The Express.
London, England, 1852-09-18 00:00:00

SEPTEMBER.. 18, 1852.

THE FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE BRISTOL

AND EXETER RAILWAY.

The inquiry into the circumstances attending the
Lath of Mimes Hantherstone, the stoker, who lost his life
W the *gip of the =pus train rig of the line on
Wednesday, the lOW. i was renamed, at the Bell inn,
weed
sides Theradif, M.V. Meek" de mesa
divides el lie aseely ilimereet for the
Remy Searle riles, emreaa le the lenresel cud Tays.
Ito& Hospital. deposed as • —Lumber Reelen, engine
driver, was admitted as the afternoon of the Mb, arse
half-par 6 *Week. Re had meet with as segisst. Oa
di* day reTteras to the siondeg es whit& Resew kW he
rue a oseleratien. At thetas* he wee set aware of his
Meier, bet at the tire I leek le I Weeks be wee. Re
repealed that statement homes $ sad dileck,whes he
wr avert of being put all haps a(reeerey. Mw state-
ment made es array at 10 OAS. was as harm :—" I
thick w• were me seer a quarter of ea her es ems be late
in starting from the Bristol station. I kept at the erg
speedos Beer as I me recollect, until we seeshed
water, when we were delayed a sheet time eheeeli
minutes, by taking in coke. At the time et the asellent I
was total not exceeding 44 miles an beer. It wee k-
'tantalums, and I had not the least wasmiasi. I eamnet
account in any way for the accident." As 11.11800 p.m. lear
beet Heaton reiterated the above statement, being new pr►
fectly convinced of his great danger and of the little bole
of his recovery. He was perfectly collected when he made
the Grit statement. He died the following morning at II
o'clock. lie desired a scratch to be put under the word
"least" when he made the declaration.
Charles Foveae's, pager on the line, Thorn Piaci/so
and William Chirps, both guards on the down express, &-
peed, that they could not account for the accident. They
were not pimp beyond the ordinary rate of speed.
George Dawson, gauger, residing in the parish of Creech,
ezansined.—l have ease M the line from the 1601 milepost
to 188 on the post. That includes the Creech " invert" ex-
tending from the Creech "invert" to the plus where the
engine is new lying. My duty is to inspect my part of the
line once a-day or to send a man. I make a report to
Mr. Godfrey who Is inspector of the district. On the Bth
inst. at • quarter pest 7 a.m., I went over that part
.01
the line width I had to Inspect. I examined it minutely. I '
saw nothing wrong I had nothing to repJrt, not finding
anything wrong. iconsider that part of the reed is in good
condition. The timbals are good. The rails were properly
Pried-
Captain Laren deposed : I am a captain in the Royal
gimps. By the direction of the Board of Trade I hew
visited the opt where the accident happened. I proceeded
thither on Monday last. The engine was embedded in the
embaskuent. I made a minute examination of the line in
the neighbourhood. The line was in a good average comas
tion. There might have been a few rails which I should
have wished to have had out. In the invert, and Is rest
places, the line was very good though occasionally there wee
a rail or two which I should have removed. There was a
short length intervegas between the 'avert and
where the lay which did not apps the place se
to me to be in as g • condition as it might have
been kept in. There ate some peculiar difficulties on-
nested with that spot. It lies about half way up so
amending bank. The line from Bridgewater had to dip
eseeklerably to get under the Chard Canal,. and then to
rise spin to its proprr level, and engine.dnyers in charge
of fast trains would naturally run down at • high speed In
order to get up the opposite honk. The speed, therefore,
at which traffic would pus over the spot where the accident
happened would naturally be higher than at most other por-
tions of the line. In addition to this extra cause for wear
and tear, there is one peculiar construction of the line at
that plami—the line, in dipping to pass under the Chard
Gast, bad to be sun through very soft clay, and, to guard
*slut the effects of • soft bottom, an " invert" was turned
seder the line for the distance of about threireightha of •
mile, and this affords • firm bed, over which the trains run
smoothly. On leaving the " invert," however, the line has
nothing to rest upon but the naturally soft bottom of clay,
and as the cutting collects all the moisture, all the wet, all
the rain, this clay sometimes becomes so soft that it may
almost be called puddle. There would naturally bee very
crest yielding of the line in passing over • soft bottom, and
the wavy, heaving motion caused by this yielding, joined to
the high speed, will naturally cause a greater wear and tear
of the rails at this spot than at may ether. I may add also
that this spot will try the sprier and Wu of every poen-
ger train, and if then was • weak paint akar the imechan-
het. Is week be mere likely to give way there than ea the
esieether parts of the line. I have the seeks and
tender as well as I could. 1 raid set get ot keener be-
low the gearing, but I saw the wheel and wisp suMill-
ently to arrive at the concludes the there vie rake In
its condition to cause the accident. The bores pert of
the axle of the leading wheels of the testy es the riOt-
hand side is broken raft ea The epreesses of the (na-
ture was not that whisk stink be peered by god iron.
It was granular, and showed se eppetwere Of ibrk I
have no reser to believe, however that the axle was
originally of bad Iron. The apparent of the ether parts
of the axle leads to an opposite concludes. I believe that
the internsl strestare of the iron at the point of tractors
had been changed by. the long-continued chute of alternate
heating sad assibqm the jars and vibrations sewed by the
ordinary trails. The point of fracture seinekles with the
lip when the greatest weight rests Wei the axle, sad
where it would, thereire, be seen espied to the effects of
the mews et whisk 1 have spikes.
The Oateser—Oss you at all usesst kr the widest ?
Cerra WI" after a pare, amid he sherd peke
statism wen le glob, any o=
Orme yeemer
CTbsapers Leas itthe is Ike a ;mesa ran, after a rut
asereein seariesties, sea if he sae serum for the
mars of she death et the be ham 'nay then ma-
Weed. Nevertheiess, if it was wished, he would state his
▪ The eerier and jury wished to hoer the opinion as ea
*aim
laffea—l believe thaw axle of the loading
wbesl eitthe tender was weak at the point I have boffin
ilimeribed, sad that es the train eosin at a very high speed
mu the line thresh the " basest," end corky eadately es
the ratlike eel mete yields Bse beyond. M • time whoa
u. estreerdkery hal el sell Weds*M asegger es any in-
herent ashes la dist part el the Ike. Mere or sel a relent
*deg sad Wheelies. whisk eimind the beano, of die enk
tree to give way. The 1 wheels of Me hake dms
lett the Use, and the fregehr arks easeleg the torn to
strike the aflssper of the eagle, at • time when the
Ladles wheel of the emcee mat a rail whisk was not in
geed eandilles, Asseetbeee leading whoa of the =gine off
de Ike, eel the eeriest nu. areed. I sire thh se my
spires, set es Me heL
lamer reams% hearelive emperintesdesi el the B&W
and Issue Waugh emrsined— I hew the rights He.
CO, 'Nohow wWe seemed he as geed moditisa
as it was wilds ke ea esgM ea be. The aces sad
teeder itrft p together. Parer to the likk el
gegamithe eagew het undergoes themegb wk. hacks/
been almost rebuilt. She less, be pesaikil 'wreak
alma as geed sea sew mime. Oa the 1011 t Ast
she errs est of dock te ple weak end was tatted in
piloting tiU the nth, whim the searkemd regular
work. She had waited three ewer trine eerier to
the eeriest She was then wed*, the ibuide.
Henry Dritilies, eerier siedek of the Rebid
sad Ineter eammlintlo—Fidia ay ewer kers
Mire, I as ay that ivory atterzlise to the tellies
✓eek sad rade. Is ay
t theevigaling mil"riedt is ameller esedities.
Vlore J. Mattirmil. ream a the Brag and
beer Railway, wee mint varied he line is
divided Sato three rider impastees, ender whoa ere
Laic "shreyee Ora kg is every mesing to ermaine
seek barietikadorp of drat two mike aed a
half. ve a roper Roe the
see
whish details nights
mile the stale et the read. I us see•
Mundy at the Vas, awl prier le the arkeet I fog ad II
ha we ark Os may roped w areekner Is was
above does
Capers Leas ltd that be never eseesdamd
while lies mislsy.tite haired it to be In as good a role
any ha the
Kr. Peril is was the Int NOW as the hers
The Jer' waned the tekswieg Tatar: .4 We iled net
Thum ibstresewaskYW es Wairdah the Mh of
liiiesibw. by wseem asl leeder of the Wield mad
Lora empress down-trek broke rue off the Ike Air
pehlig ruder the Chard semi I bet of the owe at Ihe
gereele me have se satisibelory masses. We bre. boo-
wen sedklest either Mhos es le ebew that the...
let the Mee epee whisk the smiler waned h
Modes is riper of a ash sleeks ups "Ma th7M
:re Idtrelleekely ohm or wester. This ought* be

