The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-07 00:00:00

THOUS LOSS OF LIFE.

A terrific occurrence scarcely to be paralleled in
the whole gloomy history of railway accidents took
place last evening on the Great Southern and
Western line, between Cork and Dublin, resulting in
the loss of a large, but as yet unascertained, number
of valuable lives. The only detailed account of the
lamentable affair is that which I subjoin from the
Freeman's Journal, all the particulars in it having
been obtained from eye-witnesses:

One of the most appalling accidents that it has ever been
our sad duty to record occurred last evening on the Great
S suthern and Western Railway, about half a mile beyond
the Streffan station. A passenger train, up (rum Killarney
and the south, that was due in Dubl:r. about six o'clock,
p.m., was brought to a stand still between the SABins and
&reran stations, owing, we believe, to some defect in the
engine. Mr. Croke! Barr:agtou, the solicitor to the com-
pany, who was a passenger by the train (and who was ac-
companied by Mrs. Barrington), got out, and di-
rected one of the railway servants to go down
the line with a danger signal, as there was a heavy
cattle and luggage train following. The man departed
accordingly with a red (danger) lamp. lie had been gone
about twelve or fifteen minutes when the red lamps in
front of the cattle train were seen approactiitig. It watt
taken for granted that it was coaling along at slow 'peed,
for the line was straight, and its pace could not be judged,
and in consequence of this unhappy confidence some per-
sons who had got out of the carriages of the passenger
train re-entered them, fearing lest their engine might be
got into motion, and that they would be left behind, and
feelinrr satisfied that the danger signal had been observed
by toe driver. Scarcely had they done se, however, when
the cattle train ran at full speed into them, going cleats
through a first-class carriage that was last in the passenger
train, and driving the remainder Otto a heap of ruing. The
third carriage from the front of the passenger train, •
second.class carriage, broke up and turned over, burating
the powerful iron links which held it to the carriage
immediately before it. The impulse given to the two for-
ward carriages, thus freed, was so tremendous that the
roof was cut clean off the one next the ruined train, and
it actually fell upon the spot which the carriage bad just
berme occupied, the utrooftd carriage with the one
before it, the tender, and the engine, being sent flying along,
the line, which they traversed for nearly three quarters of a
mile before they stopped, paasiag the S.raffan station about
a quarter of • mile. Of the peaaen -*en in those two carri-
ages scarcely any ea aced without serious injury. Two
were killed ; two men were nut likely to survive the night,
and five or six were badly injured, all having broken limbs
or serious contusions. Amongst the les, seriously hurt was
Mrs. Barrington. the wife. of Mr. Croker Barrington, the
01 the killed, the only manta we have us y, t as-
certained were, Mr. Jelly, of Maryborough, and Mr. Egan,
of i der.

