The Express.
London, England, 1865-11-30 00:00:00

DREADFUL ACCIDENT ON THE VALE OF
NEATH RAILWAY.

LOSS OF LIFE. —AN ENGINE AND THIRTY
CARRIAGES DESTROY ED.
(From a supplement to the Swansea Herald of yesterday.)
The sad and painful duty devolves on us this
morning ef recording one of the most dreadful accidents
that ever took place in Swansea, involving not only the
sacrifice of life, bat a frightful destruction of property.
The scene of thecatastrophe was the North Lock, which
forms the main entrance to the Town Float. It appears
that about 6 o'clock the usual coal trains were is motion,
preparing to cross the bridge that spans the lock of Us north
dock. This bridge is erected ow Sir Wm. Armstrong's
hydraulic principle, is most powerfully built, and is worked
by the most simple and clic:Set code of signals that
modern science and railway eogioesieg could devise. Had
these signals been duly worked the accident would not
have happened. By some Wept*, and appirstly utterly
inexcusable negligence upon the part of the signalman,
however, the signals were made to give information pre-
cisely the reverse of the troth, and the lamentable result
ham been the dreadful occurrence we are about to narrate.
About 6 o'clock a large coal train, propelled by one ck the
snostawr-•tel -oh,i.wa of the Vole of heath hall ere- 4111.
tacked to which were no less Use thirty trucks, the whole
being under the charge of William Cole, • driver in the
employ of the company, and another man a stranger in
this perk and whose sine is not yet knows. approached
the bridge. Tee bridge was open at the time; list
the signalman,John Howelle, instead of telegraphist to this
effect, gave the signal " line doer.* Tha massallaseee.
of course, was that the train rushed on, and upon reaching
the bridge fell over with • tremendous crash tato the
look below. It is needier to say that the Ss sem ill
charge were killed ea Use spot, crushed to please, sad
completely buried by the tremendous downfall upon them.
It is said that he guard seeing the red light, sad re-
ceiving the doss, jumped off the trail and thus sired
his We. The sprains and truck' were shattered to
and they and their contests completely choked 44=
entrance to the dock. Intelligence of the lelddshS his
at sae conveyed to the railway anthcrielli. ad Mr.
Kelly and Mr. Batchelor, the beads of the ildpremeat in
this tows, were speedily on the spot, living sere directions
as were necessary for clearing away the WrIPON, NOSTerjne
the dead bodies, and repairing se far es possible tie daollp
which had born done. A telegram wee se OMNI NSW to
Neath giving information of the isourresoe, sad requesting
that • strong deft of assistants might be sent The Upews
soled with astonishing rapidity through the tows, end
thousands of people visited the scene of the amidst the
keepers of the toll-gate having u mach as they could do to
supply tickets to the crowds who premed over the loth
bridge to get the beet view of the results Of the =Meat.
Some other rumours of the eases of the ambled tilts
that above given ere fa dreullalioa. Ms. a( them uteri.
buds it to a defect in the signalling machinery which
prevents the red light from being extiagniint min the
bridge is sensed ; bat we fear the accost we have given,
aecordiUg to width the blame rests entirely ups the
signalman, is unquestionably true. Of amuses he is bold
in virtual custody until an inquiry has takes place.
Cole, one of the men who was killed, is a married man
sad has several children.
Al yet it is impossible to stigma* the most of asap
caused by the accident There is no doubt that it wllt
involve a Ices of thousands of panda, to say within al the
obetructioc mused to the coal trade, and sstsiWli the
working of the float, Use lock being filled wish the debris.
The lock gates are apparently but little Ward barber had
a moat miraculous escape. lied the fallen mass touched
the gates, which were within a few fess, the reeolCimmb
have been horrible to conternasts as the water of the
whole float must at once have rushed through the gab,*
and carried all before it.
As 'coo es tue news reached them, the harbour superin-
tendent and officials hastened to the spot, in readiness to
reader all the assistance in their power. We axe glad to
observe that at the time we are writing the gang from
Hestia had arrived, ad they are sow busily engaged in rr
moving the der*, and clearing the lock.

