The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-06-25 00:00:00

Our Nonbon orasponbort.

pie eleem it YHA to state that we do not st oY CMS
Identity ourselves with OUL correspondent.; otAnknal

Heartily is her Majesty welcomed back to her an-
ceatral castle at Wine r; and it is a matter of uni-
versal congratulation that the Queen eeems in excellent
health, the bracing breezes of Balmoral apparently
having cottdoced to this very desirable result. We la
London are all the more delighted at her M..jesty's re-
turn as the sea-on hat yet several weeks to run. May
favourable weather give an added charm to the a/ freero
breakfast icr the castle grounds.

The Emperor Napoleon has so often manifested his
kindly feelings towards England that one manifesta-
tion mere or lets is of little consequence ; but still he
spea s of Ragland in so hiendly a way, in writing to
the Mayor of Southampton, that it is pleasant to read
It. Referring to an address presented to him on the
occasion of the recent attempt to assassinate hini, the
Empere. says he has in this expression of sympathy
"a flesn proof of the ties of friendship which unite
France to England," and he adds ''l trust most
hear:. y they may ever continue so, for modern society
has to depend for its regress upon our union and
efforts." These remtuks will have been read in many
and many an English household on the anniversary of
the battle of Waterloo. How different now are the
relations between France and England to what they
were then! And even long after that time the French
were regarded as "our natural avail, a." Now they
are looked upon as our natural friends.
The latest discussions in both Houses of Parlianunt
have been of great general interest, for they have had
reference to the two leading meanness of this session ;
in the one House the Irish Land Bill, in the other the
}lineation Bill. Both bills have already undergone
considerable alteration, and both will be subjected to
still further changes, but the prevailing opinion appeals
to be that they will both becartiedthis session, in some
shape smother. May that opinion be verified. There
is little doubt if any, with regard to the Land Bill, now
that it has been read a second time by the Lords. In
respect to the otter the same amount of confidence
cannot be to readily expressed, but probably the
Mai city of people throughout the country are inclined
to favour the bill, either with or wi'hout minor alter-
ations, and et rtainly it would be a good thing for the
country, in my humble opinion, could the measure be
passed this session. The bill, should it become law,
will not be like the "law of the Medea and Persians,
which altereth not." It could be subsequently modified
as occasion might require.
Mr. Clarlstone has no pretensions, I believe, to be
considered a humonrist, hut he occasionally says un-
wittingly rather a fanny thing. In Committee of
Supply, tome objection being taken to extravagant
malaries award-el to officers of the House of Lords, the

Premier rtnorked that' the t tlicers of the Houses of
Parli 'went had to work lio`h night and day, and were
like men in the Arctic regions, who had six months
night and six mottlo day." That is to say, that these
officers have Six months' play and six months' work.
Wall, that is not had, as things go now-a-days ; but
then, Mr. G:ad,tone would have U 3 believe that during
this sir mouths' work the work goes on night and day !
Cra, iudeed ! How then do these gentlemen manage to
sleep? Of course, they don't sleep ; they're always at
work ! Many thousands of herd-working clerks would
be deliilited to work just as hard, and for just as much
money, more especially as there are six months' holi-
day out of the twelve. How the House of Lords
officials most laugh in their sleeves ! How grateful
they mist be to their influential champion!