Amongst the passengers was Captain James Collis, the
commander of the Times steamer, on which the fatal eeci•
dent occurred a few months back °lithe Pigeon House Fort
by the bursting of the boiler plate, and whose activity
and humane conduct neon tee ovc.ision (Hutted so
much praise. Captain Collis got out of the train when it
came to a stand. He had for some time previously been
thinking tbat all was not right with the engine, fur the train
was t levee minutes behind its time at Sillies, and when it
stopped it was about a half mile short of the station at
Straffaa. His example was followed by a few other gentle-
men, but only four, viz , Mr. Coarser, of Newbridge ; Mr.
Kelly, of the same place ; Mr. Leitch, of Armagh ; and an
English gentleman, whose name he did not ascertain, re•
=tuned upon the embankment with him. The others un-
fortunately returned to their carriages.
And here a most msiancholy episode occurred. The Eng-
lish gentleman was accompanied by his sister, his wile (a
beautiful young lady of one and twenty), and their little
child, an infant of about nine months. A passenger, a Mr.
Jelly, of Maryborough, a very large man, had got out
of the carriage in which the two English ladies and the
baby were, and stood talking with Captain Collis, but on
seeing the cattle train coming along he got in again and
stood in the doorway watching its approach. The ladies gut
alarmed on hearing that the train was coming, and wanted
to get out, but the English gentlemen advised them to stay
as they were, and be was about to get in himself, and was
only waiting for Mr. Jelly to get out of the doorway, when
the collision took place. Mr. Jelly was instantly decapitated,
both his legs cut off, and his body torn to pieces. The
ladies were both killed, and the agony of the unlortunate
husband ar.d brother, when he cast himself upon the lifeless
body of his young wife was quite indescribable. The baby
was extricated from under its unhappy mother and aunt,
and was living.
When Captain Collis saw the train approaching he checked
the other gentlemen who were about to enter the carriages,
and advised them to wait, as there was no calculating the
speed at which a train, end on, was approaching. He glanced
along the shining part of the rails, and observed by the
glitter atilt reflection from the lamp, that the speed was
full. The train was then within a couple of hundred yards.
He at once shouted, " My Clod, she's coming at full speed !
Look out ! look out !" and, turning round, he sprang over
the wire fence into the field. Mr. Leith followed his ex-
ample, but fell. Mr. Connor and Mr. Kelly threw them
selves on their faces, having no time to retreat. Captain
Collis having gained the field, looked round and saw the
scene we have described. When the engine came to a stand
still in the midst of the ruin, he jumped back again, and ran
with Messrs. Leitch, Kelly, and Connor, to assist the
wounded. They had dragged a few out, and all who ware
able to move had congregated round the shattered train to
render aid. When he noticed the violent throbbings of
the engine, he sang out for the engineer, who was
helping to extricate some passengers, and bid him
instantly jump on the engine and blow off the
stam, or they would have an explosion that would
destroy them all. The engineer did as be was ordered, and
thus the lives, in all probability, of even more than had
been sacrificed by the collision, were preserved. Captain
Collis, having seen fourteen dead bouiee, and having helped
to extricate about fifty wounded people—a labour which
occupied some hours—arrived in town about midnight. It
is to him we are indebted for the dreadful narrative.
Captain Collis said after passing the Sallies station the
engine went slowly, and stopped about half a mile short
of the Straffan station; it remained stationary about fifteen
minutes. Five passenga n got out with me, Mr. Jelly, of
Maryborougb, a very fine looking, tall, portly gentleman ;
Mr. Connor, of Nirarbridge ; lir. Kelly, of the same
place ; a Scotch gentleman, Mr. Leitch, from Armagh; and
an English gentleman, whose name I did not ascertain. He
was in too much trouble for me to ask hint after all was
over, for he lost his pretty young wife and kit sister. Mr.
Croter Barrington, the solicitor to the company, who was
riding in a first-class carriage next the engine, got out and
sent one of the railway servants (the stoker I think it was)
down the line with a red lamp to stop the luggage and cattle
train that we knew was about half and hour babied us. Wu
were, however, eleven minutes behind our time at Satins.
He had been gone about ten, or from that to fifteen minutes,
when we saw the lights of the cattle train approaching. We
all thought, of coarse, it was coming along suite slow. Mr.
Jelly stepped into his carriage, stopped to the doorway
and looked out. The English gentleman's wife and sister
were behind Mr. Jelly, and they wanted to get out, but he
bid them not stir, and he was himself going to get in. Mr.
Kelly was going to step into his carriage also, when I said
" Stop a little, there is no hurry, the train won't go with-
out some warning, and, at all events, you and I are active
enough to jump on if it should. But just wait till this train
comes up." " Oh," said he, " it es merely walking up to
us ;" but, nevertheless, he waited. I stepped cloth to the
line and cast my eye along, when I saw by the reflection of
the light upon the shining rails that It was coming at fall
speed, and I heard by the beat of the engine that the steam
was not eased off. I at one, shouted out, " Good God ! she
is coming at full speed—look out, look out," and I jumped
over the wire fence into the field and looked round me. I
saw the cattle train run right into the last carriage of the
passenger train, indeed through it. In an instant all was a
pile of ruin. I ran back and saw the driver of the cattle
train, who seemed horrified at the frightful calamity. I
asked him was be hurt? He replied, " No, but I'll never
get over it." lie then proceeded to assist the wounded
passengers. I perceived that the steam was being generated,
and that in a minute more we would all be blown away by
the explosion of the engine, and I sang out for the engiaeer
and bid him blow off the steam. He did so, and then we
set to work. The first sight I came en was the bodies of
two women quite dead; they lay on the bank as if they
had been shot out of the door. Near them was a priest, or
friar, or monk : he was quite dead, lying close to the rails,
as if he had been thrown against the embankment and had
rebounded bath. I next taw a man, both of whose
thighs were broken across Messrs. Kelly and Connor,
and I pulled hies out from under the ruins of the car-
riages; he was living, and we laid him upon the bank.
We were then attracted by the cries of a lady, whose
hand was jammed between the carriages. Her sister lay
near her, either dead or insensible. After labouring very
hard for some time we failed to extricate them, and had to
turn to others whilst more hasistance was being procured.
From a heap of ruins, where we saw shawls, hats, and hand-
kerchiefs, we next got out a lady, greatly disfigured, but
still alive. We then came to the body of Mr. Jelly, which
could hardly be recognised, hie head being torn sad smashed
off, his legs both cut off, his body torn up, and his clothes
torn all off him. I adjusted his clothes, and we put the body
aside, and from near him we got out the bodies of the Eng.
lish gentleman's wife and sister. Poor fellow ! He threw
himself frantically upon the body of his wife, and kissed her
frantically, and then we got the little baby from under her
and the aunt's clothes:alive. We then went to the fiat-class
carriage that had been first struck by the engine, and there
we saw the bodies of two ladies, apparently cut in two at
the waist. They were so jammed in that we could not get
at them. Near them was the body of another lady, whose
dress only we could see, she was so buried in the ruins. The
cries of a little boy then attracted me. He was about eight
years old He was lying under the axletree of a carriage
which had broken both his little legs, and was lying across
them. With great difficulty we got him out by raising the
axle with a crowbar. I then returned with more help to the
two ladles, one of whose hands was jammed, and we got them
out. I den't know whether the insensible lady was dead or'
net, hut I think she was. We laid her on the bask. Tee
other was not much hurt. We next discovered the lx dy of
a very large man under the train. His head was cut off
and cone. We found be trace of it. Both his legs were
cut off also from the thighs down. We got out the re-
mains and placed them on the bank. I was at this