4 STAFFORDSHIRE COALPIT ON IPIRE.

THREE LIVES LOST.
A serious calamity was reported in Hanley,
Staffordshire, on Tuesday evening, as having occurred in
the Brookhoom Pit, at Blickoall. After the colliers had
left work the engineer, William Bates, • blacksmith's
striker, Ephraim Dover, a fireman, William Cooper,
proceeded to Oil new conducting rods, and :in order to
securely fix the tops of the rods it was accessary to cover
the pit shaft, which probably induced an accumulation
of gas in the pit. This moms not to have been considered
by the men who, oa descending the shaft in a "bowk "—a
sort of large bucket—in order to sae that the rods were
right in the shaft, took with them open candles iostaml of
lamps, which were within reach. After they had been
down about ten minutes, a cry from moot them was heard,
and in about half a minute then was a roar up the shaft,
which was immediately on fire. The " book" won rapidly
drawn up, but it seems that nobody took the trouble to
look into it, although three men had gone down alive
in it, The "bowk " was drawn aside, and the people
about proceeded to smother the fire in the shaft. In
about an hour • man proceeded to the ode of the "bowk,"
and found therein the dead bodies of Bates and Dovey.
The presumption is that the third man was blown out of
the " bowk" by the explosioo. The fire raged in the pit
all night, but it was hoped that the accumulation of water
would extinguish the fire in the afternoon, and enable the
men to get at the body of Cooper. Mr. Wyno, goversuont
inspector, has been informed of the circumstances.

OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE AT lILETIO
The memben of Bethel College will hold their annual
athletic *porta o• Friday and Saturday, December 1 and 2.
on Cowley•rearsh, when a variety of amu,enieuts will be
afforded ; the Half-mile Handicap and the Strangers' Race
being the most attractive features. The handicap has beep
framed with much care by the Earl of Jersey.
THE SUPERINTENDENT or POLICE AID
HIS DELI-
CATE CHARM—A few monger ago the Superintendent of
the Chichester City police (Hr. Everett) was disturbed by a
violent ringing at his bell. It seems that the hell is at the
head of his bed, and the polioe-oonst.bles have omen, if
anything serious occurs, inch as a tie, to ring it violently,
in order that this energetic officer may be up and doing.
Violently the bell rung, and quickly the supeneterident
bounded out of his comfortable bed, and naturally inquired
" W bat's the matter?" The constable who bed so dex-
terously rang the bell, exclaimed in toner of alarm, " Pray,
be quick ,• I have a poor woman here who is suffering much,
and I feel alarmed." "Yon don't say so," exclaimed Super-
inteodent Everett, who, when he saw the condition of the
woman, naturally took up the anxious tone of the elermist.
The real fact was that the poor woman was about to become
a mother, and not a moment was to be lost. As quiet as
poerilde au order was given for the admission of the suffer.
tug woman into the wearisome. Intimation was sent to
the governor, a bed was prepared, and nurses provided. As
well as be could, the covetable assisted the woman ow her
journey, oaturally anxious at the delicate position in which
he was placed. However, s4e poor creature won got
safely to the workhoum, sod the nurses at once pro-
ceeded to render all the help in their power. The
first proceeding was to undress the woman. Oa
doing this to their surprise they found cancelled armed
her body a sack, two or three guano hag% a great coat, a
beg of neils, a padlock, and other minor articles. Stripped
of this, the woman assumed a mote becoming form, and
was banded agate from the care of the nurses to the police.
From the marks on the sack it was found that the property
was stolen at Arundel, where the woman had slept the
night before, and she was eventually transferred to the
Arundel police, and remains in dunce in the cells of
that town awaiting her examination—not by nurses this
time—but by the borough magistratee. The affair his
caused some merriment in the sty ; and one or two wears
have sent to Superintendent Everett to know whets the
christening is likely to come off. The alarmed constable
who first took compassion on the woman has scarcely yet
recovered the shock.— Weal Sussex Goulte.
CAPTION TO TOCROITS. --On Tuesday a lady and
gentleman from the neighbourhood of Peterborough, who
are oo a visit at Weet Dilworth, sailed forth to exigent the
beentien of the Durdle rocks sod cliffs. In attempting a
descent to the beach below the lady turoed dizzy, arid
losing bee foothold, wee precipitated with groat velocity
down the side of the cliff, for a distance of 30 yards.
where she fell over a kind of promontory. a distance of
14 feet, and, after rolling 15 or 20 yards farther, her
perilous course was arrested by a force boob. But for this
she most have been frightfully if not fatally injured. As
it was she received same very severe contueloos, and was
rendered partially insmisible.--Slierborrie Journal.
THE " &rags SlDE."—There is a story of old
Dudley Verse of Roxboroligh. a bold rider and a keen
aportaraita, who, after taking a high well, completely dis-
aopetred, there being a "drop" of double the height.
When Lord Gort tried out, •'Ylfhat'e at the other redo,
Dudley?' the anise? WAS. I am, thank God !”—Blork-
wood's Maga:int for December.