The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-11 00:00:00

E 4

MIXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT ON THE
GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY.

The following is the official account of one of the
east extraordmary railway accidents on record :
SIR,—A serious obstruction occurred on the
Great Northern Railway on Saturday night, in the
Welwyn Tunnel, about twenty miles from London,
ender the following circumstances :—A train of
empty coal waggons was going northwards through
the tunnel, when the engine burst a tube, and was
linable to proceed. A goods train was following,
and by some mistake on the part of the signalman
(at present unexplained) was allowed to enter the
tunnel before he (the signalman) had received the
telegraphic message from the other end of it, that
the preceding train had passed out. The second
train came into collision with the break van of the
train of empty waggons, throwing the van and
several waggons of the first train and the engine of
the second train off the line. The guard of the
first train was killed. At this moment an up
goods train reached the north end of the tunnel,
and as there was nothing to indicate an obstruction
of the up line it was allowed to proceed. The
engine of this train came into contact with
the engine of the " down" train, and
with several waggons was also thrown off the line.
Before any means could be taken to remove the
Ihroken waggons, the fire from one of the engines
had caught the debris, and the wind blowing
through the tunnel caused the fire to spread so
rapidly that it was impossible to clear the line.
Arrangements were, therefore, made to work the
traffic over the Great Eastern Railway, ad Hert-
ford, Cambridge, and Peterborough, and it will
continue to be so worked until the line through the
tunnel is again lit for traffic. This it is hoped
will be the case in the course of Monday.
It is hardly necessary for me to mention that the
moat rigid inquiry will be made as to the error of
the signalman, which has had such serious results.
—I am, &c.,
SEYMOUR CLARKE, Gencral Manager.
The Great Northern Railway, General Manager's
Office, King's-cross Station, London, June 10.

