The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-08-29 00:00:00

THE ANNEXATION OF THE CAROLINE
ISLAND.

A Reuter's despatch from Madrid, dated the 23rd
inst., says: A patriotic demonstration to protest
against the occupation of the Caroline Islands by
Germany took place this afternoon in the Prado.
Shortly after four o'clock the people began to assemble
near the celebrated Des de Maya monument erected
in memory of the victims of the French Invasion in
1808, and the immense space in the Prado was soon
filled with a crowd whose number was generally esti-
mated at'3o,ooo persons. All classes were:represented.
Many iilitary men were there, and there was a large
gathering of stonents of the Madrid University, as
well as members of the political. and military clubs.
Several people carried banners bearing patriotio
inscriptions. A number of patriotic speeches bearing
on the Caroline Islands question were made,
and the cro+A u became greatly excited, raising
enthusiastic cheers for Spain and the Spanish army.
After the speeches were over the people marched
through the principal streets, stopping before the
political and military clubs, where some members,
notably Martos and Becerra, addressed them from
the balcony. Many houses were decorated, and the
balconies were filled with spectators. The crowd
proceeded amid great enthusiasm through the Puerta
del Sol and other principal streets back to the Prado,
where they dispersed, after giving repeated cheers for
Spain. Notwithstanding the immense concourse of
people perfect order prevailed. Such a popular
demonstration is unusual in Spain, and it has caused
intense excitement. The Spanish newspapers of all
parties have patriotic articles urging the Government
to adopt a firm attitude towards Germany. Great
anxiety is displayed for intelligence from the Spanish
war vessels which have been despatched from the
Phillipine Islands to the Caroline Islands.

Minim), August 23, Evening.
During the demonstration this afternoon several
persons climbed up to the balconies of the official
residence of the Prime Minister, and planted the
Spanish flag there. Some confusion was caused by
this incident, but order was quickly restored. The
people are perfectly tranquil this evening.

His Lordship: "How old are you, madam ?'
Witness: "I have no personal knowledge of my age,
and hearsay testimony, I understand, is not accepted
in this court."
A pious lady made a Sunday excursionist on his
way to Sheerness., "Are you not going to church?"
she inquired.. "No, madam," said he. "But, of
course, you like to go to church," she said. "I like
it immensely," was the reply, "but I can restrain
myself."

EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT ON THE
LONDON UNDERGROUND RAILWAY.
On Sunday afternoon a collision took p'",ace on the
London District Railway, near Earl's-court Station,
resulting in the death of one person and in serious
injuries to two others. The Great Western train
from the Mansion House to Westhourne-park, viii
Addison-road, timed to leave Earl's court at 2.55,
had just moved out of the station, and was crossing
the Putney-bridge lire, by means of double diamond
points east of the bridge on its way to Addison-road,
when a Distriet train from Putney to Whitecbapel
came up in the opposite direction /The driver of the
Putney train Thomas Wood, and the stoker, George
Oliver, seeing the dangerous approach of the Great
Western train fie it was crossing their line, shut off
the steam and put on the brakes, bringing their train
to a stand partly on the crossing just as the Great
Western engine ( No. 1406) ran into the end of the
Putney engine (N 0.44 The two locomotives collided
at a slight angle, bet neither was overturned, nor
the boilers so damaged as to allow any escape of
steam. Still the force of the collision was such that
some of the bolt heads at the end of the Great
Western Railway boiler were burst off the plates.
Fortunately the Great Western train had not had
time to attain any great speed, so that the concussion
was not so violent as it might have been. Neverthe-
less, both engines were much damaged; the carriage
next the engine of the District train was telescoped
into the locomotive; and the carriage occupying a
similar position in the Great Western was lifted
bodily on top of the engine. Mr. Lawrence, the
station inspector at Earl's-court, was walking along
the middle platform, in the direction of the scene of
the collision, when the accident occurred. He says
there was no opportunity for a warning. The District
train could not be seen until it had emerged from the
bridge, and it was then within a few yards of the
Great Western engine. The collision, therefore,
occurred almost as soon as the two trains came in
sight of each other. Mr. Lawrence summoned all the
assistance near, despatched a porter for medical men,
and proceeded to the scene of the accident to lend
what help be could in extricating the passengers. On
his way he was joined by Mr. Blackburn, a snrgeon
residing in Trebovir-road, who had heard the noise of
the concussion, and clambered down the embankment
by way of his garden. The two engines were found
to be quite interlocked, that belonging to the Great
Western Company being also partially buried under a
carriage, one compartment of which was occupied by
the under-guard, Stroud. This official was in the act
of d'eengaging himself, uninjured, when the inspector
arrived on the scene. The first care was for the
engine-driver and stoker of the Great Western train.
The latter, Thos. Simmons, who was got out without
much difficulty, was found to have sustained severe
fractures of the left arm and jaw and contusions about
the head. The driver, John Davidson, was in a worse
plight. The tender had been forced close to the
engine, and he was jammed tightly between the
two sections. Although evidently suffering great
pain he bore himself well, never uttering a cry
until he was being removed to the hospital. it
was more than half an hour before be could be
released, and then it was found that his left foot
was crushed, his left ankle broken, and his right leg
fractured in several places. He was taken to St.
George's Hospital, but died at 7.40, after suffering
intense agony. He was fifty-three years of age, and
lived at 6, John-street, Woodfield-road, Paddington.
The stoker, Thomas Simmons, aged thirty, lives at 95,
Kay-street, Queen's-park, Westbourne-park. The
only other person seriously injured was a passenger in
the Putney train—Mr. Sladdin, twenty-one, of 1,
Lime-villas, Pentlon-street, Lower Richmond-road,
Putney—who was found in the carriage nearest the
engine suffering from internal hmtnorrhage. He and
the stoker, Simmons, were also taken to St. George's
Hospital. The District train was composed of nine
coaches, but only the first was seriously damaged.
Gerard, the guard in charge of the train, who was in
the rear break van, suffered no inconvenience beyond
a smart shaking. The passengers were not numerous,
and the majority of them were unhurt. Three or
four persons in the first carriage were somewhat
bruised, but they were all able to walk away after it
had been ascertained that their injuries were not of a
serious nature. The under-guard, whose com-
partment—that next to the engine—was utterly
demolished, saw that the two trains must collide, and
he saved his life by jumping from the carriage. The
engine-driver and stoker, who stuck to their posts,
were, fortunately, neither of them seriously injured,
though, of course, much contused and shaken. The
passengers in the Great Western train all escaped
without serious hurt. Burton, the guard in charge,
was in the rear break, and Stroud, the under-guard,
escaped as has been described. At first it was
thought that the blame for the collision must rest
upon the driver of the District train, as the signalman
declared that the line was duly blocked. His levers,
moreover, showed that this was the case. On exami-
nation, however, it was discovered that the pin hold-
ing the two joints of the connecting rod on the signal
post had broken, and that although the points had
been moved for the Great Western train to cross the
Putney line the signal had not been raised, and it
showed "line clear" for trains approaching Earl's-
court from Putney. A breakdown gang from Brompton
was soon in attendance, and every effort was made to
remove the obetreeieee feaffic, but the trains te and
.n.atason-road did not re-commence running
until eight o'clock, and those to and from Putney
were stopped until a much later hour. Mr. Arthur
Farr and Dr. Cox arrived at the station within a few
minutes of the collision, and lent valuable assistance
in attending to the injured, and a detachment of
police from High-street, Kensington, under Chief
Inspector Parker, was of good service in keeping the
line clear of spectators. Amongst those who inspected
the wreckage during the afternoon and evening were
Mr. Alfred Higgins, Great Western Railway district
superintendent; Mr. Powell, manager of the District
Railway; Mr. Palmer, superintendent, and lir.
Estall, engineer of the District Railway. A. large
number of persons arrived during the evening, curious
to view the wreckage, the bridge over the line a few
yards west of the junction giving a good opportunity
for forming an idea of the extent and nature of the
accident. On inquiry at St. George's Hospital, it was
stated that Mr. Sladdin and Simmons were pro-
gressing favourably.