The Express.
London, England, 1868-02-29 00:00:00

SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON THE NORTH BRITISH

RAILIVAV.-

On Thursday morning, about 3 o'clock, a collision
took place on the Waverley route of the North British
Railway, whereby three men, named Robert Weir, John
Brown, and Geo. Wood, servante of the company, lost their
lives, and a large amount of property was destroyed. The
aoeident took place at a point of the line nearly eepppposattte
the Arnistun Collieries, a little to the north of G ridge-
station where a siding has been constructed for the
convenience of the works. At this and the neighbour-
ing collieries the coal from the muses is put into trucks
during the day ; and at night, when the line is clear of
presenter traffic, the waggons are conveyed to • general
depot at " The Summit, near Gorebridge. It appears
that on Thursday morning, shortly before :1 e'clock, an
engine, with a break-van attached, was despatched from
Felahill for the purpose of bringing up one of these trains
from Arniston. There were four men in charge of the
train—the engine driver, stoker, and two guards. It
reached Arniston in safety, and one of the guards had just
stepped down from the van when the goods train from
Newcastle canie sweeping round the curve at full speed,
and dashed right into the etationary train. The van of
the coal train was shivered to splinters, and the two
engines came into violent collision. The fore-
most engine was driven forward several yards, but
the engrue of the goods train was thrown off the
petals by the shock of the collision, and the impetus
which bad been attained on the steep incline caused the
first part of the train to bound on the top of the engine,
while a number of the waggons following were piled all
over the line, • roams of ruins. The driver and fireman of
the goods train and one of the guards of the coal train
were killed ketantaneously. The driver and Molter of the
cal train were dashed violently sgatnst the tender of
their engine, the guard of the roods train, who was in
the last van, was auto thrown down—but, happily, none of
them were seriously injured. The guard, who had just
left the van of the coal train, seems to have had • most
providential eseape. The cause of the accident cannot
be ascertained. The goods train is said to have been fol-
lowing very closely on the cord train ; and as the night
was very stormy. it seems probable that the
driver failed to observe the danger signal until it was too
late to avert the catastrophe. Immediately ea the occur-
' renoe of the accident information was sent to the neigh-
bouring stations, and a large band of workmen were
speedily collected. Attention was first directed to the
rescuing of the men who were buried among the broken
=, but this was a work of no small diMeulty, and a
tile time elapsed ere they were recovered. The
bodies were all considerably bruised and mutilated, end
there seemed little doubt that in the ease of all death bad
been instantaneous. The damage to rolling stock is very
extenelve. The engine of the goods train is greatly
the funnel being knocked off, and the beams of the buffers
broken. Twelve or fourteen of the waggon have been
sompletely smashed, and their contents, consisting
of general merchandise, destroyed. Both lines were
bledred for about four bouts, and the passengers by
the morning trains had to change carriages at the scene of
the accideut and considerable delay was occasioned in con-
sequence. By ten o'clock the up-line was cleared, and the
truffle way carried on over it. and by eight o'clock Lest
night both lines were open. Weir, the engine-driver, was
• native of, and resided in Newcastle. He has left a wife
and one child. Brown, the stoker, was a young man, un-
married, and belonged to Yorkshire ; and Wood, the goods
guard, belonged to Portsoy, in Banffshire. Another and-
' dent took place between Nirriemuir and Porter, where •
man who had lost the train was walking along the Cale-
donian line, was overtaken by as advancing train, and
fearfully mangled.