ZIWIL3IIIIIIMT ter BATES AT WOICERTML—On
Isaseang het She Int Mee wisp rade badr in
Storm Walk wee laid. lanl At u of One
leas lei ben pargessd, etisedlag hen Menne Walk
dont In the end, awl an ember Own ging of water
wee ablenel ea the dr, whisk wM be trod ter
tbe_ embed supply._ The web ef the beilllng whish ere
el MM. are olooofi yet
shine the pliant Time
wM be eight bath nem et the tWeenel red in the
entre has recess ha eel ether pusgeses. It is net
yet deeded winder the bras shell be on this
site, ea era the Seven ; bet it dinar there will be
maple tae.. Mr. honk Weed is the budder, and it is
the blahs erM to egos is abort three menthe.—
restin d
srCarnsirs.

LONDOliailll AND COMA= RAILWAT.— On
Timothy last, lith histaat, a trip tai pleas as ha as New-
towaiPamiypartif. • tpla of tho ant awrispi. sesollisd by
a sohat of loilm sal gasisahos Deny wi
Me. MOs asMiaster pi a
lts eash , aering staff,
strived at the Ismdwas at shoat Lit-peas sae o'clock. The
rearm pilaf_ Or optallima asme oat as thy lsadieg.place
mil monk hmspito 1114/11. bat owing m the day being
g wet, Ile bibs hop flask mats la he daring the
Met sloyM Ms Ma. •Mt lofts Pi men paned
IP sassosisa at Xmitaa. la ardor to et as eater-
Milmat pilaw' he tho ssorirs by . IMPCoemask, at
liaboly. ft Is uthislsol Mt the lip Ira ba apes for
iegoket Was scaly le the mat ism& Ifs webs la the
smatrustisa al the Yes to Oslsialao ma peogresilap n-
pB4fisse Mereswv.
FATAL Aocamt.—Yesterday morning, at an
.47 hear, the hissilea hoed assiisal happiest in the
Dosahray, Hsmtawatri • pang ma, asset Charles
Ma. a maw to Mr. JIMIN, dm sasdiss primer of
HaNag bmo. linothri. was mat Ms vaster with a load
of vogshMas he bat oat rearlis
slism.asmod Iss spirt
sod fit la Massif wikkand
risilabahro tho Psim—all
bit.slopped the Wails of ths
ever the inkatrats ma's body. Ha itssillemaCZ
scampi Owes Hospital, where bah ma fa
sa sail to kis sataiags. I