The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-09-10 00:00:00

TLERIBLE ACCIDENT
_ON_ THE NORTH

found in the hospitals and
public institutions, as
carts, and vehicles of every domription were brought
tabs,
into requi4tion, and made available for conveying
injured people either to their own residences or to
various surgeries.
Many remarkahle incidents will doubtless be recorded
of hair-breath 'iscapea. It is already related to no that
the child of one of the women who met with her death
—3 boy of I 2 years of ace—was urged to go with hia
mother on the Kew excuraion, but that in consequence
of the drop impression which had been made noon the
mind of the lad, by the reports of the Clayton Tunnel
disaster, lie stedfasily refused to go upon the railway,
and so, in all probability, saved his life.
The scenes which were witnewed throughout the
whole of Monday night and Tuesday morning at the
hospitals beggar description. Not only were the ap-
proaches, but the whole neighbourhood of the Voices-
sity College Hospital was thronged with a east enn-
°mime of people, all of whom were anxiously inquiriog
for their iniwing friends and relatives. The medical
and other (Akers gave every information and afforded
every facility to the grief-stricken creatures to identify
the 'tend and wounded and the result was that several

of the people were ide'ntilled.
A cirsuoastanos which is related of two of the unfortu-
nate victims of this catastrophe is peculiarly lament-
able. George Terry and Clara Clement were, it appears,
on the eve of marriage. The former was • railway
porter residing at Liverpool-street, lEimr's-cmas,
39 years, who wa vcry badly injured, and so seven h.
bruised about the head that hi, brain lia+beeonsealfeeled
and he is at present in a violent delirinu4 state, whilst
the poor female's death iv hourly expected. An extra-
ii)Citieelt i. relatcd of a ploldelager by the ill-fated
train. named Mary Wvoalley, who had an infant only
seven months oil in her arum at the time of the terrible
accident, that miraculously escaped unscathed in any
way, although the poor woman wen injured, and • man
aitting at each aids of her were killed.
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C 05011111.6 I 9118T'