Which are we to believe—Mr. W. H. Torrens or
Mr. Goschen ? Both gentlemen doubtless desire to
speak the truth, but they differ marvellously. The
former in moving "that the continued want of em-
ployment in many of the great towns of the kingdom
calls for the special consideration of this House," takes
a very gloomy view of the state of trade and the labour
market. He maintains that there in no opening in
trade likely to abborb the surplus labour during the
next winter; that unexampled poverty has prevailed
very recently in the great towns; that th.s poverty is
likely to recur; and that especially with regard to the
metropolis, clergymen, employers, and philanthropists
all tell the same sad story. Oa the other hand, Mr.
Gosehen insists upon it that the state of the country
is not like this ; that the cotton and iron trades espe-
cially are brick; that the reports of Poor Law
insp. etots. f ictory inspectors, &e., point to reviving
prosperity; and that even taking the metropolis as a
whole, trade ti improving. Strange difference of
opinion here, boih opinions being presumably founded
on face. Perhaps the truth lies between the two, or
there is truth on Loth sides. As far as toy own in.
milli- a are worth anything, I incline to believe that
Mr. Conclien in nearer the truth than Mr. 1' !Tens;
but in any case there could be no harm in the Govern-
ment so for acceding to the views of the latter as to
develope the plans already acted upon to some extent,
and send out as many families of unemployed dockyard
men, itm., as may be willing to go to Canada.
The friends of the poor (and who is not, at
least in theory, the friend of the poor?) may be con-
gratelated on the fact that the Social Science Associa-
tiou, Lord Shaftesbury, and some other philanthropists,
are entertaining a proposal made by Mies Rye. This
benevolent lady provers to find homes in America for
pauper girls —orphans or deserted—from seven to
twelve years of age.. In Canada or Ainexim these
girls will be placed, under legal protection, with re-
spectable fsmilies, till 18 years of age. They will thus
virtually be prepared for domestic service, their educa-
tion meanwhile not being neglected. What a boon this
yid be for orphan or deserted paupers. They will have
little to regret in leaving their native land, most of the
aasceiations with which must be of a painful character,
and they will have an honourable and a prosperous
future before them. It is to be hoped that the Poor
Law Board will favour the Ilea. For ourselves this
is just the kind of emigration that England wants—a
conclusion to which any reflecting min I can s 7 arcely
fail to come.

A plntsantleatnre of this time of the year is what
may be called the School F.xcursion movement. Thanks
to the benevolence of outsiders and the kindly zeal and
goo offices of Sunday-school superintendents and
teachers, excursions by steamboat, train, or van, are
now frequent, and no one can witness any of these ex-
cursions without feeling that the children heartily
enj cy them. The sight of waving trees, fresh fields,
green shady lanes, and the other charms of rural scenery
sweet be refreshing indeed to chi!dr- n long immured in
email close rooms, in miserable little houses, in narrow
streets and alleys. It is a kind and generous labour of
love thus to make our little ones acriciainted with the
beautics of Nature—beauties that they very rarely
beholl, and in many races never behold but during
these annual excursions.
Greece and Spain have attracted painful attention
lately, owing to the prevalence of brigandage in these
countries, but Hungary would seem to out do both
together, if we can place reliance on the tale that a
State trial of 300 brigands in the latter country is about
to take place, and that probably 200 of them will be
executed! But can we believe it? It reads like stale
especially adapted for the marines !
Most earnestly it is tabs hoped that the rumour is
not true that the Crystal Palace Company is about to
let for building purposes the most secluded and enjoy-
able part of its grounds. If the rumour be verified,
this great company, the directors of which have
hitherto shown good taste and round judgment, will
be seriously injured. To buil lon these grounds would
be pennyewise and pound•foolish ; it would he killing
the goose that lass the golden cps. Ii is well known
that the grounds of the Crystal Palace are, for at least
half of the year, a most attractive charm. ¶hey
bring thousands of people who would not otherwise go.
The weather is a perennial topic with Englisnmen,
brit there is one cowed ction—if we commence a con-
versation with the weather we soon turn to something
else. Jost now the topic, however, is of more than
ordinary interest. A little while ago cloudless skies,
fierce sun, parched ground, and burnt-up grass, foliage,
end floweis were the signs of the time ; but the heavy
storm and the refreshirg showers that followed have
produced a remarkable, but Icy no means wonderful
change in the aepect of affairs. As one writer well
expresses it, they have "cooled London, reasaured
Mark-lane, and cmforted the soul of the Treasury,
which began to tremble for its surpluses." The value
of this thunderstorm and the heavy showers is beyon I
all henna° calmilstion. It is great as should be our
gratitude.

