The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-02-28 00:00:00

arliamentaru Paptro.

RAILWAY ACCIDENTI4.—The Board of Trade bans
jw.t issued a return of the number of railway accidents
and of ;enema killed or injured thereby during the half-
ye.ir ended the 31st of December, 1859. The returns,
which comprise all accidents in the United Kingdom,
State that the total number of accidents was 36, the
total number of killed 9, and of injured ZIG. Out of
these 36 accidents thr.e were from collisions between
passenger trains.; 13 from collisions between passenger
trains and other trains or engines; two from psmenger
trains running off their limper line through ;manta
being wrung; seven from passenger trains getting off
the rails ; one from the bonding of the boiler of an
engine of a passenger train; two from the breaking of
the axles or wheel. of passenger trains; one from the
axles or wheels or machinery of engines breaking or
getting out of order; two from trains running Into
stations at too great speed ; three from collisions
between goods trains; and two from the banding of
the boilers of engibes of goods trains. Out of the nine
' persons killed by these accidents, five were servants of
the company. The total number, however, who have
met their deaths on railroads daring the last half-year,
including the SINIVe ii, is 117, which number are thus
distributed :-16 paasengeni by their own want of
caution, 52 servants of eompanies or of contractors
f their own misconduct or want of caution, 13 killed
while crowing at level crossings, and 24 trespausers, of
whom three were cases of suicide. It must be borne in
min.l that thew accidents are pieced over an area of
10,001 miles of railway—vie., 7,317./ mile, in England
and Wales, 1,263 miles in Scotland, and 1,427 miles in
Ireland. The number of persona killed for the cor-
responding period of 1658 over 9,534 miles of rail vas
133, %hosing a lieCrellhe in the half-year just pained of
16 over an increased space of 467 miles.
Lintir Durs.—A return Iliaa just been issued by the
Board of Trade in reference to the receipts and elpendi-
tore for light dues throughout the United Kingdom from
the years 1853 to 1N5:4 incluaiie. From this return it
appears that within the last Ave years realuctious in the
sinus paid for these dues have been effected ti the
amount of Egt10,341. under the following heads :-35 per
cent. off dimes on coasting voyages and 50 per cent. off
dues of foreign voyages, so that a shipowner in the coast-
ing trade who before the yenr 1854 paid glOd for lights
now pays only 1:65, and a shipowner in the foreign trade
who befom 1854 bid £lOO, now pays only LW. This
total is exclusive of the reduction of 75 per cent, allowed
in 1854 off the Scotch lights for coasting steads, and the
small reduct off Irish, lights allowed in 1855. The
total amount of expenditure, ordinary and extramslinary
for the maintenance of lighthouses and the building of
new lightlionaes during the year 1858 was £178.557
10s, 44. The estimates for future years are ersmoo for
the maintenance of lighthouses, including thew recently
built or now building; and £300,000 as extraordinary
expenditure for building new lighthouses, to be spread
over several years. The balance at present to the ac•
count of the Mercantile Marine Fund, who manage the
lighthouses, is 1:361,615 Is. 2d., exclusive of the floating
balances in the bawls us numerous sub-accountauts.