The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-20 00:00:00

SHOCKING RAILWAY ACCIDRNT AT OLDS

SOP.-THREE LIVES LOST.

A railway accident of a novel but very shocking
character took place on Tuesday night ea the Dintiag
Viaduct of the Manchester sad Sheffield Railway, across
the river Btherow, near Glow". A train from Manchester
approached the Hadfield station, which is at the eastern end
of the viaduct, anti in consequence of • Liverpool excursion
train being in ulnae', and haring to discharge passengers
at the station, the Manchester train was brought to a stead
on the viaduct. This was at 935 p.m. The night was
very dark, and it appears that some of the paseengers in
the Manchester teat., who had to get out at Hadfield,
imagined that the train was already at the station. Three
of these persons, two young men and a young woman,
succeeded in opening the door of the carriage and got out.
The parapet of the viaduct on that side was within
• very short space of the carriages, and it is sup-
posed that owing to the darkness of the night, instead
of getting down in the narrow space between the train
and the parapet of the viaduct, they stepped upon the top
of the parapet. Immediately afterwards an alarm was
given that they had fallen over, and toe shocking fact was
soon afterwards confirmed by the discovery of their bodies
in the valley below. They bad fallen from a height of 76
feet. Two of them, John Healy, aged 23 years, and Jane
Hadfield, who were lovers, and bad been to Belle Vuo
Gardens, Manchester. were quite dead when found. The
other men, Thomas Priestnall, a weaver, aged 29 years,
residing at Freetown, was taken up in a state of icasnsibi- •
lity, and died in about an hour afterwards. Priarinall
bad attempted to persuade another young woman to get
out with him, but. fortunately, she had not complied with
his request. An inquest was to be held on the bodies lest
evening.

WRECK ON THE PENTLAND SZE RRIES.
On the night may, the 9th inst., about 9
o'clock, the schooner Alert, of Belfast, Capt. Win. Graham,
from Liverpool for Memel, became becalmed and un-
manageable when near the Pentland Sherries, and, despite
the efforts of the master and crew, struck on the larger
Sherry, and remained fast. The captain was washed over•
board, but was saved by two women belonging to the light-
house. The mate remained on board till 8 in the morning,
when he and the others of the crew went on shore to the
lighthouse, where they were all kindly treated by Mr. Cum-
ming, the keeper. During their simonise, according to the
amount of the captain and the mate, Mr. John Wilson+,
and eleven bolts from Strome and other places on the Pent-
land, boarded the stranded vessel, and the crews began Gut-
ting up the standing rigging, appropriating the stores, and
otherwise conducting hemming like wreckers of the olden
time. While this work was going en, the mate and Mr. Cum-
ming boarded the ship, and ordered the men to desist, which
they refused to do, declaring that the vessel while stranded
we as much theirs as the mate's S At last Mr.Comatirig gave
them permission to lighten the vessel, provided they would
carry all the articles to the larger /thirty. This they pro-
mised to do, tint did not. Tao work of destruction then
commenced is reality. The standing rigging was out down,
sad the ma* cut away by the board, and allowed to go
over the side. Bea man sought to help himself. One boat
carried off four good hawsers ; others, portions of the running
rigging, and almost every boat had Dome portion of the
vessel's rigging or stores, and comparatively little has been
left to the owners. The captain end mate of the Alert
arrived at Wick on Wednesday, and reported the occurrence
to Mr. Bremner, C. 8., Agent for Lloyd's, who has insti-
tuted a searching inquiry into the matter. Most of the
boats and crews are known, and this disgraceful and lakes-
pitable conduit will, we trust, be properly imposed and
punished.—John o' Groat' a JeerrieL