of Exeter, who meg led, said he, as a schoafina,ter for
msny years, knew perfectly well that many of the
difficulties raised were really of no imp irtance, but
vanished the moment they were faced; and that many
of the solutions proposed by men not practically con-
versant with education, were certain to damage edu-
cation, without removing the difficulties. It was quite
astonishing to a man who had had the government of
a school, to tear the remarks made by those who had
not had the gao,e practical experience. Therefore, it
was highly important in the discussion now going
on that tea hers should freely give expression to
opinions founded on preen:al kuowledoe. The
religious ditligull, he believed, had been enor-
mously exaggerat-d. (Ike inside the school the
difficulty almost "%rialto d. In teaching the children
in element try schools, what was called denominational
teaching hardly entered, MAI Christian teachers of
different denominations differed very little in their
teaching. The difficulties suggested as standing before
teachers aroxe entirely from those who collected
school funds, and who considered themselves respon-
sible to the public for the management, not from the
teachers themselves. The teachers ought to insist in
retaining the power to teach religion. '[he first reso-
lution passed affirmed that those present as a body of
teachers ha I experienced DO religious difliculty ; the
second that two or three hoe., a week should be
il-voted to religious instruction, the teacher to strange
his own time table ; the third expressed a general
approval of the Government Bill and a ready accep-
tance of the conscience clause; the fourth asserted
that the denoininational system has done excellent
work as far as it has been tried, and that the meeting
earnestly desired that the system should be still further
improved and sustained.
The two first resolutions were carried unanimously,
the others by a large majority.

In moving a resolution at the annual meeting of the
E luesti,n Aid Society, the Bishop of Manchester
criticised the G.tvernment Bill. His lordthip was op
prehemeive that the Ministry had att&uipted too much
in endeavouring to deal with the rural and the urban
populations at one time and in the same way, seeing
that their circumstances were as different as muld
well be conceived. It was feared by some that the
Bill would extinguish school organizaticn. If any sp•
tern of compulsion, direct or indirect, could de secured
which should be real and effective, no one wonli rejcice
at the results more than he ; but compulsion retorts
vented a power that was hateful to all Englishmen.
profexedly compulsory law, uhich was not effective,
and which was constantly trampled unel,r foot, was
about the most destructive thinu to the social structure
which c .uli be put upon the Statute Book. Unless
cunpultion became effective, they would he better
without it.

