The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-10-14 00:00:00

THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.

pane of glass on one side and a white one on the other.]
The witness remarked, that this coincided with the state-
ment of Mr. I,,inapp, who said he- saw a white lamp ; the
white side was the one he saw, while the red side was turned•
towards the driver • there was another kind 'of light that
might be changed to green from white, and white to green.
[The witness then produced one of the fog signals, which
are placed on the line and explode when the wheel of an
engine passes over them.] I heard that some signal was
used by the station-master at Straffan on the evening of the
accident ; the rockets might be very good if the g uards were
prepared with them at a proper time ; it. would -be difficult
to say whether they were sent up on the line .or at a gentle-
Man's residence near it.
•To Mr. Fitzgibbon—lf I had lamp and fog signals with
me, seeing a train approaching. very near, and if I must
neglect the use of any of my signals, it would be the ex-
plosive ones, thinking that the lamp would be most effective

in such cases.
Mr. Ilberry then gave Barry, the guard, a very high cha-
racter. He had known him since he (Mr. Ilberry) joined
he company—more then six years ago. The man always
yore a high character for correct conduct, and he had never
mud a complaint against him.
To Mr. Curran—l had never heard anything against
Gass, but he is not in my department : he seemed perfectly
;ober on the night of the accident.
Mr. Kennedy, station-master of Portarlington, examined
—The express train left Portarlington station on Wedn(s-
lay, at thirty-eight minutes past four, the pick-up train
arrived aVeleven or twelve minutes after fonf ; after taking
in water it shunted on a siding ; I think it started about
ten to twelve minutes after the express train ; the latter
arrived seven minutes after time ; the guard of the waggon
train has a book in which he marks the time he arrives at•
and leaves each station; there is a time fixed for the arrival
rid departure of the goods trains, but they are not bound
to time ; if the goods arrives before the passenger train, and
that we have no business for it, it is then allowed to go on ;
it might start five minutes after the passenger train' I was
furnished with a written memorandum, setting forth the
time of the arrival of this train ; sometimes the station-
masters are furnished with the time-table of the goods train ;
I have no recollection of having received a copy of it if I
have one it is not posted up for public observation. It is
not usual for the express train to be seven minutes late, but
it has happened. Berry was quite sober when passing the
Portarlington station. Gass was not drunk, but witness
could not say whether the latter had been drinking or not.
He seamed to have drunk slightly. There is a pullic-house
within 200 yards of the station. .
Richard John Ball, station-master at Sallins, examined—
I start trains as punctually as possible; if a passenger train
is in five minutes before its time, we keep it till its time is
up, and then start it; the policeman generally starts the
goods train, but if I am there I see that it is not started too
soon after the other train; I mean by " too soon" that they
must stop five minutes before they can start ; the driver of
the goods train can start after the time is up ; he is only
under my control at the station as to going on or shunting ;
goods trains rarely keep time like a passenger train; as soon
as ready it is started ; I do not recollect' their ever arriving
before time ; we would not allow them to start for half-an-
hour, if a passenger train were due at that time ; I do not
say that the time table is of no use, but the goods train
never arrives at the hour mentioned in it; according. to an
entry in my book, the express train arrived on Wednesday
at thirty-five minutes past five and left at thirty-seven
minutes past five ; it was due at nineteen minutes past
five ; the goods train arrived at 5.56, and left at 6.6 ;
there was nothing the matter with the, express engine,
as reported to me, on its arrival at Sallins; I cannot under-
take to say that there were lights on the express train.
• John Heffernan, engine-driver on the Great Southern
andWestem Railway, examined.—l am the driver of No. 14
engine ; I am in the employment of the company seven
years ; I am five years working that engine ; I was em-
plo_yed on the Grand Junction in England for nine years
• and nine months ; on Wednesday. evening we started from
Sallins, at nineteen or twenty minutes to six o'clock ; I
knew I was late there ; I was twelve minutes late in
starting from Thurles; we started at three o'clock ; at
Sallins the guard started the train; he keeps a time-piece;
the engine had not failed in any way previous to coming to
that station ; it first began to fail at the second bridge from
Straffan ; when I found that there was some derangement
.in the gearing, I shut off the steam immediately ; we
travelled near half a mile after shutting oft the steam before
the train became stationary ' • when it stopped I examined
the machinery, and found that one of the pistons was
broken; I could not see' whether the cylinder was broken;
