The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-09-04 00:00:00

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The bodies of the killed were removed to the Juno
tion Inn, where they were laid out in one of the bed-
-rooms for the purpose of identification. Several of
them presented injuries of a fearful description. One
man had had his head, from the upper jaw 4,nd above,
completely carried off, and portions of it were found
some hours after strewed about the line. Another man
was completely scalped, and had received other dread-
ful injuries to the head. Indeed all the killed had
been wounded in the head, their bodies and limbs
generally seeming to be almost uninjured. Mr. Taylor,
one of the worst injured, was suffering from a bad com-
pound fracture of the right leg and bruises on: the
shoulder and back. He lay at the junction till Snnday
afternoon, when he was removed to the Bradford In-
firmary, where the other injured man also remains.
William Muckle was suffering from concussion of the
brain, a wound on the right temple, and a fractured
thigh bone. It is very doubtful whether he can re-
sover, and in the case of Taylor the injuries are very
severe, and at first it was thought that they would
prove fatal, but he has since somewhat rallied. The
process of identifying the bodies was a very slow one,
and up to two o'clock three only had been recognised,
as follows :—Julia Redmond, single woman, 40 years
of age, Bedford-street, Bradford; Charles Francis
Martin, 21, of 7, Claremont-terrace, Bradford, GeorgeLiversedge, 40, shoe-maker, of Bradford. 'The fol-
lowing is a list of the more seriously wounded :
Wesley Silson, 16 years of age, brass finisher, Crown-
street, Bradford, very seriously shaken and bruised;
Hocigson Clough Parkinson, 20 years of age, engineer,
Richmond-road, Bradford, compound fracture of the
left leg, fracture of the right forearm, and scalp
wound; Wm. Holston Taylor, bookseller, Hanover.
square, Bradford, compound comminuted fracture of
the right leg, very severe; John Priestley, shoemaker,
Victoria-street, Bradford, contusion of the right chest
and sprain of the left ankle ; Thomas Doidge, 34,
First Avenue, New Wortley, Leeds, the guard of
the excursion train, damaged chest and scalp
wound; William Muckle, Filbert-street, Oiley-
road, Bradford, concussion of the brain and fracture of
the right thigh, very severe ; Robert Clark, Silk-street,
Manningham, Bradford, very severely shaken and
bruised. On the news of the accident reaching Derby
Superintendent Beswick and Assistant Superintendent
Pateman proceeded to the scene of the occurrence, and
were followed by District Inspector Hawkins, Inspec-
tor Gutteridge, and other officials, who took charge of
the working of the line andb the clearing away of the
clibris.

—rooms

Later in the day the two bodies that had not been
recognised were identified as those of William Calvert
and his son, a lad of 15, of Bradford.

BRADFORD, Monday.

A few additional facts beyond those already re-
ported have come to light in connection with the fatal
collision at Kildwick.

Mr. S. Ambler, of Bradford, one of the passengers
by the unfortunate train, states that he and another
gentleman were sitting in the same compartment
with Miss Redman, one of those killed, when all
of a sudden, and without any warning, there was
an awful crash. The carriages rocked from side
to side, and the woodwork began to crack. Nothing
could be seen, and Mr. Ambler immediately
thought they were running down an embank-
ment with an engine following them. The car-
riage floor seemed to open, and one after another
the passengers dropped through. In the confusion and
darkness which followed nothing very definite is re-
membered, except that some of the passengers who had
not been entangled in the dibris of the carriage were
carried forward till the train stopped, and they fell,
some into the "four foot" and some unacountably
into the "six foot" adjoining. Mr. Ambler, begin-
ning to recover consciousness, found himself locked in
the arms of his companion Hargreaves, and with the
hat of one of the boys in his hand. He felt first whether
his legs were on, and without knowing how he and
Hargreaves scrambled from under what was left of the
carriage, and, frightened out of their wits, ran
off towards the stationmaster's house. Beginning to
recover from the shock, he vent back to the Soene.
The broken matchwood of the carriage was soon
lighted, and in the faint light which first came from
the fire the wreck was all that could be seen. Some
lathwood was taked in bundles from an adjoining
track, and thus • more light was obtained. The
groaning and screaming were such that Mr. Ambler,
in his debilitated condition, had once more to go
away. He returned shortly after, remembering
that he had not seen the woman who sat next his
companion Hargreaves, and a search was instituted.
Several of the killed and injured had by this
time been got out, and some were laid upon cushions
which had been gathered in the neighbourhood of the
scattered pieces of the carriages. After a great quan-
tity of the wreck had been removed from the latter
part of the train Miss Redman was extricated, and
was not then quite dead, but expired in a few moments
in her brother's arms. Mr. Ambler continued, to assist
the injured, but wishing to find his companion he went
up and met Hargreaves, who was bleeding profusely
from a wound on the head. He had become faint, and
had been taken to the stationmaster's house to get his
head dressed.

