The Express.
London, England, 1862-09-01 00:00:00

liiltn-AISINTo LONDON MOE AUG. IS TO AUG. IL

1
ilribist barley. MAIL 10465. limas Piss Float.
Coastwise.' qrs. qrs. qrs. I qrs. qes, ors bags sobs
EnsUsSchk ..I 3717 in 12014 2361 673 274 .. MU
106
Foreign .. 64430 4856 .... 1100 S 1776
El. PORTlin —Bear, 26 qrs. ; flour, 1,820 CWit.

MINCING LANE.—(THIS DAT.)
SCGAIL —There is st good inquiry, at firm prime, but at
present without leadwg to busman of any °Mout. Ro-
bed firm.

Gown.—A fair amount of business has been tumuli:dad
is both plantation and native Coylon at full pi ices.
MA continues quiet.
COTTON.—The market is very active, and prices have
further advanced about id. per lb.
BlLL—About 3,000 bags have been sold, cargo, at de. ;
white Bengal, llt 6d. to lla. 9d.
The public sales advertised for the week are light. those
for to-morrow being 400 hhds. of West India, 1,700 Imp
Penang sugar. 400 casks Ceylon, and 950 packages of &et
India rotten. 350 bags of saltpetre, and sundry &palters'
goods.

TALLOW MARKET.—(THIS DAT).
The market is steady. Town tallow is quoted 476. to
475. ;td., net cub ; Pe Y.C. on the spot. 411 t.
to 48s. 3d. ; September. 495. ; 6et. to Dec., 48e. 3d.

PARTICULUti 01 TALLOW:

Tin: FATAL ACCIDENT ON TEE
MIDLAND RAILWAY.

(ROM OMR OWN BIROSTINL)

MARKET. HARBOROUGH, Auutmer 3L

The accident on the Midland Railway, on Thurs-
day uight, I find from investigation on the spot, wan not
attended with quite ouch immediate fearful results ra was
.tatod in your impression of Saturday. It was, however, of
ao :ippalling character, one man being killed oo the spot,
spwards of twenty others severely injured—two or more of
them there is too much reason to fear fatally so—sod some
thirty or forty others sustained injuries of a less severe
character. The train to which the accident occurred was a
»tura excursion train from Barton, Melton, Lei-
cester, and Manton. It started from those places
en Wednesday morning for London, and was to re-
turn on Thursday evening ; sod was advertised
to start on the return journey from King's cross Station at
half peat seven o'clock in the evening. from the number
of passenger., however—there ware some Imll—it was de-
termined to divide the train into two, both on the op
journey rind the down. On the down journey there were
49 carriages altogether, and they were divided as equally as
might be, being allocated to one train and 14 to another.
Besides the large number of carriages, another meson for
enakiog two trains of them was that a great proportion of
the passengers came from Burton, and it was
convenient to hays them altogether, as the car-
riages containing them would have to leave the main line
at Knighton Junction in order to get on the branch to
Burton. The first train, consisting of Si carriages, con-
tained the Burton passengers, and the second, consisting of
24 carriages, contained the passengers to Leicester and
Manton. Though advertised to start at half-past seven,
the first train did not start till ten minutes to eight, and the
second started five minutes afterwards. The distance front
Loudon to Market Harborough is 81 miles, and the first
train arrived at that station at seven minutes to eleven.
Here it stopped for water. The tank from which
the water is obtained for the engines of the down trains is at
the north cod of the station ; but the train extended to
about 10 yards beyond the signal posts, which are to the
south of the station. The second train, it appears, stopped
for water at Bedford, which is forty-seven and a half miles
from London, and it is alleged that es it was going into the
station at Bedford the first train was just going out, and
the red lights at the tail of the train could be distinctly
teen. The operation of taking in water ordinarily occupies
from seven to ten minutes ; so that the first train had the
start from Bedford by at least seven minutes, and this dia.
Vance of time between the two trains seems to have been
kept up till they got to Market Harborough. Neither of
the trains wax timed to stop at Market Harborough,
but the first train did stop there for water at seven minutes
to eleven.