one of the covers was ; it is not a very frequent accident—
rather a very rare one ; it occurred to me before on this line
with that engine ; it was about five years ago.. immediately
after the engine came to us ; the first piston that was
broken was composed of cast iron • the one broken now is
also composed of the same material; I cannot account for
if; I was going at the rate of twenty-eight or thirty
miles an hour at the time ; that is not more than the usual
speed, it is rather slower ; the engine has always been
in perfect order, except a little job after every trip, such as
washing the boiler out ; greasing the pipes, and so on ; it
is a very good engine for the traffic of this line ; it
was the same side that broke five 7-Garb awe it is usual
for an engineer to keep a look-out ; tare was light
to uncouple the engine ; I was under the engine immedi-
ately before the collission ; the fireman told me to
come out, that there was something: coming 'into me ;
I would say that I was there twenty.. minutes from
the time I came to the stand ; I think in seven or eight
minutes more I would have got her all right, and brought
her in ; one engine would be sufficient to bring.her in; two
or three minutes after the accident the guard went down the
line ; he came to the engine to light his lamp ; I saw the
police sergant along with the guard ; he was a passenger in
the train, and got out when the train stopped ; it was about
a quarter of an hour after the accident that the fireman told
me the train was approaching ; I was about' a second from
under it when the collision took place ; coming from Sallins,
if it is clear and no fog, I can see the Straffan light about
three miles; it was lighting when I was going; I saw it
about one mile and three-quarters; it was the white light I
observed; I saw the Straffan light long before I pulled up ;
on such a night a white light can be seen farther than a red
one ; I could not call it foggy, but there were mists of rain
now and then ; I could see a red light a mile and a quarter
distant; the rails were in a greasy, slippery state that night,
on the night in question it would take one mile and a quar-
ter to pull up. the goods train with twenty trucks • if Gass
had seen the signal at the distance of a mile, and shot off his
steam, and put on the breaks, I do not think that he would
have done any damage, though he might have shaken the
carriages ; I cannot say whether the lights were put on the
train at Kildare ; when the train broke down, I then lit the
red lamp in front of the engine, and two white lamps at the
rare of it ; the latter are obscured by :the _carriages ; the
lamps of the train might have been lit without my know-
ledge, but I did not see them lighted.
To Mr. Meagher.—lt was in or about the second bridge
from Straffan that I shut off steam ; if I observed a red
light at a station, being about two miles distant, I would
pull up immediately, particularly on a greasy. night ; it was
quite sufficient for a person to go half-a-inile near the train
which was advancing behind ; the train could not pull up in
that distance ; the guard going back with a light half a
mile might be seen another mile and a-half by the train : I
have been checked by a man with a. rad flag, and. I have
slackened immediately, blown the whistle, and reversed the
engine; I could not say for what distance the guard with
that red lamp could be seen. I should say the time he went
back it could be seen about a mile and a-half; at the time
of the collision I think it would be seen the same distance ;
an engineer discharging his duty, and keeping a proper look-
out, I think would be able to see the light about a mile, or
a mile and a-half; the fog signals placed at half a mile back
would :not have prevented the collision; it would not have
diminished the force of the collision, or the number of per-
ions who lost their lives ; he would have broken the car-
riages after all.
To the Coroner.—The rails being in good girder, it would
take three-quarters of a mile to pull up:
To Mr. Meagher.—There are sometimes two breaks, and
sometimes one to express trains ; it depends on the number
of carriages; a train of twenty carriages would require two
breaks for the safety of the passengers ; I consider two
breaks little enough for twenty carriages ; they have often
more ; the regular luggage train has three ; the passenger
train would be more easily pulled up with the same number
of breaks than the goods train.
To Mr. Coffey.—The engine which I brought up to
Dublin commenced to run at ten o'clock ; it had not been at
work the day previous; the practice of the company is to
work an engine alternate days ; I know it had been under
the examination of the engineers the previous day ; I made
a careful and minute examination of it in the morning, and
found it all right ; I observed no defect in it on the journey
to Thurles; there is a workshop at Thurles, and there is a
staff of engineers and workmen there, to make repairs of
engines ; after I arrived in Thurles I left the engine in the
engine shed ; I examined it again before starting on my
return, and it was in perfect working order, without any
defect ; I had the stoker with me ; he has been with me
twelve months last August; if I want anything done to the
engine at Thurles, I report to the engineer, and he gets

