The Express.
London, England, 1851-12-03 00:00:00

THE FATAL RAiLWAY ACCIDENT AT

FORD.

CHICHESTER, Dm. 2.

The inquest on the body of James Martin, the
stoker of the passenger train which caused the accident at
Ford on Thursday, commenced this morning at the East
Sussex, West Hampshire, and Chichester Infirmary, before
James Powell, Esq., the city coroner.

Charles Burgess, guard to the down passenger train on
Thursday, deposed that the train left Brighton for Ports-
mouth at 9.30 in the evening. John Pemberton was
driver. James Martin, the deceased, was stoker or fireman.
The train was due at the Arundel station at 10,5. We ar-
rived one minute after that time. We left again
in about a minute. Just on the Arundel station
side of the bridge, over the river Arun, the
train came in collision with another train. Just
before that I heard • whistle. A tremulous whistle
would denote danger, and be a signal to the guard to put on
the break. The whistle he heard was an ordinary whistle.
Pirubcrton gave no signal whatever. Witness was
looking for a signal lamp at the time; but the
steam from the engine prevented my seeing it. My carriage
was next the engine and tender. Immediately after the con-
cussion I felt the break carriage shivered to pieces, and it
toppled over the embankment. Not finding the other car-
riages mount the carriage, as I expected, I crawled out.
Having procured • light, I looked for the driver and stoker.
I found the driver a knife in his hand and his throat
eat. Hargreaves, the driver of the goods train, came up, and
Page the guard. I then found the stoker lying near the boiler
tithe engine at the bottom of the embankment. Ile was
dreadfully hurt, bloody about the head, and insensible.
Hargreaves then called out, " Pemberton has runt° throw
himself into the river." 1 ran to the river, saw him in the
water, and polled him out. He never spoke to me. There
were ealy bur passengers ; and they were not materially
Isjwad. I sent for medical assistance, and it arrived in an
hour. After we had got Pemberton and Martin into some
cottages, I saw the red light. Pemberton, if he saw it, ought
to hays shot off the steam, and the stoker to put on the
hreake directly. I knew of no regulations as to speed in
peeing over the bridge. It use safe as any other part
of the line. Our pace at the time of the accident was over
30 miles an hoar. There is only • single line of rails over
the bridge. After the accident I saw no hand danger
lights.
James Hargreaves, driver of the up goods train, deposed
that when he went on the bridge he had been shown the
" all right" signal ; and after his train had been streets. le
saw that the down train had been signalled to " stop."
While on the bridge, whams signalled to the down train Is
time for it to have stopped, but there was no emention
speed, and witness put on all his form for the wpm
clear of the bridge before the Awe 11.611 Sage fir
ft ‘ettrispageadomary to slacken speed before peering the Wipe.
This witness attributed the accident to Pemberton ihne•
garding the signals.
Michael Hickey, signal and switchman at the
stated that he saw the goods train coming towards
bridge, a green light being exhibited to indicate caution.
At this time the red light was as the semaphore to stop the
down train. He took • red kand.light, sad went forward
MO yards, and seeing • red Ore which be thought wee
melded from the 1 dews train, he Wined reends
waved the white light to WWI is the goods We. the as
tbs bridge, and he thee lased mewl omit end waved Ids
red light to the hews lody es en widdenel deellue=
The signal, bowever, woo dinregardod. dw
took place. The MOM WWI net skat of at dee dm. As •
mineral rule the pees was slut seed when twordmialiss Weld.
Witness afterward. beard Peetherent say, " droll
were all right; it was fachrolßeeddiat made me de IV
Mediate to his throat. I[r edged how the aseiliet
, beggeeed. end Pemberton emptied, e, My nuts wen nil Ma
'se den who cleans tie carriages pat freehold ea et
and easily smothered the diet levied
Imbed Ye deo the fames affected my we) owl Weer
• dad thee I =Mod nay eyes, and the first Wog I saw
woe three red Ildtais, It is no fault of Hickey's." He
added he woo sedimed, and had lost all power.

(By Elsetrie Tekin

manic Pemberton, with re-

commendation to the company to give orders to engine-
driven to pus slowly over Arundel Bridge. They also re-
commend them to test the merits of Whitworth's Watt for
twotectiom against railway accidents.

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