The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-06-14 00:00:00

THE GOVERNMENT INQUIRY.

On Monday afternoon, at Salisbury, Colonel Ricn,
Inspector of the Board of Trade, held an inquiry
into the circumstances attending the Downton railway
accident. Mr. E. W. Verrinder, superintendent of
the traffic department of the London and South-
Western Railway Company; Mr. Adams, locomotive
superintendent; Mr. Jacomb, chief engineer, and
other officials of the company were present. Prior to
the inquiry, Colonel Rich proceeded to the scene of
the disaster, where he spent several hours in a careful
examination of the rails.

The inquiry opened with the evidence of Thomas
Butler, the driver of the leading engine, who said
that he was desired by Mr. Ridett, the locomotive
superintendent, to place the engine in front of the
train. The train left Salisbury at 4.38. The
gradient was about one in 75, and he ran with a little
steam on. The speed was about thirty-three miles an
hour when the accident happened. He saw dust fly-
ing near the bridge; that was the first he saw of the
accident. On seeing the cloud of dust he pulled up
as quickly an possible, putting on the steam brake.
He then saw that .the train had gone off the line.
When he first looked round he could not see that any-
thing was off the. line. The tender of the train
engine and the van were off the rails at the left side.
Frank Saunders, the fireman of the pilot engine,
said he looked round and saw a cloud of dust, upon
which he told his mate to shut off steam. His mate
put on the brake. He could not say whether the
train engine had steam on at the time, but he thought
not. _ . _ _

Robert Miles, driver of the train engine, said they
ran all right to Downton, and then for a mile and a
half, when he found his van jumping. This was
about 150 yards from where he could see the dust
and the ballast flying; he found his engine was going
a little fast, and so he stepped over to his fireman's
side to look. He saw a cloud of dust, and nothing
else. The leading van was off the road, and he found
that they had not got the train. He could not see
the train for dust. He could not see that it had
collapsed until they had gone some distance. He
applied the steam brake and stopped the engine,
When he found the train was over the embankment.
He pulled up about 100_
'is
on the Salisbury side
of the level crossing. His tender and the van behind
were both off the rails, the rest of the train had gone
over tine embankment. The witness had been 12
rears in the cornuanzr's service, and had been 13 years

a driver. The engine was in perfect working order.
He did not think that a pilot engine in front made
any difference in the steadiness.
Richard Scadding, fireman of the train engine, said
be first observed something wrong on thinking that
his engine was going faster than usual. He looked
round and saw a cloud of dust.

George Waters, the guard of the train, said they
left Salisbury at 4.38, and at Downton had gained two
minutes. He felt nothing wrong till they got about
50 yards from where the train ran down the embank-
ment. He then felt great oscillation, and before be
could lcok round the train had gone down the
embankment. He was shaken. He got out about
two or three minutes after his van came to a stand.
He gave all the assistance he could to the passengers.
He took no particular notice of the road, except seeing
that t I rail.; were very much bent. He had never heard
complaints from passengers as to the branch.
Albert Nicholas, ganger, said he walked the line
each morning and about five at night. He saw no
keys out about 2.30 on the day of the accident. He
did not think that any pick or other tools could have
been placed on the rails.
James Mortimer, inspector, said he reached the
scene of the accident before anything had been dis-
turbed. He failed to discover any cause for the
accident.

Colonel Rich remarked that the road seemed good,
but the running was too hard or the road too weak.
Mr. Jesse Dredge, district engineer for about 240
miles, said he had two superintendents and ten in-
spectors as assistants. He reached the scene of the
accident about 7.50 p.m. on the 3rd inst. The tender
of an engine was on the road. The van was on the
rails; it had been off. The tender was coupled to
the engine, but the van was uncoupled. The rest of
the train was in the ditch by the side of the rails,
about 270 yards from the van. He walked over the
line and saw that all the carriages were over the
embankment. He went on to see if he could find
any cause for the accident. He came to a place
where there was ths cut of a flange across the
sleepers—this was the first indication of anything
being off the road. Both rails and sleepers at this
part appeared to have shifted 7in. or Sin.; they had
moved inwards, that was towards the centre of the
curve. The tendency was to shift more towards the
inside of the curve. Some were shifted outwards.
In walking towards Downton he found rails shifted
for about fifty-five yards. The rails were bent, being
bulged right and left; but they were all fixed in the
chairs. Walking towards Breamore from the first
mark of the sleepers he found the principal disturb •
ance was about thirty yards away from the mark on
the sleeper.
Mr. Henry Colson, assistant to the last witness,
said the line had been lifted and ballasted, the bad
sleepers being taken out and renewed about three
weeks before the accident. It was a very good line,
with a very good top.
This concluded the inquiry. The inspector will
present his report in due course.