• •
it 'ilone.
To the Coroner.—l did not examine the pistons, for I
could not.
To Mr. Coffey.—On the lay-by. days there is a general
over-hauling of the engines ; to give an, accurate opinion of
the facility of pulling up, I should consider weight, speed,
and gradient ; at the rate I was travelling, I•would be at
Inchicore in twenty-five minutes after leaving Sallins.
It being then six o'clock, the inqueit was adjourned to,
this morning.
Herr Glukman, the well known' photograpist has
'addressed a letter to the papers, stating that he has found
out a plan by which the driver of an engine can be com-
municated with by tho guard, and that the experiment is in
course of trial on the Chester and Holyhead Railway.
MURDER.—On Monday night in Belfast, a man named
Chapman, brutally murdered his wife, 1# beating her. It
is thought he was intoxicated at the time.
LISBURN ELECTION.—This election has, as I anticipated,
terminated in the return of the Liberal candidate, Mr. Jon-
athan Joseph Richardson of the Island. His Tory names
sake did not come forward at all, and a Mr. Birney, who was
nominated in his stead, according to the Belfast _Yews Letter,
has since retired.
TiE AIDLY.—The six regiments about whose destination

there has been so much discussion, have received orders to ,
hold themselves ready for the march. Whatever has been
said on the subject, it is a matter of more than-probability
that these:movements will have something to do with the
state of things in the East... Whether they shall go further
than Malta or Gibralter, will depend as much on the
Emperor of Russia,': as on Lord Harding° ; and the general
impression is that the matter has been so managed as to
propitiate both peace and war parties. If hostilities com-
mence, they will be a sort of vidette, for a larger force, on
the banks of the Danube, and if the contfflry resulthappens,
it will be said that it was all along only a mere routine
change of quarters. This is the common gossip in Dublin
military circles. _

MAYNOOTH COHMISSION.—The commissioners held their
sixteenth meeting at their office in the castle yesterday. The
Chief Baron was sufficiently recovered to resume his atten-
dance on yesterday. A short-hand writer from Messrs.
Gurney and Sons, of London, attended on the commissioners,
and they have been engaged for a considerable time in the
oral examination of the professors and officers of the college .
THE ECCLESIASTICAL TITLES Aar.-The Right Rev. Dr.
Walsh has just issued a "pastoral," addressed to the faithful
of the clergy and people in the diocese of Ossory, calling for
subscriptions towards the completion of a "magnificent cathe-
dral," now in course of erection in the city of Kilkenny. By
way of evincing his respect for an act of parliament, this
Dr. Walsh thus heads the pastoral :—" Edward, by the
Grace of God and' ApOstolic See Bishop of Ossory, to our
dearly beloved brethren and children in Christ—the clergy
and laity of said diocese." •

QUEEN'S COLLEGE, BELFAST.—Thomas Edward CR&
Lesile, Esq., btrrnster-at-law, has" been appointed professor
of Political Economy and Jurisprudence in the Queen's Col-
lege, Belfast, in the room of William Neilson Hancock, Esq.,
LL. D., who has removed his residence to Dublin.
TILE MISSIONARY MOVEMENT.--A Roman Catholic priest
named 0' Keefe has been committed for trial at the King's
County quarter sessions, for assaulting a scripture reader
named Edghill.

LANCASHIRE .INSURANCE COMPANY.

