The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-12-26 00:00:00

SERIOUS COLLISION ON THE sroun
VALLEY RAILWAY.

TWENTY PERSONS INJURED.

At the Albion Railway Station, abouksitmiles
from Birmingham, on the Stour Valley Vid,rllnd
between Dudley Port and Oldbury, a serious se.
cideut occurred on Wenesday morning. The
greatest alarm prevailed, and the most direful
consequences anticipsted. Rumours reached
Birmingham which led to the expectation of
fearful slaughter; it was said that the town was
being scoured by messengers in search of sur-
geons ; but, fertneately, what might have b,:en
was not, and this turned out to be one of the ex-
aggerations with which, under such circumstan-
ces, we are familiar. The lives of the passen-
gers were in the utmost jeopardy, Latour record
is not du-kened by the enumeration of any cases
of death. Nevertheless, more than a score of
persons were severely shaken, and some of them
received injuries of a more or less serious char-
acter. The real cause of the accident is one
which so frequently occurs, and for which it is
difficult to find who is to be held to be reprehen-
slble. A goods train, miscellaneously laden,
Borne of the wagons containing heavy iron goods
and emcee kindly-intentioned Christmaseonsign-
mmits, was brought to a stand upon the main
. . . . . .

- - -
line at the station—, when about half pvt ten the
2 1.1 thin. train from Holyhead canto tip and a
co!lission ensued. There was nothing in the
shape of signals to indicate to the driver of the
passenger tr in that there was any obstruction
in the way, sod in its ordinary course the tr .in
would have been driven through the station at
full speed, in which case the consequences must
have been disastrous to an extreme. But through
the foggy and frosty atmosphere the driver saw
some obstacle, and was induc .d to slacken the
speed of the engine, and thus serious and even
fatal results were averted. As it was, the shuck
of the c.illision was severe. The passengers in
the holyhead train were vio:ently thrown from
their seats, and huddled together in a state of
great consternation, many of them being des-
perately shaken. 'rho framework of the engine
of the passenger train was damaged, cud the
buffer plank broken into pieces. The goods
train, which was the obstacle in the road, con-
sisted of four carriages, all of which were broken
op. One of the wagons in the middle of the
train was forced directly on to the top of the
one in front, ant so closely did they becotno at.
t tolled that in the clearing of the lino they were
:Irawn away together, and placed on a siding.
Part of the woo lon platform just outside the
station was broken away. The driver of the
express stuck to lit engine manfully and by the
action he took lessened considerably the shock
of the collision. Both he and the stoker escaped
uninjured, but the guard of the goads train was
bably cut and bruised. About sixteen other
I persons were hurt. A train for Birmitightun,
which was just starting, was injured by the fall
of the large iron pipes with which the goods
train was loaded. oreat coufusiou pevailed at
the station, and this was increased by the cir-
cumstance that no one was present to direct
affairs, the station-master having started to Bir-
mingham for help immediately the accident oc-
curred.

• In a remarkably short time Mr. Stokes.
assistant superintendent, arrived upon the scene,
and under his direction a gang of men proceeded
with the work of clearing the line. Impertant
assistance was also rendered by Mr. W. Clotman,
the Dudley Port station-master. In the mean-
time the passengers were receiving medic •11
attention from Mr. Oliver Pemberton, Mr. Green-
way, Mr. W. C. Freer, Mr.l,Clookson, all of
Birmingham, and Mr. Kendrick, of Dudley Port
The following is a list of the injured as far as
could be ascertained :

William Smith, of StittTurd, guard of the goods
train, cut and
_bruised. _

Peter Manning, Provident Street, Liverpool,
injuries to the back.

'NV. Cr. Willi:LEDs, Liverpool, injuries to the
back.

George Wheeler, Sedgley,injuries to the hack.
Mary Ann Round, Pitlleid Street, Kate's Hill,
Dudley, injuries to the leg and thigh.
Francis Pritchaid, Bradley Green, near
Biddelph, injuries to the elbow.
B. Lazarus, Culaden Street, Birmingh
hand injured.
_

Chart-re Totterdell, Church Street, Netherton,
ellaken.

Jeffery Hill, Motherwell Scotland, bruises.
William Clerk, 207, Great Britain Street,
Dublin, injuries to back and head.
Jon. Palmer, 7, Church Road, Netherton,
injuries to shoulder and head
Thomas Large, commercial traveller (Messrs.
Mellor and C t., %hie merchant, Liverpool),
conveyed to Qatteu'a Hospital general injuries
and shock of the system.
Traffic was conducted for some 8010 on a
single lino of rails between Albion and Dudley
Port, but by tvf,-) o'clock the ordinary mode of
travelling could `liie resumed. The trait) tine at
Birmingham at AO 38 did not arrive uutil about
one o'clock.