The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-08-07 00:00:00

A YEAR'S RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.

Mr. Calvert's report to the Board of Trade on the
railway accidents and collisions that occurred in 1879
has been issued. From this report it appears that the
total number of persons returned to the Board of
Trade as having been killed in the working of the rail-
ways during the year was 1,032, and the number of in-
jured 3,513. Of these, 160 persons killed, and 1,307
persons injured were passengers. Of the remainder
452 killed, and 1,951 injured, were officers or servants
of the railway companies, or of contractors, 'and 420
killed, and 255 injured, were trespassers and suicides,
and other persons who met with accidents at level
crossings or from miscellaneous causes.

Of the passengers, according to the return made to
the Board of Trade, 75 were killed, including 73 sup-
posed to have been lost in the Tay Bridge disaster,
and 602 were injured from accidents to trains.
In addition to the above, the companies have re-
turned 42 persons killed and 2,314 injured from acci-
dents which occurred on their premises, but in which
the movement of vehicles on railways was not con-
cerned, and which consequently cannot be considered
as " railway accidents.'

Excluding ten inquiries under the head of miscel-
laneous, 101 train accidents on railways have formed
subjects of inquiry, and have been reported on by
officers of the Board of Trade during the past year,
against 108 for the previous year, 1878.
-

Twenty-one companies were concerned in the acci-
dents arising from collisions, which were distributed
among them as follows: Seven to the London and
North-Western, 3 to the Great Eastern, 3 to the
Great Western, 3 to the Lancashire and Yorkshire,
2 to the Midland, 2 to the London and South
Western, 2 to the North London' 1 to the Belfast and
County Down 1 to the Great Northern of Ireland
Railway, 4 to the London, Brighton, and South
Coast, 1 to the London, Chatham, and Dover, 1 to the
Metropolitan, 1 to the Metropolitan District, 1 Mon-
mouthshire, 1 Portpatrick, 4 to the North British, 1
to the North-Eastern, 1 to the Rhymney, and 1 to the
South-Eastern Railways, and 3 onli nes belonging to
Joint Companies.
In a general summary the report states that the
number of causes which contributed to investigated
accidents of the past year are less than those of the
previous year, 1878, the number of accidents inquired
into having decreased by 8 per cent. ; there is a decrease
in the number of instances in which accidents were
due, amongst other causes, to defective signal and
point arrangements' or to defective systems for securiug
intervals of space between trains. The cases of in-
sufficient or inadequately enforced regulations are
much less than in former years.
The cases due to foggy or stormy weather have con-
siderably increased.
The cases in which the insufficiency of brake-power
contributed to the accidents, although somewhat less,
may be considered as about the same. Among the
latter cases, however, as in past years, those cases
have been included in which it was reported that
had continuous brakes been available on the trains
the accident might have been mitigated in its
effect or have been altogether averted. The prin-
cipal causes which led to the accidents appear to
have been—negligence, want of care, or mistakes ;
inadequate or unsuitable brake-power ; defective
arrangements of signals points, &c. ; defective system
for securing intervals of space between trains; defec-
tive maintenance of rolling stock or road; excessive
speed; insufficient regulations; and foggy or stormy
weathsp,or snowstorms. After some general remarks
as to Ite increased safety to passengers consequent
upon improvements in railway working, the report
goes onto say that it is to be hoped that no long period
will elapse before the interlocking and absolute block
systems will be completed upon all railways used for
passenger traffic, not only in England, where the
greatest amount of progress had been made, but in
Scotland and especially in Ireland, where so little has
as yet been done.
In regard to new lines and works, it may be ob-
served, in conclusion, that great as has been the pro-
gress of the interlocking and block systems since
the passing of the Act of 1873 requiring returns of
the progress annually made in the adoption of these
systems of working, a good deal remains to be done.
The deficiences yet to be made good can only be found
in railways which were open for traffic during or prior
to the year 1873, inasmuch as the opening of new lines
submitted for inspection since and for some time prior
to that date, have not been authorized until all the
necessary appliances for working on those systems were
found to be complete. The adoption of these pre-
cautionary measures, coupled possibly with a decrease
of traffic, is concurrent with a decrease in the number
of accidents to trains, and especially of collisions.
The number of accidents still due to the negligence,
want of care, or mistakes of officers or servants, ,
shows that when all mechanical appliances are adopted I
accidents may still occur. But this is no reason why
those appliances should not be adopted; and it is to be
hoed and expected from the managers of railways
that the complete adoption of the block and interlock-
ing systems, of continuous footboards with proper
platforms, and especially of improved brake power,
will no longer be delayed.