The first annual meeting of this company was held on
Wednesday last, at the Royal Exchange, Manchester, in ac-
cordance with the deed of settlement. The chair was occu-
pied by. Nicholas lIALD, Esq.
Mr. Kennedy, the general manager, read the report, from
which it appeared, that since the establishment of the com-
pany in the spring of 1852, the safe and legitimate extension
of the business of the company had unremittingly occupied
the attention of thp board. The allotment of the shares
had been carefully made, with a view to secure business.
The very satisfactory results of the Liverpool office had
justified not only the allotments made by the Provisional
-Directors of that most important place, but had quite war-
ranted the establishment of a local' board ' there. The
directors had succeeded in purchasing the entire busi-
ness of the late British Fire and Life Assurance Company,
which had secured them an established position in the metro-
polis, where they:.had now an influential and important
board. The income from the policies in the British Company
amounted to £6,500, which this company had been able to
maintain. In the West of Scotland, a local board
had been appointed, and an influential proprietary obtained.
After paying all losses, the necessarily heavy expenses of
a new office, and £5 per cent: interest to the Shareholders,
there was laid by for Life Reserve and Life Bonus purposes
upwards of £7,500, and there was now accumulated the
sum, including the premiums on shares, of nearly. £B,OOO
for similar purposes in the Fire department. In addition to
the large amount of Duty, the income of the Company from
all other sources amounted to £32,593 12s. 11d. -They
had issued 182 New Policies, assuring £110,105, and yield-
ing an annual income of £3,309 10s. 6d., and the business
now doing was above the average of the past year. The
report concluded with the following observations. The
results of the past year's business are most successful and
encouraging ; and they.take leave to add, that, having done
their utmost to procure so favourable a termination of their
first year's labours, they feel entitled to call upon each
Shareholder to bring, by his infin.ence, at least one Fire and
one Life Policy from others, in addition to his own direct
business.

The CHMIIMAN moved the adoption of the report, and
that it be printed and. circulated amongst the share-

holders,

Mr. WILLIAM JENKINSON (Marlborough-square, Salford,)
seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously.
The retiring directors were re-eleeted, and seven no w
directors were also Appointed.
Resolutions tendering votes of thanks to the different
local boards were agreed -to, and a vote of ,XlOOO to the
directors, as a substantial mark of approval, of their
services, on the 'part of the shareholders, was carried

unanimously.
The proceedings terminated, after a vote of thanks to the
chairman.

CONSECRATION OF CHRIST CHURCH.
DENTON, NEAR MANCHESTER.

YESTERDAY, the conceeration of Christ Church Denton,
took place under circumstances of peculiar interest and at-
traction. The erection and completion of this new House of
Prayer is mainly owing to the arduous and unceasing exer-
tions of the Rev. Richard Greswell, 8,D.; of Worcester Col-
lege, Oxford, and. son of the Rev. Incumbent of the old
parish church of Denton. To do honour on the occasion of
the consecration of the church, the Right Hon. the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, the Right. Rev. the Bishop of Ox-
ford,. and the intimate riends of the Rev. Mr. Greswell paid
a special visit to Dent On. The weather was favourable, and
the result was, that there was, throughout the whole of the
proceedings, an immense concourse of people assembled in
the immediate neighbourhood of the church. The church
was crowded to excess, .and hundreds were obliged to go away
who were unable to obtain admission._ It is a day which
will be long remembered in Denton and the neighbourhood.
Amongst those present on the occasion we noticed the Right
Rev.-the:Bishop of 'Manchester, the Right Rev, the Bishop
of Oxford, the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Chancellor of
the Exchequer ; Sir William Heathcoate, Lady Heathcoate,
Sir Stephen Glynne, the Earl of Wilton, the Countess of
Wilton, the Lord de Ros, Lord R. Grosvcnor,.Lord Grey de
Wilton, the Very Rev, the Dean of Manchester, the Vene-
rable the Archdeacon of the East Riding of Yorkshire
(brother of the Bishop of Oxford), the Venerable the Arch-
deacon of Manchester, the Rev. Canon Clifton, Mr. William
Entwisle, (Rusholme-house, Rusholme,) the Rev. G. H. G.
Anson, Mr. Marsden, (St. James's-square, Manchester,) Mr.
W: P. Roberts, (solicitor,) the Rev. W. Boardman, (chap-
lain to the Infirmary,) the Rev. W. Huntington, Mr. Wm.
Slater, (Broughton,) Mr. W. C. Brooks, Mr. J. C. Herter,
(Broughton New Hall,) Mr. Deflinne, Mr. Neil Macnish,
Mr. John Peel, Mr. R. Gladstone, 'Mr. John Sharpe, Mr
John M'Clure, Mr. Alderman Neild, Mr. Fernley, Mr.
Hoyle, the Rev. R. Greswell, the Revs. J. Hayes, E
Buckley ; Dr. Kearns, Hugh Stowell, T. Bently, N
Pocklington, L. Smith, C. Rickson, R. Fletcher, Thoma:
Corser, N. Milne, H. M. Birch, Robson, Booker,