time a rod deal exhausted, having worked very
hard. Sir Edward Kennedy now came up. lie had
been • passenger in the carriage next the engine which
bad been shot on by the collision } est Stralfau s'atiun.
He had escaped unhurt, and had rendered every mundane*
to the passengers in those twocarrieges, which,with the en-
gine, had been sent on by the concussion. He then returned
diem the line to help there and took the command front mo
to my great relief, for I wee quite worn out. 1 cannot tell
you how hard he worked, u also did those gentlemen whose
mimes I have mentioned, and indeed every one, railway
people, country people, and all. I broke off a piece of a car-
nage and helped to make &litter of it on which we placed a
lady who had her two legs broken, and the English gentle.
man's little child, and took them to a house convenient. Sir
Edward Kennedy sent for a doctor and a priest at once.
Seeing that some people were picking up carpet bags
I suggested the necessity of the luggage b.ing guarded,
whicn was at once done. Messrs. Kelly, Connor, Leitch,
and I then walked on to Straffan, thinking we had seen all
the damage, and not knowing about the two carriages that
bad been shot away. At the station we found a Mr. Roe,
who had escaped in one of those carriages, and who wee
very active in rendering assistance. In tho station room
eight or nine people were lying tide by side. One of
them seemed dead. I placed my hand upon his forehead,
and found that he wu dead. He was a Mr. Egan, of
Bier. I said lie was dead, and his body was at once
removed, and the gentleman died soon after. A priest was
hearing the confession of another, who evidently had very
few moments left him in this world. The dead bodies
were removed from the room. Mrs. Barrington was lying
in another room in the station, very bully hurt I heard.
One of the ladies I saw at the station had her chest broken
in. I don't think she would live till morning. Several hal
their legs broken. One servant boy, who was very badly
hurt, had been sent by Sir Edward Kennedy on his own
car to some hospital in the neighbourhood. There was
medical gentleman present who was doing all in his power
to alleviate the sufferings of the wounded. I believe there
were several medical gentlemen, but I am not sure of more
than one. Ths Hen. E. Lawler war there working very
hard; and there was one young man, • dealer, named John
Rooney, who was going down in toe Kilkenny train when
he heard of the accident at the 'tuition. lie at once threw
up his passage, quitted the down train, and set to work to
help the sufferers in a most extraordinary manner. Such
vigour, and kindness, and gentleness as ho exhibited could
not be surpassed. A train was got ready about half-put
ten o'clock, and by it I came to town. We arrived at the
King's-bridge Terminus about 12 o'clock. Neither the
driver nor stoker of the cattle train war injured.
Another account says :
Several passengers, including Do. tor Cusack, jun., had
previously jumped out of the carriages ; but two ladies who
sat in a first-class carriage, against which the engine of the
goods train struck, were killed instontaneonsly ; the body
of one of the ladies was literally severed in two. A Mrs.
Farrell had her leg torn away and her arm broken ; end
Mr. Jelly, of Maryhorough, had his head torn off. As well
as could he ascertained, it wns believed ten persons were
killed; sevea were brought to Steevelis's Hospital
very dangeruusly wounded, one of wheat has since
dies and three more are not expected to recover;
and several others were more or less injured. There
was great difficulty, howeve:, in aseensining the exact
number of casualties, as it was believed that several
persons were lying under the carriages. At the time of
the concussion Lord Guillamore, his lady, and daughter
threw themselves on the floor of • first class carriage,
and escaped unhurt. Mr. and Mrs. Stokes were passenger*
by the ill-fated train ; the former escaped berm, but the
latter was severely hurt i• the face. Immediately on the
news reaching the King's-bridge Tertrinu-, Mr. Ilberry,
one of the superintendents, hastened to the scene of the
disaster, accompanied by Doctor Stokes, Surgeon Fleming,
and a number of other medical gentlemen, who rendered
every possible assistance to the sufferers. Doctor Geoghe-
gan and the coroner of the county were also in ettendence
at Straffan. Some of the sufferers were accommodated in
houses at the locality of the accident; others were con-
veyed up to town by the railway last night. There being
no person present who was competent to bring the disabled
engine to town, Doctor Cu.uck, jun., after seeing the suf-
ferers properly taken care of, took charge of the locomotive,
and at considerable personal risk and much labour suc-
ceeded in bringing it sate to the company's works at In-
ehicore.

