The Express.
London, England, 1858-07-30 00:00:00

(Stamped id. Additional.) [TWOPENCE;

MUSIC.

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

Don Giovanni was performed last night to to
immense house. The opera wee splendidly put upon the
stage, and, upon the whole, effectively performed; espe-
cially the part of Donna Anna, in which Grisi acted and
sang with • spirit and hearty unsurpassed in her best days.
I(Arkii Don Giovanni war, at lout, the performance of •
gentleman, batpauserd less character than might have
been expected. Boni° was • charming Zerlins, and was
greatly applauded. Ronconi, as Leporello, was quaint and
humorous, but both in his part, and that of Don Giovanni,
the musical effects we dimply initared by the unwarrantable
changes made to accommodate the notes to their voices.

THE LATE FATAL COLLISION AT WILLIS3DEY

JUNCTIOII.-INQUZIT:

Yesterday the coroner's investigation u to the,
fatal *Alias which took place on Monday afternoon at tae
Wilinden Junction of th,• 1,,,nd0n and North IVemem Rail-
vay, was opened bcf,re Mr, \Vakley and a jury, at the Mitre
lon, Wormwood Szrubm, on the body of William Pine, the
driver of the engine td the passenger train on the WOW= of
that eztaatsrphe.

The jar?. hiving viewed the body,
Mr. Wt, barn Pine, the father of the deceased, Identified
the body as that of Meson, who he said was 30 years of age,
Mr. Robert Whitley, surgeon, of Harlesden, deposed that
be tresses, for to attend at the Willesden Junction of the
Landon and North Western Railway on Monday afternoon,
on account of an evident. He arrived there about half-past
four o'clock, and saw the dead body of deceased lying on the
beak by the side of the train at the junction of the Kew line
with the London and North Western liailwey. Deceased
bad severe wounds under the chin, and at the side and back
of the head, and a portion of the brain had escaped. Any of
the wounds were quite suffirtent to mum death.
Mr. Bruyeres here produced • plan of the junction, with
all the points and rails, and stated that the spot was alled
the North and South-welt Junction.
William Nayler said he was a stoker in the employ of the
London and North-Western Railway Company, and was
acting as such on No. 29 engine, of which deceased was
driver at the time he was killed. The collision happened at
14 minutes past 4on Monday afternoon, The train, which
consisted of an engine, tenthr and eleven carriages, left
He-siatika at 4 p.m., its right time, for Rugby. On
arriving at the West London Junction the train wee turned
front the main into the Kew line, and the engine and train
dialed rend the corner and cam* kite collision with some
coal waggons. Deceased was on his engine, and immediately
as the collision taking plate deceased was struck, and the
engine left the line and crossed over the rails on to another
line. When witness next saw deoessed be was lying on hie
back on the foot-plates of his engine. There wee west deal
of blood about his head, and be owed no sign of life.
By the Coroner—We had no warning that we were going
to be turned into the Kew line. We had no business there.
Our enene did not whistle, as we hove no instructions as to
using the whistle on pawing the juncti.m. The proper
signals were up for us to proceed straight on the main line.
It was impossible for our train to have got on to the Kew
line had the points been properly placed.
Thomas Cress, policeman, in the employ of the North-
Western Company, said he was on duty at the telegraphing
signal, about 40 yards above the junction, at the time of the
accident. Henry Lamb, another constable, had charge of
the points. The last train that had paned the points was
the half-past three down-train to Bletcbley. It was the
duty of Lamb to have left the points locked as they then
were. A coal train up was the last that came through the
points. The Kew train was doe at the junction at 3.66
p.m. and leaves Camden at 3.45. That train did not leave
till after four. It is irregular, and he bad known it late on
many oecasious. Lamb had been pointanten fortnightly with
witness alternately for the last two years. The Kew trains
are distinguished by a white painted board, hung over the
left hand front buffer of the engine. (The board
was produced, it is twenty inches by linen). The hoard
could be seen on a coming train upward. of • mile, and at the
junction for 400 or 600 yards, 51 1100/. 55 the engine maid be
scut. It was Lomb's duty to bo at the points and witness at
the telegraph. The half-put three train to Bletcbley bad
passed at its proper time. It was not Lamb'. duty to be at
the points when the Rugby train passed down.
The coroner and jury at this stage of the proceedings,
proceeded to view the spot, end It was clearly shown that it
was impossible for the main line train to leave that line and
get on to the Kew line without the points being in the fleet
instance " uncottered" (a pin which fastens them being token
out), and without being held beta by the hand on a lever.
The moment the hand is taken from the lever the points
close of themselves.

On the return of the jury the witues Cross was further
examined—The Kew train which wu so frequently out of
Its time belonged to the North London, and not to the North
Western Company. Immediately after the accident saw
Lamb running either to or from the points, but could not soy
which. He ran past witness, saying he was going for the
doctor, and had not since been wen. Lamb was about
twenty-dee years of age, tiro feet tan inches in height, fair
complexion, with fair hair.
By the jury—Had it been the Kew train coming it could
have been stopped before reaching the noel truck, as it
comes so slow. There were eight Kew trains up and eight
down per day. The points will not ehlit of themselves.
Had always found time to attend to the point', as well as
other duties.