The station was closed, there being no more trains expected
to stop that night ; the lights were all put out, and the
London and North Western station master (it is a joint
alatioe of the two companies) was going to bed. Hearing
the train atop, however, he went out on the platform to
render soy assistance that might be required. A number
of the passengers alighted, and some of them expressed
their anxiety with regard to the second train, which they
knew was close behind them ; but the majority appeared
to be merry, and many were the tender inquiries " How's
your poor feet," those who used that slang phrase being
little aware how soon that game inquiry would be made of
many of them in sad reality. They had all been got into
the carriages, the door were closed, and the train was just
about to start, or rather Lad started, the engine having
given ono or two puffs, when the alarm whistle of the
engine of the second train was heard sounding loud, long,
sod continuously. The guard of the first train seeing the
second approaching, and that a collision was inevitable,
jumped from the break-no, and called out " Passengers,
jump for your lives." Those who heard his call—and indeed
many who did not, for panic spread itself with wonderful
celerity—instantly made most frantic efforts to get out of
the carriages, and a few succeeded and got on the platform
in safety, but the train mane on and ran into the break-van
of the first trine, smashing it to atoms, and throwing over
sod utterly destroying and breaking into splinters the
eaarisge which was next to it. A composite carriage which
was next to this was also throwu over and knocked
to pieces. The first mot of the train recoiled and
broke the coupling chains, and the train went oo
some hundred yards or so, and then stopped.
The second train also stopped, the engine having been
thrown off the line by the collision, but it did not tura
ever, and it appears was not materially injured, nor was
any damage done to the approaching train, nor were any
of the passengers in it severely injured. But this was far
tram being the case with the unfortunate passengers in
the first train. Their screams were temfic. As soon as
the trains were at a standstill or before, all who were not dis-
abled from so doing were rushing out of the wrings with
all the haste they could make. To add to the coufusiou,
the station was in total darkness, the hunter, as I have
stated, having been, with one exception, all put out some
time before. Some of the passengers had blood streaming
down their faces, some of the women had their bonoete
in their bands and their babes in their anus, cud all
except those who had been prostrated be the injuries they
bad received, were looking anxiously around to ascertain
what had become of their friends. Mr. Rich, the station-
master, procured a hand lamp, and proceeded to the end of
the train, and foi.ad that three persons were laid on the
road, wedged under portions of one of the carriages. It was
impossible to extricate them at the moment, but with as
much despatch as could be used a screw-jack was obtained,
and several of the uninjured passengers set to work vigo-
reedy, and used their utmost efforts to extricate them.
Three quarters of an hour elapsed before this could be
effected, and when it was, one of these unfortunates, Thomas
Stamm, a man from 40 end 50 years of age, • carrier,
residing at White/kb, was found to be dead. Another, Mr.
Harrison, of Whitwich. had his arm broken ; and the third,
Yr. Sherwin, of Market Bosworth, bad also his arm broken,
and had likewise sustained • severe injury to one eye. In
the meanwhile a large bonfire was kindled with the
&iris of the broken carriages, in order to give light, and
the station-master lighted the lamps up, opened the office,
and directed some of the passengers to go into the town.
and get people to come and assist, and to bring as many
'medical men as they could find. Their efforts in this direc-
tion were quite successful. At first, indeed, the policeman
en duty mistook them for • number of drunken
people, for they were naturally in an excited state,
and he went to the police-station for assistance, but Mr.
/lift, the superintendent of the county constabulary, soon
ascertained the real state of things, and Le hastened to the
railway station. Mr. Ody, Mr. Heygate, and Mr. Francis,
surgeons, and Mr. Galloway, the assistant to the latter gen-
tleman, who had been aroused, were also quickly on the
spot, sod vent numbers of the inhabitants hastened to
render sasiatauce, taking with them water mos, glasses,
sponges, linen, and other things which they thought would
might be useful to dress the wounds rod assuage the
safferinp of those who were injured. Mr. Braswell,
upholsterer, took up his furniture van ; Mr. Mosey,
the Midland superintendent, who lives in the town,
also hurried to the station, and gave directions
that he should be followed by the horse and dray
belonging to the company. Oa arriving at the station he
telegraphed to Leicester for medical and other assistance.
and also to prevent any other trains coming up in that
direction. In the meanwhile, the booking.ollices and Mr.
Rich's house were c Inverted' into an hospital, and were
filled with patients, who were furnished with such refresh-
ment& as hisestaldishment afforded.

About 2 o'clock from 40 to 50 of the pa.ssengert whose in-
.
pries did Dot prevent them being removed were sent on to
Likelier, and they were all attended to at the station there
by Dm Lasater, Belton, Jackson. and Moore. Twenty.
three others, whose injuries were of too severe a character
to permit of their being sent further away, were carried
to hotels in Market Harborough.
By this time a number of the passengers who
had escaped injury had found their way to Market
Harborough, and had roused the innkeepers there, for the
purpose of obtaining iefreahinenta. Many of them were much
frigliseued, and they hired every available horse and vehicle
M the place to convey them to their homes, rather than go
on in the train. Some 200 started for their homes in this
manner. The remainder were despatched by train, and by
Ave o'clock the line sou clear, and the station rammed its
wonted appears nee.
Some of the passengers seen to have bad miraculous es-
capes. One stated that he was looking out of the window
and suddenly felt himself lifted up, and that spreading his
arms be alighted on the platform unhurt. Another said he
found himself on the platform, but had no notion how be
got there, but on looking at the carnage he bad been in he
found the top off, and he then lifted his wife out.
The primary cause of the accident seems to hive been
the starting of the two trains within so abort a time of each
ether, bet a subsidiary cause is the pecuharity which at-
!lichee to the Market Harborough station. This station, as
I have already meetioned, is a joint station of the London
and North Western and the Midfield Companies. The Mid-
land line runs into the North Western line at Market Hai--
borough, and the line for about three-quarters of • mile
from that place northwards is in fact part of the London
and North Western line. The station at Market Harborough
is entirely under the control of the London and North
Western Company, and the signal and pointsmen and
ether officers are their servente, the Midland having
there only • superintendent of the traffic, who
Ire DO control over the business of the station.
The blame mats between the engine-driver of the second
train, who is in the employ of the Midland Company, and
the signalman, who is in the employ of the London and
North Western. On behalf of the latter, it is alleged that
the signals were displayed to indicate danger, and that if the
datine-driver bad attended to these signals, no collision
mould have occurred. In reference to the signal we should
explain that there is a large signal post at the Market Ha,
borough-station, and &boat a third of a mile southwards
tb.r., is what is tanned as auxiliary signal, win& Is worked
sky the was at the aria *aid-poet The sigma teem, whew