the Tenant-right Conference resumed its sittings
yesterday ; Mr. Tristram Kennedy, M.P., again
taking the chair; and the same parties, with the
exception of Mr. Sharman Crawford and the other
Igentlemen from the north, who did not appear, and
a few other exceptions, composing the assembly. A
protest against the resolutions adopted the preceding
day was presented on behalf of the Rev. Julius
M'Cullogh and the Rev. Mr. Rogers, presbyterian
ministers, and of Dr. *Knight, of Belfast. Speak-
ing in the name of the northern dissentients, the
protestors say :
We adhere to the original principles and constitution
of the Tenant League in despite of systematic efforts to
throw upon us the odium of making a breach in the
tenant-right ranks. Hence wo protest against the adop•
tion of an absurd system of pledges which some of their
advocates have this day publicly acknowledged that they
accept, with a reserved dispensation from their literal
observance, according to the requirements of private " con-
science." Wo protest against a parliamentary policy
unreasonable in itself, in addition to its having air, ady
tort and rent the tenant right party in the House of Com-
mons, while every item of the success realised has been
gained in virtue of its practical abandonment. It is con-
fessedly by meeting the present liberal administration in a
spirit of justice, us well as of rational independence, that
any progress whatever has been made, and the policy which
experience has hitherto demonstrated to he successful needs
only to be continued in order to the completion of our in-
dustrial triumph. Instead of following out this practical
course, whose beneficial results are now exultingly owned
by the very men who reject the means by which they have
been secured, the conference has committed the extraordi-
nary absurdity of putting its negative upon an amendment
which all parties professedly affirm, in order that room may
he left fur a policy which no man acquainted with states-
manship can seriously intend is enforce without detesting
his own object. We do not pronounce upon the absolute
inventions of parties, but about the tendencies of their act-
ings there can be noznistake, and we consequently protest
against the course adopted as calculated, in our judgment,
to damage the tenant right cause, to endanger the position
already gained, to embarrass all united effort, for an advan-
tageous settlement, and to keep open a source of national
grievance, until the unfortunate people of Ireland, who
might be rendered happy by its abolition, shall have found
a refuge in the union workhouse, or an assured home in
some other country.
A long discussion ensued as to whether the signers
of the protest should be expelled from the League,
but the subject ultimately dropped without any
motion upon tt ; and after the expenditure of a great
deal of indignant eloquence, several resolutions
were carried, and the Conference adjourned to this
morning.
In the evening, however, a soiree, announced as a
" Grand National Demonstration to the Irish Inde-
pendent Opposition Party in Parliament," was held
in the Round Room of the Rotundo. The principal
table was laid upon the platform, and the other
guests were accommodated at tables ranged down
the body of the room. The number of persons pre-
sent was about 400, but preparations had been made
for a considerably larger number. The principal
portion of the company were Roman catholic clergy-
men.
In the account of the proceedings of yesterday it
was stated by mistake that the amendment proposed
by Mr. Bowyer was carried, the contrary having
been the fact.

The Maynooth commissioners have been sitting
during the past week between four and five hours
daily; and it is understood that they have already
made considerable progress in the inquiry for which
the commission was issued. Chief Baron Pigott,
one of the commissioners, has been prevented from
attending, by severe indisposition.

- ; -
The Sheriff has received the writ for the new
election for Lisburn, which must, therefore, take
place in the course of next week. It is still uncer-
tain whether Mr. Jonathan Joseph Richardson, the
liberal candidate, will have any opponent on the
hustings.
The Limerick Chronicle, a well-known authority
in military tattle, has the following strange state-
ment:

A very curious circumstance has occurred in Dublin
garrison by a Held officer of the 90th Light Infantry pla, log
his commanding officer under for alleged drunken-
ness. It it feared the affair will end in a court-martial.
It is the second affair between the officers.