The Express.
London, England, 1866-06-13 00:00:00

THE EXTRAORDINARY ACCIDENT ON THE

GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY.

Mr. J. W. Sworder, coroner for Hertfordshire,
held an inquest yesterday at the Cowper Arms, near Wel-
wyn station, on Joseph Ray, the railway vard, killed in
the collision in Welwyn tunnel on Saturday night, and
John Rawlings, late fireman in the employ of the Metro-
politan Company, who received inch injuries in the same
accident that he died early yesterday morning.
Evidence of the finding of the bodies and the cause of
death having been given, John Slur, the engine driver of
the Great Northern train, said he was driver of a train
of " coal empties," and passed Welwyn at 11.15. The
occurrence happened to the engine at 11.20. The signals
at Welwyn were " all right." The Coroner—Are you
sure of that ? Witness—Quite sure. A tube bunt, and
witness sent the fireman Kemp to Wray to tell him to
" guard" the train and Wray said he had better go back to
Welwyn, but witness refused, and was going on to Kneb-
worth with the engine when the Midland train ran into
them. Wray remained in his break when Kemp spoke to
him. The train was half way in the tunnel, and had been
there 15 or 16 minutes when the collision took place.—
Frederick Kemp, the fireman, confirmed the statement of
the previous witness as to the Welwyn tunnel signals
being " all right." The guard ought to have gone back
and protected the train.—Charles Williams, the driver of
the Midland train, gave evidence as to their running
through Welwyn station with the signals at " all right."
Mr. Mr. Hornby, the locomotive superintendent for the Great
Northern, said the engine had been made by Messrs.
Kitson, of Leeds. It had run 40,966 miles mines it was
made, in March, 1865. One of the tubes bunt, but that
is unavoidable. They are examined about every two years.
James Bradford, the signalman at Welwyn, having been
cautioned, said the " coal empty" passed at 11.20, Knet.
worth being then clear, as telegraphed from there. He
repeated that the " cal empties" were " in," but had
no direct answer. He asked Knebworth, "Did you out?"
and had answer, "Yes." Witness did not record it. The
other train passed through about a quarter of an hour
after.—Joseph Harding, the signalman at the Knebworth
end of the North Welwyn tunnel, denied giving answer
" yes," as stated by the last witness. He did, however,
send back in reply to Bradford's message, but he said" no."
—TheCoroner left it tothe jury to say whether eitherof the
men were to blame, or whether the tube having burst, that
as the primary cause of the accident would account for it.
It was char at all points that if the man Wray had gone
back to protect his train the disaster would have been
avoided.—After half an hour's deliberation, the following
verdict was returned by the foreman, Mr. Thoe. Waller :
" The jury have come to the conclusion that the deaths of
Joseph Wray and John Rollings were respectively caused
by accidental' circumstances, and as the answer ' yes' or
' no' rests on the unsupported testimony of the signalmen
themselves, the jury think it best notto say anything more
of the matter."—Captain Rich held his official inquiry
after the inquest.