Mr. Bevesford, in answer to the Coroner. said the company
bad not offered any reward for the apprehension of Lerch,
but a detective had been after him ever since he had ab-
scalded.

The Coroner said the inquiry was a very important one,
end as the rare stood at present it was quite clear that some
person must have stood at the points and held the beadiest, so
as to let this train per through, and in the absence of the
phase= it was impossible to conclude the investigation. It
was a most mystmietut %Stir.
Mr. Brumes said the company would do all they could to
secure Lamb, sad the inquest was ultimately adjourned for a
week.

THE LATE EXPLOSION IN THE WESTMINSTER-

ROAD.

Yesterday afternoon Mr. W. Payne, the coroner
for London end Southwark, held an inquest in the board-
room of St. Thomaa'a Hoepital, on the body of John Murray,
aged 40, who lost his life in attempting to save actin persons
supposed to be in the premises of Madame Coton (Mre.
Bennett), the pyrotechnic artist in too Westminster-road.

Some pialcedir's of the distends/ affair have already sp-
in this journal as well as the reports of the previous
rite.
he learned Coroner, on opening the proceedinge, said that
he ocosidered it to be his duty to again assemble the same
jury to inquire into the cause of the death of this the fourth
Individual, and he hoped the leaf, who had perished in con-
sequence of the lamentable explosion that had taken place on
the premises belonging to a person named Mrs. Colon, a fire-
work maker, or, se It had bait since stated, the wife of a
person named Bennett. He did nut conceive that the inquiry
world hut long, as the facts of the previous inquiries were
fresh in their memories; but there were two or three im-
portant things they ought to bear in mind ; one woe how dirt
the unfortunate fellow went with his death Y The ,sound was,
was it mused by the tire mid explosion which followed? And
the third question they would haver* cmisider was, was it hi.
own fault or that of any other person P
Wm. Prober, of de, Granby-atre t, Waterloo-mad said
that Dowse a master wheelwright. On Monday, the 12th of
July, he was at the corner of the Waterlou-road when the
Brat alarm of ere at Madame Cotea's was given. He went to
the house and found the windows of the fire floor closed.
He opened them, and then abut them down on teeing amok*
outing out. He went up by • ladder, when another man
came up. He appeared tipsy. Another man, who also ap-
peared tipsy, came up the ladder, who, he had no doubt, was
the derseued, end he pulkd a chair out. He tried to remove
him, when an expbidon of a Plight character took place.
another followed, and still he cuitrl not be induced to leave;
but the third, or great explosion, blew him and several others
off the balmily of the brat floor, and the deoesaed, beside'
being much buret, had hip leg fractured.
By a Juror—He tried to keep him from entering the room,
and while trying to prevent him trim entering the wiedow„
and holding him in his arms, he ups blown from him into
the next garden.
B• the Connor—Ms don opinion was, that at the time
the deceased wee on the balcony the poor fellow had been
drinking, and thereby became reckless or uncerseious of
the great danger he ran.
Mr. Edward Pokes, ono of the house sturgeons of the hoe-
OW, maid the deceased when admitted was severely burnt
about the body, and also mitering from a severe fracture of
the leg. He was when brought in evidently intoxicated—
delirium tremens al:pervert( d, and be died en the 27th hut.
The cause of death was from the borne, end the fracture to
the leg. Ho (rebus.) was happy to say that, out of 12 saw
that had been brought Into the hospital, the present was the
only one that had terminated Wally, and the ether pestles
were progreasisg nest favourably.
The Coroner said he rejoiced to hese the remarks from the
ipurgeon, as be had heard that others were mortally wounded.
Margaret Murray, of No. 22, Frannie-skeet, Westminster-
road, identified the body of deceased as being that of her
husband. Ile told her when he came home to hie tea
that some one Dreamed out fire, and he went to render
indolence, and thereby got injured by the explosion.
The jury immediately returned a verdict that the da-
ceued was mortdly burned, and hie leg ?mitred, by the ox-
plosion which compered on Monday the 12th of Joy bast.

FrLo•Dg-Hg.—On Tuesday morning last a man
named Henry Roberta*, • dealer in artificial dowers, in
Chandler's lane, Nottiogborn, committed suicide by banging
himself to the bed-post in hie s'eeping-room. He wag disco.
need, quite dead, by • relative, and his wigs oosotag in at
the time, cut the rope by which the upfortunate num was
suspended. At an inquest upon the body the evidence went
to show that the demised was slightly embeirralosd in oh.
cumatances, but when he committed self-mtuder it appeared
to the jury that Im was M a perfectly sane slats of mind, and
• verdict of Pria-do-so" wee returned The body of the
deceased was WNW at midnight, on Tuesday, in St. Anna
laurial-ground, Mirlthightn4
FariaTICHIM AND ITO CONSEartEISCES.—A
aged feral% beisimper te Mr. Thorley, of Speing-gardsna,
chime•ace. keebarft the week gone deranged, through, it
Is said, witgfeas,sek Rho was connected with the
primal sad k eoppowsi that the r,vivel services
weedy 0 which -the 1001E0 ore wrought up to the
highest Web of entkosiaam, have been too much
for bee. Oa Monday last she precipitated herself, at mid-
day, from see of ths bedroom windows, injuring hared:
coneilerably. She has sins been handed over to the cage
of ha fither.--.64eoford Mel clay.