Aiche;, Darnford, B. Crompton, James Whittaker, JOhn
Booth, Slade, Messrs. Swallow, Albert Mcgson, &c., &c.
This new church is one • in the construction of which a
successful attempt has-been made to give a correct ecclesias-
tical form, with substantial construction and genuine, mate-
tcrial, with the smallest possible quantity of architectural
ornaments, such as those usually produced by plaster. The
building is in the style which may be called the transition,
between the early English and the early decorated. The
church consists of a nave, with north and south aisles, each
under high pitched roofs, and a well-developed chancel. A
substantial tower and sinre.are erected at the N. W. angle.
There are a thousand sittings, the seats are without doors,
and those in the nave are free. The structure cost. about
£5,000, of which, until yesterday morning, £1,200 had to

be 'paid, and for the payMent of ;vhich thatev.l. Greswell
made himself solely responsible. After the sermon yester-
day, however, a collection *as made which amounted to the'
handsome sum of £427. The architect of the building is
Mr. Scott, of Spring-gardens, London. The church is sur-
rounded by a burial-ground, in refeience to which Mr. Gres-
well has 'aken great pains. and upon which he has expended,
we believe, upwards of £lOO. The ordinary consecration
services having been gone through, in which the Bishop, of

Manchester, the Bishop of Oxford, and the Rev. T. N.
Farthing, the incumbent of the new church, took part, a
sermon was preached by the Right Rev. Prelate from the
diocese of Oxford, from the text, Acts xviii. and 10,—" For
I have much people in this city."
At the conclusion of the services in the church, a cold

tiOntoolCPlacein the adjoining schools, provided•by M
Johnson, of the .Albion • Hotel, Piccadilly, Mancheste
We omitted to state in an earlier portion of this accoun
that, during the services in the church, a great number
ladies were present.

COLLECTION OF THE. REVENUE.—From a Parlia-
mentary paper recently Issued it appears that in the year
ending the sth January last, the charges of collection on the
revenue amounted 'to £2,638,733.

MEETING OF THE MASTER H Alu-D RESSERS.—A
meeting of the master hair-dressers, was announced for
yesterday evening, at seven o'clock, in the Clarendon Rooms,
South John-street. .At eight o'clock, about half the
trade had assembled, and much desultory conversation took
place. The general feeling seemed to be that it would be
very difficult to comply with the request of the assistants
to close at seven o'clock, but an exceedingly. kind and
liberal feeling was shown by the masters, and a wish to give
the assistants' memorial, which they stated was most respect-
ful, a careful consideration. Mr. Astler, of Bold-street,
said that he had taken upon himself to summon this
meeting, because he thought such a measure just. Several
masters said the assistants were better off as to hours than
drapers'' shopmen, who, though they nominally closed at
seven, did not get away. for an hour and a half afterwards.
One gentleman obseived that he thought most of the assis-
tants were young men disposed to improve themselves, and
that they ought to have the privilege of attending the
Mechanics' Institute, and all useful public lectures. They
were brought into contact in giving tneir services with the
highest classes of society, and the more intelligent and
cultivated they lecome, the better for their. employers.
It was mentioned that one ore two houses would not close
at the hour named, whatever resolution that meeting came
to. Our reporter waited until half-past eight o'clock,
when nothing definite having been concluded upon, he
left.