The Express.
London, England, 1860-05-03 00:00:00

THE LATE ACCIDENT ON THE GREAT

NORTHERN RAILWAY.

HATFIELD, WIEDIPZIMAT.
The inquiry respecting the deaths of Mr.
Francis Leslie Pym, gentleman and George Venable',
platelayer who were Uled by the recent accident to a
Manchester express train on the Great Northern Railway,
was resumed this morning, at 10 o'clock, before Mr.
Sworder, the county coroner, and the jury previously em-
panelled.
Colonel Tolland, R.E., of the railway department of
the Board of Trade, again attended to watch theprocieediogs.
The company were represented by Mr. Hall, barrister ;
Mr. Seymour Clarke, general manager ; Mr. Oakley, secre-
tary • and
aßadon, engineer. Mr. Bartholomew and
Mr. Pole for the relatives of the decesked gentle•
man, Mr. The Hon. and Rev. T. Talbot, rector of
Hitchin, was present.
Mr. Hall said the company were anxious to assist the
inquiry in the fullest possible manner, and they had secured
the attendance of the gentleman who wus a passenger in
the same carriage, but in another compartment, as the
demeaned.

The Coroner said it appeared to him that their inquiry
should be more immediately directed to the state of the
crossing (the rails connecting the up and down lines) before
the express passed over it. That was the gist of the
whole case.

Watd the foreman of the platelayers who were at work
at the crossing, was recalled, and he pointed out ins model
of the crossing the position of the rail which had been
removed, the west wing rail which had been fractured, and
the broken check rail on the east side. He added that the
15 feet where he had removed the ballast was on an equal
side of the cross•ng, and the spot where the 6 feet were
taken out was at the centre. It was reduced 4. or 5 inches
in depth. The centre of the ballast was most got out.
Coroner—Have you any printed instructions as to your
duties on occasions of this kind!

Witness—l have. I was under the direction of Mr.
Norton, who was on the spot at ten minutes past eight,
and it was under his instructions that I commenced to re-
move the crossing. The Midland express passed over about
half an hour before the Manchester express mine up.
Coroner—Then how much work had you done between
the time when the Midland passed and the Manchester
same up!
Witness—Only a few minutes. 'We had been to get the
new rail. The crossing was quite safe, although we were
going to take it out. The end was a little worn, and we
were obliged to remove the rail altogether, becauee nothing
will work in with it. Nothing was done in violation of our
rake.

The four broken chairs of the check rail were produced,
and the witness described how they were placed on the
line. The through line was not touched. The rail on the
weal side was broke seven or eight inches to the north of
the centre of the crossing, and it was this rail that I saw
work up and down when the train
By Colonel Yollond—l do not eased.
knowhow long the rail
had been down, or when it was turned. Neither ilo I
know how long since any change was made in the crewing.
After the accident I looked to the fracture of the west
wing rail, and saw there was a little flaw in it on the under
side. I don't think that that flaw extended to the outer sur-
face below. (The rail was brought into the room.)
Colonel Yollond—There are appearances of other flaws in
the rail. Do you think if you had examined the rail
previously you would have detected any indication of a flaw
or fracture on the outer surface!

Witness—l don't think I should. lam certain no por-
tion of the ballast had been picked out from the bottom of
the five sleepers.
By Mr. Bartholomew—ln no place had we removed more
than two inches below the sleepers. I never saw a flaw
transversely in the manufacture of a rail. lam sure I saw
it broke after the leading and driving wheel of the engine
pawed over it.
George Norton, inspector of the permanent way, mid his
attention was drawn to the crossing at the Hatfield station
about three weeks since. The points were worn, and he
ordered an obtuse crossing. They, however, were quite
safe for express or slow trains to ma over. He saw the
•Ong at eight o'clock on the morning of the accident. A
little of the ballast was thrown out, and be thought a part
of the north-west rail of the siding. His instruetions to
Ward were to take the crossing out. The pointa were worn.
There was no other defect. He came back to the spot at
one o'clock, and saw the west wing fractured rail. He did
not know at the time that it was a turned rail. He saw
there was a flaw ; it was internal, and did not appear till
the rail was broken. There seemed an old flaw from shout
the centre of the web of the rail downwards to about an
eighth of an inch of the bottom. A piece of the flauge of
the rail had been torn off when the rail was turned.

By the Coroner—l am responsible for putting whole rails
down and seeing that they are not cracked ; but I cannot
answer for the metal.

Colonel Yoliond—lf you had seen this rail with a part of
the flange torn off, would you have thought it a proper rail
to be put down on the main line for exptem ,trams to pass
over

Witness—No, I do not think I should.
Coroner—Looking at the rail now, to the best of your
judgment, could you have seen the flaw when the rail was
put down !
Witness—No, Ido not think I should. If the flaw
existed at the time the rail was turned it ought to have
been seen, but I do not think it did exist, because the man
would not have rebid it. I cannot say how long the old
flaw has existed.

George Morris, foreman of platelayers, spoke of the
south-east rail at the crossing having worn fiat. The chairs
were safe. Between two and three months ago I turned
the wing rail on the west side at the crossing. I cannot
tell how long it had been down. When I took it up I
examined it, and thought it fit to go down again. It was
worn out on the top aide, which was my reason for turning
it. I was the only poison who examined it, and decided
whether it was to be turned or not. I did not see any
flaw in it. The witness looked at the flaw, and said that
he did not observe it when he turned the rail. What was
at the top of the rail had worn flat, and the aide (flange)
bulged out, and he had to break it MY to get the rail into
the chair. Knocked the piece oil with a hammer and chisel.
There was no flaw in the rail when it was relaid, bat them
was a crack along the top of it, but, as it was turned, it
would not be on the main hoe. _ .

kir. W. Marc Brydon, chief engineer of the Great North-
ern Railway, was next examined. He said he was iuclined
to assume, from the circumstance of the rail on the west
' side being broke 4 feet nearer London than that on the
other side, and that it was good, clear, bright metal, that
the mischief must havefirst occurred on the west side. The
result showed that there most have been sonic extensive
violence on that side. He did not think that the rid which
was turned two or three months since on the east side
was en im per rail, or unfit for the position in which it
was
Mr. James Dean, the London agent for a Bradford firm,
and Mr. Samuel Oldfield, of 12, Portland-place, London
both passengers in the train to which the accident occurred,
having been examined,
The Coroner summed up, and left the jury to say
whether the officers had been guilty of any negligence whali
might have contributed to the accident.
The jury retired; after being away nearly two hours they
returnedat half-pent 9 o'clock, and founds verdict of " Ash e
dent.d death," but adding, "They think the rail, in conse-
quence of its being cracked, and the flange of the rail having
been partially knocked off, was unsafe, but that the eraek
was not visible, and was not known to the company or their
servants, and that the lmllast had not been removed sufficiently
to affect the safety of the line. They nevertheless think the
platelayers should have had instructions to signal to every
train, especially express trains, when croming•poinog
are nder repair, and they also wish to state that m their
opinion a more careful examination should be Mar. by a
superior officer before a rail is turned at the crossing.
The prweedinp then terminated.

M. Thouvenere note relative to the nentralkation
of Savoy, mentioned in a telegram from Pan!, occepie.
columns and a half of yesterday's Munitenr.