TERRIBLE ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT
•
NORTHERN RAILWAY.
•
One of the meet dieastra us railway areidents that
have ever happened on the Great Northern line Or-
e lived on Tuesday morning between Newark and I
Claypole. It seems that a large excursion train, con-
sidling of about 30 carriages, laden with people from 1
Leeds, Bradford, and other neighbouring places, went '
to London on Monday, and arrived on its return '
urney at Grantham about midnight, all being
well. At about half-past one o'clock, on approaching
Newark, the excursion was in the act of pairing a
goods train, when one of the waggons, from an
seiiilemt at its axle, slipped on the down line.
he excursion train ran into the waggon, and so dis-
astrous was the result that it was entirely overturned
and literally rolled into an adjoining ditch. The cries
we-e awful. Information was at once sent to Newark,
and assistance was speedily at hand. After a careful
examination it was found that most of the excursion-
train carrisees were smashed to pieces, awl no fewer
than sixteen peraons killed and scores wounded. It is
feared that several other persons whose injuries are
very severe will not recover.
The following account is from an eye-witness of the
accident :
.'The train, consisting of 22 carriages, left King's-cross
punctually to time advertised, ON) p.m. The run was rapid
and safe until the train reared Newark. It appears that a
goods teats, laden in part with woollen goods, ass proceed-
log on its way to London, when, through the breaking of an
axletree, several waggons were thrown into what is techni-
eery termed, the six-foot. Unfortunately, at the spot there
'is a curve, and a little beyond the scene of the accident,
southwards, there is a bridge. These prevented the driver
of the excundon train from seeing the danger until too late
to avoid the colliaion. Though the steam was turned off,
the speed of the train was such that it dashed into
the goods waggons with frightful effect. The engine
was overturned into the ditch at the down side of
the line, while the tender was thrown into the six-foot. The
goods waggons were smathei into fragments, and, fro m
the effects of the broken axle and eunserineut concussion,
scattered about the up line, upon the hedge, and into the
fields beyond. The passenger cars next the engine were by
the momentum driven one over the other, and piled in
masses of mere firewood, high in the air. Every carriage of
the train had the windows and doors broken—not one of the
twenty-two escaped. At the time your correspondent left,
twelve or fourteen perrems were found dead or in a critical
conoition, while from 101 l to 20) of the passengers were iu-
jilted. The groans of the wounded and dy Mg rang through
the air, and in the dim light of morning the passengers ran
to and fro, some bleeding and bruised, as if distracted by the
awful trensactions of the last few minutes. Scores were wan-
sierti g stout, some of whom had been driven violently against
the carriages, others cut with fly la g Ingo] entsof glass or splin-
ters of brokers doors and car sides. Under the fragm-nts
near the entice several ley dead, while one lady, whom it
ii understood was only slightly hurt, was fixed among the
wreck of a carriage which had mounted above two others.
The shiver Was killed, one side of his bead being literally
smasle.l in The fireman lay against the firebox, his leg
being turn off. o.se womati pleaded piteously with the
surgeons that they would amputate her legs, which were
traustixed by the broken tiall,rs. One eight might have
moved the stoniest to tears. A baby, about six months old,
was picked up from among the wreck, ii. arm and face
lacerated • its mother was buried beneath the carriages.
Great praise is due to the officials of the Great Northern
Railway, who, with the greatest promptitude, aided by
willing helpers, did all they could to alleviate the miseries
of the poor unfortunates."
A paaeetiger rays:—
" I was in one of the Brad fsrd carriages, and therefore at
some considerable &stance from the front, where, of course,
the collision occurred. The first shock, though it threw
the carriages off the line, did not upset any of them. The
colliwon was, however, instantly follzised by a train of
luggage vans running down the length of the trip train
against it, taking i If the doors, smashing the handles, break.
hug all the gime, and driving in the Wits of the carriages.
I was sitting near the door, with my face to the engine,
' and the door, with the glass window, was driven in upon
me Jost as I was moving niy head towards the window to •
tee what ;vas tie matter when the luggage waggons thus
came down. The carriarres of the trip trans were all
allayed on this side as by machinery. I first tried tolind the
hand!e of the door of which the top hal been staved in, in
oreer to get out: the bottom part of the door still remained,
but the butte was cut clean off. I made the best of my
way out from the doorway of the next compartment, the &no.
here having been completely carried away. On getting down
I saw at the tail end of our train the trucks which had
mused us piled one on another, and mare of them thrown
off the low e tibankmeut into a pond. Everybody we!
hastening to get out of the carriages, awl the scene towards
the trout was, as far as I could dime ru in the slim light,
something terrible—carriages piled one on another, and
many of them arna:heil literally to shivers. The heavy
engine Lad been toppled right over on to its back,
ami lay inclined, with the wheels partly in the air, and
some of the first carriages had, of course, gone past it.
From this front part of the train, where the carriawes bad
, been an completely destroyed, piteous cries and moans were
proceeding Those who had been slightly iiijured in the
Bradford, Halifax, and York carriages lord no time in ascer-
. I Mining the extent of their hurts, lint moved at once to the
front to are of what service they c. uld be. There being no
' statist nearer than Newark, and no force of railway servants
within call, the work was of courte left to those of the pas-
sengers who had escaped serious hurt. The efforts of coolly
of the paruserigers to relieve their enfortunate companions were
most praiseworthy, and among these was a lady, whose name I
do not know, but who displayed great sto tied), and zeal, en-
couraging the men and rally ing t hem to fresh efforts. The dying
awl badly injured .00111 began to be removed into an adjoining
held, the beige of whieh had been broken through. A little
baby, six months old, was got from among the broken wood,
with its arm torn front wrist to shoulder. The child was
taken to the railway station, and it was there stated that both
the father and mu her were dead. About four o'clock, how-
ever. the mother was got out alive, though it is not yet known
whether she will survive. Many of the dead and injured
were fa,t among Inc wreck for Wiurs, and in their efforts to
relieve them, by trying to lift up one portion of the broken
carriages, the workers found that they were either preening
it on the other parts of the sufferers' bodies or upon some
other victim of the catastrophe. Ultimately, after the lapse
of some hours, a special engine brought up a heavy crane, by
which the wreck nas being rapidly and safely removed."

