The Express.
London, England, 1848-09-13 00:00:00

no &Won recollection as to whether I then jumped trout the
tender on the foot plate, at whether I win throws from it,
but I found myself lying between the fir -boa and its
tender on Inv right side, with my left hip ant through. I
also received several Vows on the chest from new parts of
the mac, leery. The Moder broke away from the 'spine ;
she was thrown ofi; and lay with two wheels upi sornoet.
The driver (Mathews) stood by mi on the foot plate for some
time, but Ido not know what afterwards bee.me of him.
The steam was turned off at Newton bridge station.
It is usual to turn off all the steam, or
nearly all, when we are turning earns. A I
the driven slacken speed when they are at these
Points, it being laid down in the rules that they
should do so. We were running at the rata of about forty
miles an hour on the strellat length. When I ran to pat
on the brake we were off the road. I examined and coed
the engine both at Stafford and Wolverhampton. She was
then quite right. I have often been on an ruins when On
epriags are broken—sometimes go at the rate of 36 miles an
hour in such cireurastaecen I have been a fireman two
puts, and ban seen a dozen or MOTO springs broken. On
none of these occasions al the engine lone the line r the
train come to a stand still. I cannot noon, t for this sondem,
and am unable to say whether the engine or the tender went
off flirt rode first.

Mr. Francis Trevethlek, having been recalled, produced
the rules read regulations which the engine-drivers are di.
anted to obaeree, also the time tables, and a comic. map of
the gradients and curves. He said : I have examined the
Colonel engine since the sondent. and toned but one point
,hanged—the rnnoval of a letter trim the leading spring of 1
the engine. A carriage belonging to the &Atha Ceutral
Company was the one thrown over on the line. I I
have since placed 32 cwt equally distributed on it;
the consequenes war that the bottom of toe fi or came in
coated with the flange of a wheel. I afterwards intent d
the weight to 43 cot.; the At then versed so heavily,
that it prevented the oe 110t0/0 of the wheel In en indent
which had previously been made in the floor of the carriage.
The nth. r wheels were free of the fled; one end of the see-
rings with that weight fell li of an loch : the other en t on
the same side had fallen. three-quarters of an itch.
Thirty-three hundred weight w, old be equal to shout
fifteen passengers with luggage [Captain Huish remarked
that the; took the avenge to be !teen p mangers to the
ton.] The wheel fitted into some marks in. the bo torn of
the carriage made by the a`loloo 01 the wheel ; these sp.
peered to have been recently made ; there was no dirt open
them as if they had been or lorg standing. I also conserved
other marks on the carriage trains immediately above the
wheel spoken of, as if one or more b. Its bad het,, forced into
it ; 'Alta corresponding with thee marks ars attached to the
top of the middle of the spring, showing tut when the
body of the carriage rested on that
.part of the spring the
prow action of the spring wait Injured ; and that the
body of the menage must have borne Is. avily on
the flange of the wheel. There was an amen:anon
of the boards of the floor over the wheel haying started, but
not to such an extent as to allow me to rniasaure.—(fly Mr.
Carter): When the carriage was us motion, the effect of the
weight on the floor would be greater; din ethane have been
triune that the surds should put on the brake. slowly. I
have known instances where trai a hove been the ,we off the
line by the brake being put on too suddenly. The driver I
believe does generally know when the brake is put on, but
not always.
Mr. Parker, the superintendent of locomotives, was n-
ailed. He spoke generally in to the state of the " Colonel "
engine. his evidence being in the naive corrobora,ive of that
given by the last witness. He 'urther stated that he ouold
put the engine in repair in two days and with refereooe
to the cause of the accident he saki his firm belief was that
the last carriage of the train find lett the raire.
Mr. Wiliam Parry, of the city of Worcester, was the next
witness. lie said: I travelled by the express train on Satur-
day, the 2d inst, and was in the first compartment of the
last e.arri tut As 1001111• we emerged from the tunnel at
Wolverhampton the "bumping " commenced; this ton-
, tinned mon or less until the accident took place. The cocil-
lation and rolling of the carriages was the greatest
jut befitre the accident occurred. I said to my friends in
' the earrisee with me, " I wish we may gist to Birmingham
freely." I felt a shock, and almost immediately our carriage
' was thrown aside on to an embankment. We I, It the aplin-
ten from the luggage van strik • our carriage, but I do not
think that we had been struck by the pilot engine. I have
' travelled much, and we were going at such a *peed sal never
went before. I should say the *peed from Wolverhampton
was at the rate of 60 miles an hour,
_

Thom.' Holland, the guard of the train, gave It es his
opinion that the train was going at the .rdanary expend.
train speed at the time the seri ..nt took place. At N. one
Brion, the speed was frees 40 to 16 miles an k iur. At Wed-
verltanspton we were 27 minutes henna& Lime.
Capt. .1. L Bimmooa, of the railway emanation, was
next examined. He sa : I have inspected the spot There
the accident occurred. The line had been repaired before I
saw it. I have also inspected the engines and carriages.
With regard to Mr. Trevethick's evidence, I concur with it
in the main. I caused nine men to act into the front and
middle compartment of the lest carnage, and their weight
brought down the leading springs attait three quarters of
en inch. As to the stale of the rata, I saw
nothing at variance with Mr. Norris's description.
The ineliw is demanding towards Birmingham, which
would tend to augment speed; the inclination is 1 in
632, and is not inch se to rare retardation with an septets
train. The curve was of eo • a radius—three-quarters of
• mile—that it would not nq moderation of speed, pro-
vided the rails wen in good order. To the best of my judg-
ment the Antoci of the last carriage, which produced emin-
ence to the motion ante wheels, was not it. itself • sufficient
cause to throw the carriage off the line. The sir.
stance of the resistance was an inch deai board,
and that in my opinion would have been broken
upwards, or driven through, before the carriage
could have been thrown off. Ido not think that the fact
of the last carriage getting off would throw off the engine.
Upon the whole so much depends on conjecture is these
accidents, that it is impossible to state positively abet:sun. I
have known instances where a carriage has been off for two
miles—nom, of the othen have been displaced, and
that, too, on lines where then has been much greater
resistance than here. The curve here is comparatively
trilling, se small that I should not fear to travel
over it with the train at the highest speed if tits
rails were in • good state. I calma t conceive the last
carriage getting of sufficient to throw eff the engine, unless
the train was going ate very high velocity, and there was •
grey dal of motion. I think in this case the speed must
have. been high, and the train runni ig unsteadily. It is in
evidence that there was no bumping up to Wolverhampton.
and there was forwards: it is priond facie evidence either
that the road was in • bad atom or the speed high. It is
said that the time they were travelling showed the speed
was not more than 46 miles an hour ; but that is not the way
I should calculate it, because it would take at leant a
mile and a half, which would occupy four minutes,
Wove the train could get up to that speed. Upon the whole
I am inclined to think that the speed must have been greater
than 60 miles an hour. This is a stune.block road, with cast-
iron chain and wooden keys. Still I should not consider
that there was any danger, unless at an extraordinary vele-
cig-, such as a high rail or tome uncommon motion.—By
Mr. Carter: I am not aware of any instances where a ear-
nage has got off the line that it has thrown off an engine ;
certainly I do not know that it is a common occarrenos.—
The inquiry was mending at the time our report was de-
p▪ atched.