The Express.
London, England, 1851-05-10 00:00:00

THE FATAL, OLLISION ON THE CHESHIRE

JVNCTION RAILWAY.

After the despatch of our report on Thursday, the
proceedings at l'restun Brook continued up to near six
o'clock. After the driver of the engine "'the Druid,"
with the first train of the three which came in collision in
the tunnel, had been examined,
Mr. Nicholson, the coroner, said he thought it would be
eery satisfactory to have a train of the same size and
weight as that attached to the Druid on the occasion of this
collision attached to the same engine again, so that the jury
might be enabled to judge of the capability of the engine
'to draw such a load, and it was arranged that the experi-
ment should be made this (Saturdav) morning.
Thomas Leech, a fireman, and if. Blackford, a guard, in
the service of the Cheshire Junction Company, were the
next witnesses examined, and they detailed the circum-
stances connected with the accident, without, however,
adding anything novel to the evidence already adduced.
The jury again assembled yesterday morning (Friday),
being the fifth day of the inquiry, at 10 o'clock in the
morning.
David Evans, engine-driver of the second train, said—
We left Chester at a quarter-past seven, with No. 16 engine
and train of 13 or 11 carriages. John Doyle being guard.
I had taken in a supply of water a quarter of an hour
before I lett, and filled the tender. I had been upon Nu.
16 engine about a month, and had made a good many trips
upon her. I saw Mr. Bragg° un the engine before I left.
I had sceu a train leave Chester ahem three-quarters of an
hour before we left. I was assisted up the Monte incline by
another engine besides our own, and we travelled after that
20 to 25 miles per hour to Frodsham. We stopped at Dun-1
ham and Frodsham. I had not keen a train before us till
then, but there I did see one. We stopped two minutes,
and were started again by the station-neater, and
I moved on. The train before us was still in
sight, and about a mile in advance of us. We
approached the other train on nearing the tunnel. When
I reached the Sutton viaduct the train before me was enter-
ing the tunnel. I cannot say if it was 500 yards before me,
but I was doing my beat to overtake it before it entered
the tunnel. It was going very slow. As the lust carriage
of the train before us entered the tunnel we were about
sixty yards haul& and before this I had observed the guard
of the train hetUre hold up his hand and beckon me to come
on. No previous signal had been made. One of the rules,
No. 15, is that engines shall keep 600 yards apart froni
each other unless specially summoned, that is to say the
engine shall not approach within six hundred yards of
the other engine unless specially summoned. Rule Nu. tf
says, no engine shall push another train on the main line,
but shall in all cases draw the some after it, except
in the ease of any engine disabled on the road,
when the succeeding engine will push the train
slowly to the first siding or crossing, at which
place the engine will take the lead. By this rule
I considered I was justified in going as near as I safely
could, but I should nut have gone nearer unless I had been
beckoned. We were travelling at the speed of four miles
an hour. I did not see a policeman at the entrance of the
tunnel, but I had seen one there ou ordinary occasions.
had not travelled on that line for a week before the racca,l
but I had seen a policeman there when I last travelled
there. lle slid nut give any signal to me when I passed
him on any occasion, and I do not know what he was there
for. There was nut a pOlieelll3ll at each end of the tunnel,l
but the same policeman was sometimes at one end and
sometimes ut the other. Before I entered the tunnel 1 had
sounded my whistle several times to caution the engine
driver before me. No time was stated to me before leaving
Chester that evening what time we should go to Manchester
in. One of the rules, N 0.6, is that the engine driver helms,
starting be told the exact time he will be expected to run the
train, and must endeavour to run the ename at au uniform
speed, from which he will vary as little as possible.
I have received instructions front Mr. Bragge by printed
time bills as to the times at which trains leave and are ex-
pected to arrive at their destination. On the Wednesday
m question I had seen the advertisement of trains ut the
races, but I had not one in my possession. That advertise-
ment as to the return trains is as follows : " The trains will
return from Chester after the races, commencing nt 4.30
Wm., and continue ruining so SOOl/ as filled, up to 9 pon."
hen I was within 70 yards of the other train the fireman,
Edward Mansfield, was with ine,and hail hold of the break.
I came up to the train in advance whilst in the tunnel,
some 20 or 30 yards alter entering. I might be travelling
two miles an hour or her before I got up to it ; but L then
put out increased sped and went to help it. The rails
were middling wet, and when I got up to the other train we
begun to slip.
The inquest was proceeding at two o'clock yesterday,
when our report left. . . . . .

Amongst the persons injured by the collision, besides
those whose names hove been published, are the following
—Mr. Biddulph, grcer, Manchester, who had One leg
broken, nod Mr. Stidrow, joiner, Barkodrcet, Ilulme, who
had blood Mrced from his cars and was otherwise injured,
1,0 that he is still confined to his bed. Mr. Wagstaffe, of
Warrington, had his nose seriously cut and was otherwise
injured. The other parties most seriously suffering (rum
fractured limbs and other injuries are going on fat uumbly.