The following account has been forwarded to us
by a correspondent, who writes from Welwyn last
evening :
The scene of this extraordinary occurrence is the Wel-
wyn Tunnel, about five miles beyond Hatfield, and be-
; eween the Welwyn Junction and Stevenage. Shortly before
11 o'clock, • train of goods empties started on Saturday
sight from the Kiag's-eross goods station for Hitchin. On
teaching the centre of the Welwyn tunnel, either from the
bursting of a tube or some other cause, the engine broke
Ls down, and the train was brought to • stand. In this
emergency it would have been the duty of Ray, the guard,
who was in the break in rear of the train, to have gone
back out of the tunnel and given the stopping signal. This,
from a cause not explained (and which in all probability
sever will be, as Ray with hie companion was subsequently
found in the break van dead), was not done. The
break-down occurred about half-past twelve a.m.,
this (Sunday) morning, and had scarcely taken place when
the down Midland goods train, the driver of the engine of
which had received no signal of danger on the London side,
ran into the tunnel and dashed into the rear of the
already broken down train of empties. The violence of the
shock was such as to throw the Midland engine and the
heavy train of goods which it was drawing—and which
amongst other reerchandiae was known to contain several
waggons laden with casks of oil and other materials of a
combustible character—over on to the up line, piling them
one upon the other in heaps, reaching to the crown of the
arch, it is believed, and completely blocking the tunnel.
No signal of the mishap was given to the signalman
at the northern end towards Stevenage, and in
a short space of time onward came the up Scotch
meat train, bringing up the dead meat from the north
for the supply of Monday's Newgate market with other
goods. This, which was a Great Northern train, entered
the tunnel and dashed into the debris of the already cap-
Weed down Midland goods. In a few momenta it was dis-
covered that the engine of the Great Northern train had
also been turned over, and that the goods and waggons of
the Midland train had become ignited from the burning
cools and cinders of the engine furnaces scattered about.
Singular to relate both drivers and firemen of all the engines
had escaped either unhurt or with but slight injuries,
and having signalled to the nearest stations, both
up and down, what had happened, the first step taken
was to look after the guard of the Northern train
of empties, Ray, who was found in the midst of the '
debris of his break, frightfully crushed, and quite
dead, and with him another man, a fireman, in
the employ of the Metropolitan Railway, who it
appears he was conveying surreptitiously down the
LIDO to his home, who, although not quite dead, was in a
dying condition, and was not expected to survive many
home. The guard of the Northern up train, Lacey, was
also found lying on the line near his break, severely in-
jured about the head. He was in the first instance re-
moved to Welwyn, but subsequently was taken to town,
and placed under the care of Mr. Kirkwood, surgeon to the
Great Northern and Midland Companies. Lacey, although
suffering from a severe scalp wound and other head in-
juries, may, it is hoped, recover.
Information of the occurrence was at once telegraphed
to Mr. Seymour Clarke, the general manager of the line,
who resides at Hatfield, and also to the authorities on
the northern side at Knebsworth- Large bodies of men
were employed to get out what waggons they could, but
the suffocating character of the smoke and the heat
of the fire from the ignited debris of the car
riages and merchandise, prevented their efforts being very
effective, except with the empties of the Scotch train.
Farther telegrams having been forwarded to London, about
two o'clock this morning Mr. Superintendent Williams,
with a gang of some 200 men, reached the scene of the
disaster. By this time, however, it was known that there
were 36 carriages or trucks, 13 of which belonged to the
down Midland, all in • blaze. The repeated ex-
plosions not only rendered any attempt, even if the heat
and smoke bail not prevented it, to enter the tunnel
abortive. From the air shafts smoke ascended, and at
intervals flames, although the shafts are some or GO
feet in height from the roadway, whence sounds resem-
bling the roaring of a river indicated the character of the
conflagration that was raging underneath. The authori-
ties having taken counsel, and in the absence of water and
inability to approach the seat of mid:legation, it was
. deemed advisable to let it expend itself, and be prepared
with aid to enter the tunnel and clear the line of
the debris so soon as it should have done so.
The fire continued to throughout the whole of the
day, and it. was not until 6 p.m. that it had become suffi-
ciently reduced to enable any one to enter the tunnel. At
this time a body of men arrivri under command of Mr.
Superintendent Williams, with the Hatfield engine, lent
to the company by the Marquis of Salisbury, and a supply
of water having been obtained the engine was set to
work, but the d,-iris was still burning at 8 o'clock this
evening. Hundreds of navvies have arrived, and it is
hoped during the night to get the line clear. In the
meantime the whole of the traffic has had to be carried on
along the Hertford branch, rat Royston and Hitchin,
and the Cambridge branch of the Great Eastern Railway.
It is thought that the cause of the catastrophe was the
unfortunate guard, Ray, not having, as soon as the first
break down took place, given a stopping signal at the
London mouth of the Welwyn tunneL Hie unfortunate
eempanion lingered till this afternoon, when he expired.

NORTM-ELSTERN RAILWAY.—At a Ste .",in] meet-
ing of the shareholders of the North Eastern Railway
Coinpany held on Friday, at the Do Grey Rooms, York,
B. R. Thompson, Esq., in the chair, it was resolved unani-
mously to re-lame 1,000,000/. preference stock, to bear
interest at 5 per cent., the greater portion of which will
go to provide the extra rolling stock now required by the
company.

SPALDING AND BOVRN RAlLWAY.—Captain Rich,
R. E., has inspected this line on the part of the Board of
Trade. After an examination which extended over four
hours Captain Rich expressed himself generally satisfied
with the works on the line, which will be opened for traffic
in a few days. The length of the line is about 10 miles ; it
is an offshoot from the loop of the Great Northern system.
METROPOLITAN FRE% HOSPITAL DEVONRHIER-
SQUARE, CITT.—The aggregate number of patients relieved
during the week ending- June 9, was medical, 879 ;
Hcal, 545 ; total, 1,421, of which 587 were new POW
OSPITAL FOR DISRASES OF THE CHEST, VICTORIA-
PARK.—The number of patients relieved at this institution
during last week was 1,515, of which 324 were new cases.
" A good family medicine chest, with a pendent
we, has saved many a life ; and yet we think the idea might be
Improved upon, and reduced to a more simple form. Take some
vod compound, mach as Cockle's Antibilious Pills, and we nod
that the desired end may be obtained withontscalei and weights,
or little mystmlous compartments, and enchanted bottles with
Instal stoppers. Others might be used, hut Cockle's MX as
tested by many thoweends of persons, and fowsel to answer their
mrperveregnmisto well, say be set down as the beet."--Otwerver—