The ccene at the Doneaster Station of the Great

-----
Northern Railway was painful in the extreme. The
:elatives and friends of those who were supposed to be
in the train assembled at the station anxiously await-
ing tidings. One poe r woman cause to inquire about
her son, a stoker, who was supposed to be so dreadfully
injured as to prt elude any hope of recovery. While
she was inquiring, a telegram was received stating the
poor fellow was dead. A number of pansengers were
sent on by a subsequent train to Doncaster. Of the
number was a little boy whose father and mother had
both been killed. A most miraculous escape was re.
latest l,y one of the passenger., at Doncaster. lie
stated that just before starting from King's-cross
station, he discovered an empty compartment in the
carriage next the engine, which he secured by an
arrangement wish the guard for himself. In it he de-
posited his rug and travelling bag, but on returning
from the bookstall he found the train was starling,
and jumped into the last carriage. To this change he
owes his life. Tne carriage in which he had first
seated himself was smashed into atoms, and every
passenger therein killed.
It will be observed that the passengers killed and in-
jured are chiefly resident in Leeds and the surround-
ing district, the Leeds carriages being the first in the
train:— n

Passengers killed r—Mr. Thomas Philoot, 72, Nile-street
North-street. Leeds ; Mr. Frederick Phil/volt (son of the
above; ; Mr. Kershaw Hirst, tobacconist, Leeds ; Mr. Hel-
ton, Chapilown-road, Leeds; Mrs. Helton, wife of Mr. Hel-
ton, Chloeltown-road, Leeds ; Mrs. Robinson, wif, f Mr.
Robinson, scenic err id, Beeston-rogri, Leeds; Hannah
Haddock, Lands-lane, Leeds ; and the bodies of eight others
are not )rot suiliciendy identified to Justify a publication
if mines.
Ra lea), servants killed :—Thomas Bust, engine-driver, o
D monster ; Joseph Watson, stoke", Doncaster.
issengers ird seed —Mr Mir-shell, Kirkstall, Leeds Miss
Emily Grover, Meadow-road, Leeds ; Anne Burnett, Park-
street, Kirkstall, Leeds; John Cook, Meadow-lane, Leeds;
T Shuttleworth, Ilkley, Leeds; Jane Brown. Meadow lane,
Lends- Ann Dutton, Fallowfleld-terrace, Leeds ; Mr. Haddock,
Lands-lane, Leeds; Charles A. Wiison, 17, Albion-street,
Leeds ; Mrs. Greenwood, ',Aran( t-terrace, Leeds; William
Pitts, Beeston hall, Leeds; J. W. Booth, Crown street, Hali-
fax ; Mr. Toff. 11. Elliaor street, Middlesex(street, London ;
Miss Smithson, 37, Bord-street, Loots; Mr. Joseph Miller,
6, Caroline street, Leeds; Mr. Henry Friend, 1, Cross Tern-
/o'er-street, Leeds. Mr. W. Holland, Chspeltown-roal,
Leeds; Mrs. Richardson, aldgate, London; Mr. Grey, Castle-
ford, Yorkshire.
Railway servant icj tred,—Thomall Belford, guard, Albert-
terrace, Leeds.
Intelligence of the accident reached London at an
early hour on Tuesday morning, and before noon Mr.
Oakley, secretary of the Great Northern Railway,
left town for Newark, accompanied by Colonel Packe,
chairman of the Board of Directors, and Mr. Faber,
one of his colleagues.
A close investigation of the circumstances made
after the arrival of the official, disclosed that the
goods train was c'liefly loaded with iron and pota-
toeß, with one truck of cattle for Peterborough.
The waggon which had ,caosed the catastrophe did
not belong to the Great Northern Company, but
had joined the train at the Keedley station. It was
loaded with potatoes, and was constructed to carry
seven tons, althomda on this occasion it carried only
3..toue 10 cwt. It was examined and greased at net-
ford, eighteen miles from the scene f the accident.
The ordinary goods trains on the Great Northern

