The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-05-18 00:00:00

FATAL ACCIDENT om THE TRENT VALLEY

RAILWAY.

A fright/n1 sooident happened on Monday week to an
express train on the Trent Valley line of the London and
North Western Railway, and resulted in the immediate
death of four persons, and the more or leu severe in-
jury of a large number of others. The accident was
caused by the engine strikinga bullock or cow, that had
i strayed on to the line, and t ie the first fatal accident
that we remember to have heard of in this country from
any similar cause, although such occurrences are not we-
frequent in the United States. The 9 cm. trail, from
London, known as the Scotch express, seems to have
kept time as far as Rugby, where it was due at 10.56,
and had to stay five minutes for refreshmente. There
was to be no stoppage between Rugby and Stafford; but
when A point about 13i miles from the former place ands
mile south of Nuneaton had been reached, the driver
caught sight of a bullock or cow upon the six-foot space,
In the act of crossing to the down line, on which the
train was running very rapidly. As the lines there are
upon a sharp curve, the animal was not seen until the
train was almost close upon It; but the driver is said
startling to have done his best to pull up, sounding the whistle
very loudly with a view of eta the beast, and also
as a signal to the guards to apply the breaks. The
engine break was screwed down; but the speed was
only *lightly checked, and when the engine struck the
animal the shock to the train was most severe, But
this was nothing compared with what resulted. The
engine kept on the line ; but the tender and four or five
of the carriages got off, and were by the momentum nof
those behind almost literally crushed to pleas and
piled In a heap. Several other carriage' are said to have
got off the rails, and the whole of the passengers In them
and those that remained on the line were frightfully
pitched about by the shook and the rebound. No re•
liable details have been received in Manchester as to the
los' of life and the personal injury Faulting from the sc.
°Went, but it mins certain that four passengers were
killed inotantly, or died within a very short time. We
have heard of a fifth, of whom It Is said that she could
not survive more than a few hours and a sixth is dap
allied so missing. The number of thine injured severely
must have been large, and most of them are said to have
been sent back to Rugby, Ono of the guards' who was
In the van next to the tender, Is said to be among the
severely hurt, as is also the oonduotor of the train, a
Sootehman. Many portions of the shattered carriages
had to be out through before some of the living as well
as of the dead oould be extricated. So far as we can
gather, the pert of the train whioli wu moat swathed
was that containing the Butch pawners 1 the MAR.
°hater portion was at the rear. It would have been
detached at Crewe and the train tholes WWI due at
1,00 i but it was not until after 8 o'clook that Any of
them »oohed the London.road Station, and several had
received black eyes or other contusions. Mr. Jennings,
of London, who woo one of the number, at first thought
Is. had *soaped with • bleak eye and bruises; but after
going out on Widnes' he was obliged to return to the
Thatched House Hotel and send for a surgeon, and it is
likely that he will be **Wined to bed for some Ohne,
Several Chancery barrister', °onlineo attend the fitting
of the PAIIIMRO Court at Manchester, were in this part
of the train. Most of them "soaped unhurt, beyond the
severe shook which they sustained, but we regret to boar
that one of the party, Mr. Ines, was most severely out
he
' and bruised about the ad and face. Mr. Osborne, a
' London solloitor, ooming from London with the same
object, pis up his seat to aeoommodate one of two
MN who came to the arrive, end the very ladraaedvlio
so took the seat vacated Is said to have bum .

Several trains were necessarily detained, but both lines
were cleared by the tune the 2.45 express train from
London reached tl.e spot, shortly after half-past five,
and that train reached Manchester at 11 minutes to 8, or
19 minutes behind its time. The necessary assistance in
rescuing the passengers and clearing the lines wan
obtained from Rugby.
The casualties, as far as could be alieertained, were as
follows :