The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1874-05-19 00:00:00

RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT MERTHYR.

On Saturday afternoon a Great W.itent coal train left
Merthyr for Swansea. In Aliernauut tunnel • coupling
brokiband ill truckwrepreaenting a nunse of ikill tons rushed
the gradient towards Merthyr. A Brecon passenger
train was at the ticket platform. The guards heard a roar,
saw a cloud of dust, and the next flatulent the coal train
W. 4.4,1.41 by its tremendous weight and velocity, while
the passenger train oscillated with incr..slible speed into
the station, and was dashed into • thousand fragments
against the northern en.l. The wonder i that ant escapist
that all were not.laslied iiii,as were the ea rriag, sti 'ill woken
and bent as were the stout axle-trees and massive girders.
The strongest ina. of iron seemed to have given way like
egg shells, and the violence of the shock resembled
noehing nut di to the resident,. near as an earthquake.
Otto end of the station was down, and forty feet away, on
the drbris if carriages, with a surge of earth the engine.
Within the station was like a shambles blood
and bone in every edirection, women, men, and
children being taken out from every carriage, and for
the moment depiisited upon the platform, some with
blood streaming front wounds on the face and body,
others with fractured limbs, while a few lay to all appear-
ance crushed dead. One woman had Isith legs broken.
Fractures, a few simple, ititers of the severest kind, Inlet
one at every step. Ilere lay injured a workman with his
bundle, h • for the Sunday ; there a servant girl, out
for the afteripsiu ; Iwhies. also. who had COWo to the
Merthyr market ; old fanner inhabitants, returning from
the wells of I.landrinibisl ; children Ingo school, to spend
the Sunday at home : and round this centre of suffering
it dense Owens:, rushing to and fro, to aid. At the cab-
stand in front there as.. only one cab, atel this with the
horse was overwhelmed ; hub strange to say, NOM° of the
woodwork sheltered the animal like a bridge, and it
crawled out little the worse for the
_ .

When the sufferers were got out it was found that nearly
forty were more or less severely hurt, the majority of them
being ladies. Mrs. Stephens, of Pontypridd, had both legs
WI badly stickh.l that they had to be amputated.
worman, of Vaynor, had both lege fractured, and one was
shortly afterwards amputated. The following also sus-
tained fractures:— Mrs. WilliBllll,Dowlais, right shoulder;
ticard. Pontnwidd, tompound fracture of kg; Mrs.
Stormouse, station master's wife, fracture of both legs.
There were also many CIPIes of severe cuts and contusions.
engioewtoker .4 the passenger train jumped off, but
the .Irlver was unable to to so, and stood on the footplate
at the time of the crash. Ile, however, escaped with • few
bruises, though carried through the wall of the station.

EXTRAORDINARY OUTRAGE ON A BRITISH

CONSUL

Senor Gonzales, l'o 1111 l tandant a Ban Jose, one of the
cities of the little Central American Republic of Gusto.
mala, hail for some time been jealous of Mr. Mage
British l'onmil at San Jose, because his seini-ofecial
position rendered him independent of the Commandant
lt,eutly onzales munuoned Mr. Magee to attend before
I ' . a
haying • lame foot; whereupon Mr. Magee was carried in
• waggon by soldiins,who lutd received orders to bring him
Into the Co 11111 l andant's presence dead or alive. lie was
then outrageously insulted by Gonzales, who struck him
repeatedly in the face with a pistol, and threatened hint
with instant death. This threat, however, the officers
priNent prevents.' I from carrying into effect But he
onlereil Mr. Magee to receive 1410 lashes, and 111 j lashes
hail actually been administered when the timely arrival
of troops prevented the repetition of the lathes and the
final execution of Mr. klaj,,ee, which had been intended
by Ginuales. The Commandant tried to escape on board
an American steamer, but lie was driven off by the
passengers, severely grounded, laid afterwards made
prisoner. It is thought the telegram adds, that
he will be executed.