The inquest on the killed was opened this morning
by Mr. Thomas Parkinson Brown, deputy coroner for
the Skipton district, at the Junction Inn, where the
bodies lie.

The first witness called was George Liversedge, who
Identified the body of George Liversedge. He was a boot
and shoe maker iu Croft -street, Bradford. Dennis Birgin,
Brook•street. Bradford, mason, identified the body of Julia
Redman. She was a single woman, forty years of age,
and resided at 45, Bedford-street, Wakefield-road, Brad-
ford. She was at one time assistant to her sister, the
manager at the Exchange Club. She had been away at
Morecambe for a week. James Francis Martin, commission
agent, identified tile body of his son Charles Franais, who
lived with him at Claremont-terrace. He saw him last at
two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Isabella Muckle, wife
of the injured man, William Muckle, identified the man
William Calvert, who, she said, worked with her husband as
a soap boiler. She knew the boy (Calvert's son) by sight,
but could not tell Ids name. She could not tell where they
lived. She saw them both go away by the train on Satur-
day.
The Coroner said that they would require further evidence
of identification with respect to the Calverts, and the inquest
was adjourned to three o'clock.

On resuming at that hour, Mr. M. W. Thompson, deputy-
chairman of the Midland Railway, was present. Mr. Dickin-
son, solicitor, appeared on behalf of Mrs. Calvert,
The first witness called was Mary Calvert, who identified
the bodies of her husband and son, William Calvert and
John Calvert. They resided at 153, Bolton-road, Bradford.
ller husband was a butler by trade, and had lately been
working at a soap manufactory. Ile was 42 years of age.
Her son was a jobber in a spinning-room. She last saw
them alive about ten minutes past one on Saturday, when
they were in their usual -health. They left home to go to
Mdtecarc be.

The Deputy Coroner at this stage reminded the jury that
the question for them now to decide was as to the day to
which they would adjourn. After some consultation the
inquest was then adjourned till Tuesday week at ten o'clock.
Several of the witnesses showed great emotion in giving
their evidence, and the father of the young man Martin was
quite overcome. It is said that a subscription in aid of the
sufferers and reilatives of the deceased is to be opened at
Bradford.

On Monday evening a special train was despatched
from Bradford to Kildwick to convey the dead bodies of
the victims, and, in anticipation of their removal, crowds
of people congregated at the junction in Kildwick and
at Bradford Station. While the bodies were being re-
moved from the train at Bradford the utmost sympathy
was manifested for the relatives of the dead.

Another death, making the sixth, is announced as a
result of the collision. The deceased, whose name was
Muckel, it appears, died about nine o'clock on Tues-
day morning at the "Junction" Inn at Cross-hills.
He had suffered from concussion of the brain and other
injuries, and was in a dangerous condition from the
first. lie resided at Bradford.
The three persons who were removed to the Brad-
ford Infirmary Are recovering. The number of the
injured continues to multiply. An addition is made
d4ily to the list of those .who were slightly bruised,
lacerated, or shaken, but who were not actually
disabled.

The inquest on view of the deceased, William
Muckel, was opened on Tuesday afternoon by Mr.
Brown, deputy coroner, at the " Junction " Inn,
Cross-hills, and the body was formally identified by
his widow, Isabella Muckel. She stated that she saw
her husband before he went to Morecambe on Satur-
day afternoon between one and two o'clock. He was
then well and hearty. She saw him again on Sunday about
two o'clock, at the " Junction " Inn. He said to her the
carriages had smashed him. He would never go on
the rail again. He was suffering from injuries to the
head, left thigh, and other parts of the body. He was
28 years of age. He died about nine o'clock that
(Tuesday) morning.
The inquest was then adjourned until the following
Tuesday morning.