The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-02-12 00:00:00

THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE SOUTH.
WESTERN RAILWAY.

1.111 DL SALT.
On Friday morning the .nituiry into the cause of tbs.
death of Dr. William B.ly. late principal phyeician to
her 11.jeaty. we. resume I by Mr. W. Carter, coroner of
Rant Surrey. at the White Hart Inn, Merton. The
intereat grim apparently unabated. Mr. J. MOS. h• rri.t Or.
instructed by Mr. St. Clair, 'ledfori, represented the
relativea of the ileosaaeil. Mr. Birchatn, of the Inn of
Birchen'. Delryinii'e, awl Drake. was present on behalf
of the London awl SoutlpWesteru Railway. The fol-
lowing evidonor was adduced :-
William M irtin-I have been a pointamen for two
years at the Rpsom jai:tech.,' with the South.Westent
an.' ioy duty lan 13.. en to attend at the junc-
tion of t:m bratieli with the in ii, Inc. On Monday,
the 28th, 1 we. on ilety. The expres. train to Porte-
th direct was be at my po tit at 5.30, awl there
was another ireviouslv due at 5 IS, I no-iced the 5.30
rousing up .bout WU yard. distant. There was
410,1 up which aignified all tight. Coroner.- 1)0 not
answer this question if you think it will criminate your-
...lf. At that time in a bat position w. ru the signals?
Witness -Thee were all right. (*.ironer- How were
the point.'? Witness-They were men for the mein liwe.
loroner- Having noticed the train. did you observe
anything particular? Witness- No. I bad to signal
the train with a white light. It was juat getting dark..
I wax then standing against the pouita of the branch
line. That is just in front of my boa. A man flannel
George Dizon was with m.; he wee not connected with
the company. When I saw the train it was quite
punctual. It was coming at its regular speed, about 55-
wiles an hour. according to my judgment. As the train
appreacheo, not any observation wee made by we with
respect to it. The whole of the train passed me, and
appeared to me to be on the main down line. When
11,, train arrived at the pointa, 1.01110 portion of the
train (the fors part) struck the points. I hail my hand
on the lever.and felt the blow by the sudden jerk on my
hind. The points were then fully open for the mein
line, leaving it perfectly fr,.e and clear. Having felt
the blow, and after the train pas-ed. I noticed that
there was iiiiinething wrong but I could not say what it
wee, as it was dell'. The gust,' wes the first person
saw, and he waked me for a lisidlight. I did nut know
which way he went, as my attention was directed to put
on the hanger signal (the red one) both up awl down.
The auxiliary signal is &hoot 800 yards up the line.
, That signal would stop the next train, whether up or
clown. I found the 5.10 train was off the line, but.
, could not tell how it happened. By Mr. Junes-Wee
there any difference in the rite of speed at which the
train was going? Witness-No, it was going at the
. usual rat-. By Mr. Jones-le there any reiralation aa
to aliti,tdig off the .4 am in passing the points ? Wit-
t neas-Not that I au, aware of. There had not

heen any repairs going on that 1 mu aware
or. litu had hren at work near the Winibleaon

station on the Saturday before the accident happened.
By the Coroner—Did you see anyone coque clown after
the accident coniteded with tho permanent way!
Witneas —There was. The men bad noi been working
nit the Sunday. By a juror --Did you feel more than
one jerk? Witneas—Yes. One jerk quite sudden, and
then some othens not so violent as the first one. I
ex ottined the point. afterwarla and found one of them
broken. That seethe north point, or off rail. It was
not broken off completely -merely bent. (The pieces
of the point was prmlumul.) Eausdnetion continued—
Whon I find saw it, it was not broken, hut was done to
to fa.ilitete the paauge of other trains. I work fur
nine hour.. There is a standard signal u well as the
others, supposing I was not there, the Main line was
open, the lever acting to keep tt no. There in always a
eliork, but nothing near like what I felt that day.
The dietance ts 4 inchea back from the rails. and I
found the points completely open after the accident had
ham. tied. By Mr. Binioun— Mr. Dixon in. fainter,
and was about to croas the line when I' csutioned him
the ex pre*. trait wae coming ; and he stood by use when
the ac..i.lent happened. By
the Comaer—The danger
signal 0r..• up an I the Were lighted. I lit theta
at 5 o'clock niyulf. I knew th• danger signal was
Minima at 518 alien the 'tiptoe. pasiserl. The ...mond
signal le 910 verde ..ff, the other icing 800 yards. By
Colonel Yolland —T: ere is. Obri igo ibout 40 yards off;
e.n pm say whether any repel., had bee° done that iley
to not know. I did not see any workmen
about ouring the tone. I was on duty that day.
Mr. George Dickson, . farm. r. living at Merton.
said that after the eacident he went hack to the points-
tune boa. anti found the point .4 the switch Sint up-
ward. from the ground. lie was sure it was nt
opw•r.iii, an a.t oi er towards the man line. That
was at lewd lielf en hour after II • accident, and inuat
have 011 en .I...trtly belore the piece of the go iteli wog
liroken off entirely. It was. fnemently his habit to
watch trains ;wee at U.. junctioim. and oil far DA he could
soe there wee nothing whete.er wrong about elite Irvin.
lie male a long essminaton .4 the line between the
.4 tea il eecidetit en i Windt*, ion hetw elm the elicit and
the following di,, 01,1 fmin I many marks of the wheel
...ring been off Melds the off rad .4 the down line.
Matthew flatthows. („mar.l, sail,—last week he 615
W .terlon et..tion in charge of the 5.10 twin for Pot a•
mouth. Notlimg occurred after "toting from Witu-
nledon stati.m. The eignal then cc." all right," and
the apred was hout 25 or 26 miles an hour. Soon
utter raioung the Epsom junction he obeersol, as they
came to the 'mink, one or two of the carriage.. jumping.
They wwined k, rise end turn. Witness at woe SW
iihed lite break, lie was holding down his break as
tightly ea he could when the nest minute he found
himulf on the runt of Ilia van, which had fallen over the
hank. There were then sde carriages on the rail, and
four down the hank, with one lying on It. aide on the
railway. Some time afterwards, when this carrier, vinse
lifted up, he saw the deceased taken from ender it.
Before he sew the carriages jumping at the junction he
noticed nothing whatever unusual. To this best of hie
belief it was the carriege next to the tender that began
the jumping. As the train approached the junction
both the signals were alight, and loth were green, but
at the junction ibeelPtlielight was white and unmet "
right." All the signal lamps he was sure were
The train went at its meal speed peat the junction, 25
tulles an hour. Almost instantly after witoces maw the
carriages jumping him own vwn went over. It was as
quick aa the Bash of • gun. He' had his hand on the
break when he saw the carriages jumning. ID all cams
of important repairs on the line the guards were informed
of it by printed notices. He was positive that to the
hest of his. recollection all the offside doors of the tar
riage were locked hefore the tr.in storted. There WM
nothing whatever unusual mother in the composition of tr„th or in anytl in else opt° the moment the am
c'tleut occurred. Witn. as alwees had signal lights in
his man ran, but they were put oat lay the shock, and
that was why lie had to botrow that of the pointatuan.
John Robinson colibrined the *Widened' of the preced-
ing witness, buil the inquiry, at ties singisstisee el tie
'orator, was adjourned tall the In,