The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-01-03 00:00:00

ALARMING RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN

LANCASHIRE.

A serious accident happened on the Lancashire and
Yorkshire Railway on Monday afternoon, at Crow
Nest Junction, to a passenger train from Liverpool
to the Yorkshire district. The train called at Wigan
shortly after two o'clock, and was approaching the
junction at the rate of thirty miles an hour, when
suddenly it swerved on to a loop line, on which was
standing a coal train that had shortly before been
shunted from the main line. The train was not fitted
with an automatic brake, but the driver and stoker
stuck to their posts, the former reversing the engine,
and the latter applying the brake with all his
power. They were, however, unable to prevent a
collision, and into the coal train the passenger loco-
motive dashed with great force, completely embed-
ding itself in the tender of the coal train engine,
lifting it from the metals, and doing considerable
damage to the foremost carriages and coal wagons.
Medical assistance was promptly obtained from
Hindley, Wigan, and Bolton. Twenty-four persons
required surgical assistance, principally for wounds on
the head. Of these several proceeded by next train,
others returned home by road or rail, and one (Mr.
Wenzel, of Buxton) was removed to Wigan Infirmary.
The driver, William Wallwork, was badly hurt, but
his fireman escaped without injury. The cause of the
accident has been found to be the displacement of the
beading of one of the conneci,ing rods, which, although
properly pulled over by the pointsrnan, left the facing
points in position when the coal train was shunted.
At the same time the signals were all right for the
passenger train to proceed.

SERIOUS COLLISION NEAR LONDON.
On Monday night, shortly before seven o'clock, an
alarming and serious railway collision took place on
the Midland Railway. • It appears that a South Tot-
tenham train, heavily loaded with passengers, started
from Moorgate-street, London, to South Tottenham
at five minutes past six, and that when it left King's-
cross station as usual it was densely crowded, espe-
cially the third-class compartments, in many
of which persons were standing up. At St.
Paul's Junction, •where the trains from the St.
Pancras main line cross over, the sound of the Nor-
wich express, beloaging to the Great Eastern Railway
(who have running powers over the Midland Rail-
way), and which leaves the St. Pancras Station at 6.30,
was heard, and before the driver of the South Totten-
ham train could stop, the engines of both trains came
into collision with considerable force, the result being
that the South Tottenham engine and the first four
carriages were thrown off the line, and the lights of
both trains were put out. The passengers in both
trains were greatly alarmed, and the cries of those
in the carriages that were overturned were horrible,
especially those of the women and children. Some
railway employes who had witnessed the collision at
once rendered assistance, and they were helped by
many of the passengers at the end of the train, who
got out from their compartments as quickly as possible.
In the first four carriages there were found
passengers on top of one another, some of
whom were complaining bitterly of having been
injured by glass and the broken timber of the
smashed carriages; whilst others who were upper-
most stated that they knew that some of the under-
neath passengers must be dead. It was not long,
however, before all were extricated from their
dangerous positions, but not without considerable
difficulty, because each had to be got out through
the window. It was found that several of them had
some nasty cuts on the head, face, and hands. The
fireman of the Great Eastern Railway train was
found, with a young woman and a male passenger, to
be most seriously injured; they were placed in cabs
and conveyed to the Royal Free Hospital, Gray's-inn-
road, where, on their arrival, Drs. Henry Work
Dodd, Frederick Spicer, and M. N. Banergia, house
surgeons to the institution, were quickly in attend-
ance, and they found that the fireman had sus-
tained such severe injuries to his head and body,
and the young woman, who gave the name of
Elizabeth White, and resides at 33, Moore-street,
Cadogan-square, was so badly injured, that it was
necessary to admit them as in-patients. Henry
M`Mainwick, of 13, Elizabeth-terrace, Seven Sisters-
road, was found to have injuries to his arms and one
of his hands, but he was not se bad that it was
thought advisable to admit him, so he was sent home.
The passengers, after being got from the wrecked
trains, were conducted along the lines to the Camden-
road Station, from which they could get out. Some
of the passengers who were in the South Tottenham
train have made statements that it was marvellous
that with the train so heavily loaded—and one pas-
senger who was in the second carriage states that
there were no less than sixteen persons in the com-
partment where he was—that there were not a great
many of them killed and many seriously injured.
The permanent way was completely blocked, and it
was several hours before the lines could be used.

COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS SCHOOLS
AND BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION.

The general half-yearly Court of the Governors of
this Institution was held on Monday at Cannon-street
Hotel, Mr. D. It. Harvest (Chairman of the Board of
Management) presiding. The Secretary (Mr. H.
Lendon) read the report of the Board of Manage-
ment, which showed an income for the past year of
£16,912, being a decrease of £4148 as compared with
the preceding year. This diminution of receipts was
chiefly in the donations and simultaneous collections.
The Board had the gratification to report that the
health of the children had, with two exceptions, been
good during the past half-year. The educatiou of the
scholars was so much interfered with at the early part
of the year from illness that no public examination could
be held, but the Board had recently caused a general
examination to be made by Mr. J. C. Curtis, MA.
The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report,
said that the exertions to prevent a return of the
epidemic from diphtheria, which broke out in the
schooLs at the commencement of the year, were sue-
cessful, and the children had been in good health
during the past six months. A new wing had been
added to the school buildings, of which the Board
were very proud, as it offered accommodation of the
most convenient character for no fewer than 100
children. Mr. W. Harvey seconded the motion,
and the report was adopted. On the motion of
Mr. Way, seconded by Mr. H. Giller, the trea-
surer (Mr. James Hughes) as re-appointed.
The Board of Management were re-elected on the
motion of Mr. H. M. Heath, seconded by Mr.
Rodgers. The auditors and scrutineers were also
appointed. In the course of a conversation atten-
tion wash drawn by a subscriber to a complaint made
at a meeting connected with the Commercial Travel-
ler's Benevolent Fund in Scotland, viz., that, although
the English Institution had derived large support from
Scotland during the last 30 years, it was doubted
whether a Scotch child had ever been educated in the
schools. To this it was replied that no fewer than 29
Scotch children had passed through the institution,
four of them within the last year; that no one was
rejected on the ground of his being a Scotch boy; and
that one lad of that nationality had obtained a
scholarship of £75 for three years. The customary
votes of thanks brought the meeting to a close, and
the election of candidates was proceeded with.
The annual dinner in connection with the Benevo-
lent Institution took place in the evening at the Free-
masons' Tavern. Mr. N. It. Humphrys (Messrs.
Bradbury, Greatorex, and Co.) presided, and there
were about 120 guests present. From a statement
circulated at the dinner it appeared that there are 212
annuitants upon the funds, at an annual coat of
£6700, and that nearly £70,000 has been paid by
the institution to 308 pensioners. Pensions of £5O
are granted to necessitous travellers, and similar
allowances, not exceeding £3O per annum, are
made to widows of members. After the
usual loyal and patriotic toasts had been
submitted from the chair, the Rev. S. Bardsley
proposed "The House of Lords
sand Commons,"
coupling therewith the name of Sir Sydney
H. Waterlow, M.P., the president of the insti-
tution. The latter, in reply, referred to the advan-
tages of a second legislative Chamber, and observed
that, while there might be differences of opinion as to
whether the House of Lords was absolutely perfect,
we could not do without it. The Upper Chamber
was constantly recruited from the ranks of the people,
and, while he did not wish to decry the intelligence or
the power of the House of Commons, the peers were
necessarily freer and more independent than those
who were subjected to popular election. As to the
House of Commons of the future, he trusted that it
would possess a determination, coupled with sufficient
power, to ensure fairness of discussion, and to pre-
vent the time of the House being wasted. The toast
of the evening, "Success to the Commercial Travellers'
Institution," was subsequently given by the Chair-
man, who said that the most gratifying success
had attended the institution since its establishment
in 1849. Although they might be proud of that
success, he :trusted, howevzr, that they would not
rest satisfied until they were able to elect every
eligible candidate. The executive, he thought, had
shown considerable wisdom in not building asylums
or almshouses, which were more often erected for
the glorification of the architect than for the com-
fort of the inmates. By the aid of the institution
the family tie was preserved, and there was no
di ,tion in receiving its benefits, seeing that the
, awarded were obtaitiea,py • prudence and
self-denial in more prosperous times. Several other
toasts followed, including those of "The Railway
Companies" and "The Chairman." In
.the course
-of the evening the secretary (Mr. J. Karnes) read
the subscription list, which, including the chairman's
list of .£6O& reached a total of .£2169.