The Coroner's inquiry into this deplorable oceurreeos
was formally opened on Wednesday by Mr. Humphreys,
Mr. Thomes Wakley being on the contioent. The jury
in the first instance proceeded to the various lempitals
to view the holies of thou who had perished, and they
were then concluded to the scene of the catastrophe,
which they very carefully surveyed. Subsequently
they received evidence 114 to the identity of the
unfortunate deceased. and the inquest was adjourned.
On Friday the inquiry was resumed at the vestry
room of St. Pancras. The first wither examined was
John Perkins, of Penny Stratford, the engine driver of
the ballast train. He stated that ha was em-
ployed by the North. Western Company, and on the 2nd
September was removing ballast front Bushey to
Kentish Town. Having discharged • load at 5.30 at
Bushey he went to Camden Road Station to take in
water. As soon as he put the trucks to the engine be
opened the whistle for • signal from the policeman
at the Kentish Town Station. He received • reply
by the wave of the hand of the polioeintin, •isnifying
it was all right, and that he was I. go out. Both the
semaphore impala, one at the station and the auxiliary
one blocked the line—in other words, they stood at
"dangerous." He was thenting the trucks- 19 in
number mid a break van across the line when he saw
the excursion train °tinting. He took it to be an
excursion train by its following so close upon the other
one. He bad waited fur the ordinary train to pass by,
knowing that there was • regular train due at this time.
As soon u the regular train passed he opened his
whistle to crow. He knew nothing about an excursion
train being due- -not the lust. He was furnished with
title-tables showing the regular running of the trains,
but he wee sever informed of the running of excursion
trains. When he first saw the excursion train coming
Ise west ea in order to get his train clear of the line if
he could. He could not get it clear, and • collision took
place. When be saw the excursion train coming it
was near the Kentish Town Station. It was coining at
quite forty miles an hour. Sometimes excursion trains
travelled at that speed. sometimes slower. The train
lied not passed the Kentish Town Station when he
PAW it first. It did not attempt to pull up there.
Excursion trains did not stop at Kentish Town Station
unless they were timed to do so. The collision broke
his trsin, shattered his tricks, and threw them over
the right hand embankment. The second truck from
the engine was first struck. The engine and the beet
truck escaped ouinjured. The fireman was riding with
hint, the guard was at the hack, and the &groan was
also on the train. He hiel been carrying ballast eight
or nine days; 20 trucks was the usual number to have.
When lie saw the up-train coming be opened his
whistle, and the flagman waned his bag. Not the
notice was taken of it by the excursion train.
Witness immediaely seal to his tn,te that there must
be a collision, and that they comic' not avoid it. He
saw the excursion train was coining at a Nadel speed.
He did not are the engine run off the line or turn
over, because the trucks were across the line. He saw
it about ten minutes after it carted over. He had
kept lus engine standing on the line. He saw that some
of the carnage. were thrown off the embankment on
the left aide of the med. At this time his engine and
one truck were on the down line, and the remainder on
the six foot and the op line. He did not notice the
signals after the accident had occurred. He had been
seven years in the employment of the company.
The jury then proceeded to the University Hospital
to Übe the deposition of an unfortunate man who had
received severe internal injuries. and was rapidly sink-
ing. He spoke with great difficulty, and in so low a
tone as to be almost inaudible. He gidd—
ily name is Charles Col :I was a passenger by the
excursion train on the 2nd of September. lam a
signalman upon the North London Railway. At the
time of lb. accident I was riding in the breakdrau in
front tg the train, and next to the engine. I did not
notice the auxiliary engine on the up line, and near to
the Kentish-town station the signal stood for "all
right." The danger signal lam quite sure was not on.
In passing the Kentish-town station I had one hand on
the break while I was standing on tip toes looking
with my head out of the front past The guard bad
gone to look out of the other door. I had no partimiler
reason for looking out only to see that all was right. I
looked out nearly all the way. The guard had
mentioned just before that the steam bad been shut off,
by saying, "We are off to (3-widen sow without
steam." I saw the danger through the trucks being on
the up line. I heard our driver whistle. I told the
guard to look out, and before anything more could be
done we were into the trucks. I cannot say what speed
we were going at. I never studied the rate of engines.
A white light at the Kentish-town station was turned
on. lam quite sure it stood at "all right." There was
'sore than one light, but not being acquainted with the
station I cannot say what they were. I was at the
right-hand aide going up the hue. I saw but one red
light all the way, and that was pulled off when we
whistled. I cannot say what station it was at, but
think it was at the Folgeware-road station. It Ives at
least three or four minutes before the collision. We
whistled before we came into the station as we shogid
do. It was our whistle that I heard, and not that of
the engine with the truck.
In another ward was • fellow.pauenger with the last
witness. He said, my name is George Woodley. I sin
a signalman and pointstuan on ties North London Rail-
way, and I was in the same break with Cox at the time
the accident ensured. It was a front break next the
engine. I was in the inside of the up line, next the sit
foot. At the distanoe signal next the Kerdishdown
station, I noticed a white light, meaning "all right."
The engine whistled before getting to the Kentisb.teern
station. A hand light was shown on the station. It
was • white light. I did not notice any other. I noticed
trucks on the line fifty or sicty yard-. from the train.
By thane.: I looked out. I did not notice any light on
the engine with the trucks. I cannot say that the steam
was ghat off when we paused the Kentjeh.the,n swim,
nor can I say the speed at which were travelling. Imu
not in the habit of riling. We might, however, have
been going • little sharp there. T noticed only one
danger signal. It was on the Great Western. We
whistled end it was taken off. I beard the guard my,
" We always have to whistle that off."
By Yolland U the reply bad not been "line
clear, I should have stopped the excursion train. The
excursion train could not be mistaken for • regular
train, as the next regular train was due at 7.55.
George Wightlitan, a policeman on the London and
North-Western Railway, is charge of the Hampstead
station signals, Wee sworn. He said: On the 2nd of
September the 6.30 train from Kew passed at 7.2 p.m.
That was seven minutes behind time. I only saw one
red light behind and no board. That train stopped at
the station. The excursion train came up about ten
minutes after she had gone. bat it did not stop. That
train wa. going as near as I can guess about 30 miles an
hour. From the Hainpstead stadium to Kentiehdown
tle line is on an incline of 1 its 101. an that day I was
certified that excursion trains would be running,
hat the instructious did nut inform lee how many
there were. They were to run from 9.30 in the morn-
ing, out there was no specified time of their reaming. I
was merely informed that there would be excursion train
running that day. but how many, or what times they
were to run, I was not told. Four through
in the morning, and two more from
rosil 1.30 to
If p.m. It is a practice on our line when • train
pasties through the preceding station to receive a
telegraphic eignal that it has pained through.
Finchley-road is the preceding station ma this ease,
and the rule applies; to excursion as well aa regular
trains. I got • telegram of thee* six different ex-
cursion trains. They did not stop at any station in
the morning. On the return of this excursion train.
I received the telegraph from Finchley-road at 7.10
that an excursim train had passed there, lie
called inn by ringing the bell, and telegn.phed "train
on line.' I replied. and blocked the road. I tale'
graphed to the station forward, which would be the
Kentiehdown, about half a minute af•er I !salved it
from the Fiuribley. After the excursion train passed
my post I re-tekvsphed to the Fumbley-road, "Line
Meer," and then in -about half • minute I telegraphed
to Kentith-town "Thin on line." The answer was
repeated by ringing the bell and giving two ticks of
the noodle, "Train on line," and likeldng the needle
Over.
The inquiry was then adjourned. The number of
deaths up to Friday night was 16.