-Railway consist t tnirty.tive waggon:l. Tito: train,
which was the last, and timed to leave Doncaster at
midnight, had twenty-eight trucks only, and was in
charge of Frederick Beasley, one of the oldest goods
guards in the company's service, in a ten-ton break.
The following report of the accideut ham been for-
warded by Mr. Henry Oakley, the secretary of the
Great Northern Railway Company :-

"An tip goo is train from Doncaster passel through
Newark at its appointed ttme with 'at stoning at 1 24 a.m.
When shout half a tulle south of Newark an axle of a waugen
belonging to another company, loaded with potatoes,
broke off close to the Inside of the wl:eel. This threat the
wergons which followed Of the roils on to the down
litie At the moment the engine driver of the up
pods train felt the jerk caused by the breakage of
tie axle a down excurst n train Which was returning
Born Lenten to Yorkshire, passed him This train
was timed through Newark without stopping, and
when the accident happened It was ninotiez f eon.
20 to 25 miles per hour and to its regular time, The
engine of this train ran into the waggons which
had heou thrown across the down line of rail., was turned
round, and thrown completely clear of both lines, bringing
, the ex :union train to an immediate stop. Six of the front
carriage, were there thrown off the rails, three of them being
piled up near the engine mid almost destroyed. The pas
:engem of these carriages suffered very severely Irmo the
shock and the subsequent breakage of the carriases. The
engine-driver, Burst, of Dmeaster, arid several passengers
were killed on the spot ; the fireman and some other pas-
sengers wen e to riotously injured that they died short,y
afterwards The total number of deaths up to the mment
time, Mclinling the driver and fireman, is sixteen, anti abeut
twenty more injured, and remain at Newark.
" The Newark stationmaster and staff were on the spot
very shortly after the accident happened, and the medical
men of the town were immediately sumnioned—ris. Messrs.
Jo`i, Matterson, Irvine, Greenwood, Marsh, Lomas, and their
maistante. The dead and seriously injured were removed to
the hospital, 81.1 others who were less injured were taken to
the hotels in thedown.
"At the present time the following only among the dead
have him identified :—Thonoss Hurst, of Dal...ter...gine
driver; Joseph Watson, of Doncaster, fireman; Mr. K trshaw
Bind, tobacconist, Leeds ; Mrs Belton, wife of Mr. Helton,
Chapeltown-road, Leeds; llre. R 'Meson, wife of Mr. William
Robinson. ecenic artist, Flockton-street, Beestott-rowl, Leeds;
Hannah flu `dock, Lands-lane, Leeds; Thomas Philpot, 72,
Ntle-stn eon, North-street, Lands; Frederick Philpot, son of
the above.
"Among those injured are the following : —At the hospital
—Mr Land's-lane, Leeds; Mr Marshall, Kirkstall,
Leeds; Miss Rmil3 Grove, Meadow-road, Leeds; Ann Burnett,
Park-street, Kirkstall. Leeds; John Cook, Meadow.lane,
Leeds; Mr liolford. Albert terrace, Burley. fields, Leeds : Mr.
T. Shuttieworth, Ilkley; Jane Brown, lii, Meadow.lane,
Leeds; AllllO Dutton. Followlield-terracs, Leeds, Saracen'.
Head —Chorles A. Wilson, 17, Albionstreet, Leede, Clinton
Ares.—J. W. Month, Crown-street, Battles. Angel —Mrs.
reenwo.el, F.II tc-terrace. To, go road, New Wortley ;
William Pitts, Reestunhall, Leeds, Its,, Hotel —Mr J ',mph
Miller, C, Caroline-street, West-street, Leeds ; Mr. Toll, 14,
Elliaonstreet, Middlusex-atreet. ( ; Wes Smithson, 37
and 3.9, Bond-street Lenin; Henry Friend, I. Cross Templet:-
street., Leeds. 23 Wileoo streer—William Holland, Chapel-
town, Leeds. R,ttland Arms.—Mr. Gray, stationer, Castle-
toed, To. kibire ; airs Richardson. Aldgate, City."