The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-03 00:00:00

COLLISION ON THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.

A collision, Musing considerable destruction of
pay, but happily unattended with loss of life, en
Tuesday morning on the Midland Railway, about three
miles north of Leicester. Close by the side of that pars of
the line where the collision took place is a ballast-hole, end
shortly before nine o'clock a ballast trails was leaving this
hole and entering :upon the down line of rails upon the
main line. The engine only had got upon the main line,
when • luggage train, which had left Leicester for Derby
and the north of England about • quarter before
nine, van against it, and turned it completely
over. The engine of the luggage train was turned
upside down, and several of the goods vans were
shattered to pieces, scattering their varied contents
in heaps on the up line. The driver and stokes
of the ballast train, strange to may, escaped uninjured, bat
those of the luggage train were not so fortunate. They
were at first thought to be very seriously hurt, and were
removed to the Infirmary at Leicester as speedily as pos-
sible. On examination it was found that no bones were
broken, and their injuries were principally bruise' of the
legs and hips. After recovering from the shock they were
able to be removed to their homes at Derby, whithes
they were sent by the mail train in the afternoon. One
of the engines, or • goods van, appears to have been vio-
lently thrown against a telegraphic post, and all the wires
were broken, putting a stop to telegraphic eommunica-
tion for some hours. At the time of the accident then
was • dense fog, so that it was impossible to see any
object more than twenty yards off. It mans that the
men with the ballast train had turned on the signal,
which is situated about 600 yards up the line towards
Leicester, but the goods train had either passed the sig-
nal before it was turned or had not seen it. It is thought
that they bad passed it before it was " on." • consi-
derable body of workmen were soon taken to the spot by
the beads of the various departments at Leicester, and as-
. rangemente were made for meeting each passenger train
with empty carriages. The passengers by walking over
that pert of the line which was rendered impassable for the
regular traffic were thus enabled to pursue their journies
with little delay. We believe that no train was delayed
more then an hour, and by half-past two o'clock the up line
was clear. The' down line would not be passable for some
hours later. The damage to the goods is not so met as it
wee at first thought to be. A piano and two atelle-
boarda were smashed, and • quantity of coffee was spilt.
The other goods scattered upon the line did not appear
much injured, but the extent of the damage cannot be as-
certained until the packages are opened. The fog coati-
ruled to be very dense in the locality where the collision
took place throughout the day ; even when the sun was
shining brightly (about noon), two; miles off it wu incur-
able to see more than 40er 60 yards.

ALL IS NOT GOLD THAT GLITTERS.—A specimen
was laid before the last meeting of the Bombay branch of
the Royal Asiatic Society of • substance called "gild sand-
stone," from Hattiwar, and as we have seen more than one
of these of late we presume they are plentiful at the presi-
dency. The sandstone in reality contains not one atom of
gold nor of any other substance of value ; it consists of •
tars of the microscopic shells called from their
resemblance in form and size to millet seed, the same as
constitute the masses of limestone in Hutch and Hattiwar,
only in this ease martial pyrytea or sulphuret of iron takes
the place usually occupied by calcareous matter. Though
valueless for economic purposes, as cabinet specimens they
are very beautiful; when looked at through • magnifier of
moderate power not only are the forms of the shells meat
manifest, but their irrideseence shines in all ita primary
beauties.—Bombay