The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-10-30 00:00:00

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT
NORTHERN RAILWAY.

At nine o'clock on Sunday night a shocking accident
happened at the Welwyn junction of the Great
Northern Railway, 20 miles north of London, resulting
in the death of three passengers and the more or lees
serious injury of several others.
The 8 p.m. down train from London on Sundays stops
at all stations to Peterborough. It arrived at Hatfield in
rod time, and started for the next station. Welwyn
junction, being about two and a half miles further
on. The signalman at the junction saw the train,
which consisted of 13 vehicles besides the en-
gine and tender, pass his box all right, and
had begun to signal its approach to Welwyn station,
when, from some cause not yet explained, a
dreadful crash occurred, and the engine came to a dead
stop. Two horse-boxes immediately following it 'eft
the metals, and ran a short distance by the side of the
line, without doing or incurring any injury. The re-
maining carriages of different classes were thrown
into inextricable corfusion. One or two were smashed
into splinters by the concussion, o.h,rs broke their
couplings and got across the hue, others fell over on
their sides and were partially broken up. Fortunately
there were not many passengers, and of these the
greater part struggled clear of the wrecked train, and
did not sustain very severe injuries.
A number if persons ran to the spot, and the station-
master at Welwyn, finding that the train was delayed,
ran up to the junction with his staff of men, and got
there a few minutes after the accident happened.
They found a woman lying dead outside the line of
rails, her head and body fearfully mangled ; and by
the light of the moon. whi,ll was shining brilliantly at
the time, they next saw the body of a man lying under
Death the framework of one of the overturned second-
class carriages. When he was at length extricated it
was found that be, too, was quite dead and that his
body was dreadfully mangled. The death of both man
and woman must have been instantaneous. It has
since been ascertained that they were huthand and
wife, and that they hail been travelling from London
In the same second-class compartment. The man
was an elderly person named Weldon, managing
foreman for Mr. Wilshere, at the Frythe Farm,
near Welwyn. A young man was fund lying
in another overturned carriage. He could not be got
out until the panels of the comp utment were broken
in. He died shiirtly after removal. One if his legs
was smashed into pulp, and he had sustained other in-

juries.
Everything possible was done for the sufferers until
ths wont ewes hod been vii, with tio, ae.d
bcdies, tsars to Hatfield. and those leas 'seriously hurt
hail been attended to at the Gate-c Atage, kept by a
foreman platelaver.
Hedges, of I'eterlssron.,ll, the guard in charge s.f
the train. escaped with c.mparatively slight issjarics,
and so did the driver and stoker, but a porter who bad
been tsken on as supernumary guard at King's-crops,
in consequence of the lentth of the train, was badly
hurt, and is now at Hatfield. The other injured
persons were all able to rerume their journeys in n few
hours by the down mail, which did duty for the crip-
pled train.
- - .

An inquest has been held, but the evidence given
leaves the cause of the catastrophe in as much ibuht m
the earlier inquiries. The question of the points still
remains for investigation.