, and he hail a house in town. I saw a good deal of him. I saw no change of manner in him. He was after wards in the habit of coming to town and consulting me about his mines. I had visited one of his galleries which had been excavated. I should say that those mines might have been profitably worked. I communicated with a scier.tific person on the subject. He did not appear to me to possess any exaggerated ideas of his property. In 1857 he was talking to me of consulting Mr. Taylor, an eminent miiwralogist,and he hid brought specimens of slate and ore to show that gentleman. In August, 1857, I saw him in Kent, and I thought he was better in health than ever. He was to have visited me, but that meeting was postponed. On Nov. 5 I received the first intimation of his supposed insanity. I did not see Mr. Ruck till he came up before the Lords Justices, in July. He appeared very rational and very intelligent. During the last three or four days he has stayed at the same hotel with me, his mother, and sister. He has appeared like an eman cipated mail. I have put the question pointedly to him, and he has declared that Mr. Wainwright's inquiries are perfectly satisfactory to him, and that lie does not now think that his wife has been guilty of any impropriety. I should say that he might be oischarged with perfect safety. To confine him again would drive him mad. I always considered him perfectly able to take care of his property. Thought him rather a close man than addicted to profligate expenditure. Never heard of any insanity in the family. Other wiinesses examined in tho course of this day's inquiry were Mr. Wainwright, Mr. Ruck's soli emir ; Drs. Seymour, Copeland, and Johnson ; Mr. Skey, one of the senior surgeons at St. Bartholo mew's; and Mr. Lawrence, senior surgeon at the same hospital. They all gave evidence in favour of Mr. Ruck's sanity, though admitting the delusions under which he laboured in consequence of drink. FIFTH DAY. The inquiry was resumed. Mr. WAINWRIGHT, the solicitor, was recoiled, and in answer to certain questions put to him by the jury, stated that he requested Mr. Ruck not to comnntni• cute with any on 3 except in his (Mr. Wainwright's) presence, or in that of a medical man. He did that because he knew the medical gentlemen who would examine him held strong views on the subject of his insanity, and he thought it advisable that notes should he taken of any interviews that might take place. It was merely as a matter cf precaution that he adopted that course. _ _ Mr. ISer,teant PETER , ,DORFF then addressed the jury on the evidence adduced on the part of Mr. Ruck. Mr. M. CHAMBERS, Q.C., in replying on the whole of the case, contended that the medical evidence offored to prove the sanity of Mr. Ruck bad utterly failed to establish that fact, but, on the contrary, had clearly shown that it would be ur•safe to allow that nentleman the free and uncormolled use of his liberty. Commissioner Wtxst.ow then slimmed up the evidence, and, having explained the law with respect to lunacy, said it now devolved upon the jury to say whether Mr. Ruck was a person of sound or unsound mind. The jury then, at twenty-five minutes past three, retired to consider their verdict, and after the absence of a quarter of an hour returned into court, and the foreman announced that they were of opinion that Mr. Ruck was of sound mind and quite capable of managing his own affairs. for fatal results is scarcely equalled by any rem it railway accident, and which is an occurrence which has created the gre a t es t possible sensati on neiithbourhood and district where it occurred. KILLED.—Joseph Pitt, scrap merchant, Pri am , End ; Frederick Th , ims, of Shaver's End, Dudley: William Shavere, Dudley, Prince's E u d ; Benjannia Skelding, baker, of Prince's End. Died under an operation. His wife and son also lie dead. yob s boatman, of Worcester; Francis Mills, of Prince's End, mill furnace man ; Richard Moor, of Tipton, killed by splinter from a curie.ge manic; through his heart. been claimed of the The bodied of two women andahmavaenb,ee on former in an advanced s t a t e o f pregnancy, lie i n honses in the neighbourhood, and Mt the time we writeEnd,head INJURED.—Richard Wass e l, Prince's End, inj re,i severely; Joseph Webb, Bradly-lane, Coaeler, broken leg and toe amputated; William Hrter, tailor, of Dudley, injury nut ascertained; William Kindrick, Prince's End, leg broken; Sarah Ann Whitehouse, slightly injured ; Miss Bevan and Ms. Wycherley, of Bilston, severely bruised, toe of former amputated ; Ada Smith, Coseley, right arm broken, and back ba sly bruised ; Heury James, forgeman, Coseley, back badly hurt; Samuel Starkey, Dudley, badly bruised, back supposed to be broken; Lydia Causer, Prince's End, seriously hurt about Me head ; Mary Soames, Prince's End, collar bons hr3ken, chest badly bruised ; Edward Jones, NMI Port, leg fractured ; Elizabeth Hyde, severely bruised ; Thomas Brett, Daisy Bank, collar bone fractured in a dangerous state; Charles Tamer, blacksmith, Daisy Bank, side cut upon, an l let lung, protruding, cannot survive ; Ann Fisher, Prince's End, chest bruised, and arm injured. A number of people, exclusive of these, who were injured, were conveyed to their homes. ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS. The train became divided in consequence of the breaking of a centre coupling chain in the acres. At the same time the two side chains of the same carriage broke away from the buffer planks. It is a matter for serious reflection and ranee investigation, that when the train which comprised the wliole forty-five carriages together was makiig for Worcester in the morning, drawn with great difficulty by two engines, a coupling chain of uine or other of the carriages broke twice. On one of these occasions an accident-would have happened similar to that which nuillappily occurred at night on the return journey, if it had not fortunately happened that, instead of an incline being ascended as was the case at night, an incline was being descended; far when the chain broke anrther train was following on the same line of rails only 200 or 300 yards behind. Singularly enough the first breakage in the morning took place at one or other of • the stations between which there happened the calamity of the night. In regard to the precautions that had been used to connect the carriages together before the first breakage we cannot report definitely ; but in relation to the second breakage, we write upon the authority of the Rev. E. C. Perry, the chaplain to Messrs Bagnall, ironinitsters, at Capponflelds, near Bilson, in saying that the two carriages at which the separa tion took place were connected together only by the centre coupling chain, the two side chains nut having been useJ. Mr. Perry was in one of the two carriages at which this disjoining happened, and, upon getting out to investigate the MUM of it, directed the attention of the workmen to that fact. This rev. gentleman haul with him Mrs. Perry, and 200 scholars belonging to Messrs. Bagnall's schools. From the above stated facts it is evident that this excursion-train broke in two, during to and fro journey together, three times, and that the third breakage led to the killing or wounding of shoat seventy persons. And we have it from Mr. Adcock, the secretary of the line, that it was because he conceivi.d forty-five carriages too many fin one trim, and had heard of one of the morning breakages, that in the evening he gave orders for the train to be divided. Twenty nine carriages, however, seemed ° t be too great a load for one of the engine s • would seem to have tugged the twenty - nine to Stour ' bridge, where a second was coupled to the first. To these, however, the labour was so great—M car words, the train was so heavy—that in candling car ascent between Brettel.lane and Round Oak streaks of light were produced from the contact between ale engines' wheels and this rails upon which the y were grinding. 800 The station-master at Brettel-lane (Mr. E. _ was the first person away from the spo t to recel7 One information of what had happened. Almost home' a, diately after the train of sixteen carriages .hm passed his station be was startled by healing tr° down the line, from the direction in w hich both 1t and the train of twenty-nine carriages had gonei: loci sonorous rep withort as though of a dista nt th a ne clap. With an ejaculation of surprise, mingled ,4 horror, as the true cause of the noise fl ashed acru t his brain, be called the attention of his m en to circumstance, and at once determined upon his _--~