The Express.
London, England, 1861-09-03 00:00:00

TIN TERRIBLE ACCIDENT ON THE

.NORTII LONDON RAILWAY.

LATEST PARTICULARS.-(THIS DAY.)

(nom am owl' atromism)

It is impossible to exaggerate the excitement
which prevailed this morning at Camden-town and Kentish-
town, iu connexion with thin sad calamity. Thousands
and tens of thousands of people have been thronging the
streets which lead to the spot where it occurred since break.
fast time, and iu fact during the whole night the neighbour.
hood wore an aspect of unwonted activity. Up to 12
o'clock the open meadow-land which the line here clears
was covered with passing crowds, and for some hours the
concourse of people was so large, and so greet was the
olitli-
culty of keeping them from encroaching upon the embank-
ment that the workmen employed to clear away the
wreck of the carriages were seriously impeded in
their proceedings. It was 4 o'clock before the
detris was cleared from off the line itself, and even since
that hour the labourers have been employed in completely
breaking up the carriages which were precipitate I over the
side parapet of the viaduct or bridge, and which it was
found could be removed in no other way. The en„ine
still lies at the bottom of the embankment upon
its side, with its dome casing scrolled up like parch-
ment, but with its funnel still apparently perfect, and
probably will so remain until it has b.seu viewed by
the coroner's jury. Workmen are also engaged,
and have been all the morning, in Lying new rails in the
place of those which were torn up, and one of which is com-
pletely cut through, as if by a pair of shears, one of the
ends being pressed down and buried in the earth.
The cause of the accident, as is always the (sae, until the
inquest elicits the truth, is involved in some obscurity. It
is, however, a remarkable fact that the collision °wilt red
exactlyat • point where there is a semaphore signal post, which
ought to have bay a safeguard to the spot. It is assorted
by some of the officials connected with the railway that the
signal was in its proper position to protect the ballast train,
which was at work on the .pot in reballasting the line, and
that the signalmen, either from some misconception with re-
gard to the speed at which the excursion train was travel-
ling, or from a total misunderstanding its to the position of
the ballast train, as soon as he saw the excursion train
approachiug, reversed the signal, so as to intimate that it
might come on, when he ought to have kept it longer, as
only by doing so could he hope to avert a collision between
the two trains. Thi, seems almost incredible, but such is
the only explanation at present given as to the canoe of the
catastrophe.
With regard to the collision itself, the facts appear to be
substantially the elms as those given in the morning papers.
The engioe.driver of the belled train, when he saw the ex-
, cursiou train approaching, commenced to ehunt, iu the
hope of getting on to the down line of rail before that train
could come up, but the engine of the excursion train
struck his train exactly in the middle, part being on ass
line and part ou the other, hurling five or six carriages over
the embankment on the down silo of the line, where they
now lie a wreck and confusion, while that half of the ballast
train attached to the engine kept on the rails and proceeded
on its way. At the same moment the engine of the ex-
cursion train jumped off the rail, ploughed ulong the
edge of the embankment for a few yards, mapped
the coupling iron short off, and then, toppling
over and over, rolled down the aide, till it reached the
level ground below. Three of the carriages which followed
ran some twenty yards further, gradually inclining down-
wards till they reached the bridge, the brickwork of which
they broke down as they fell below some 24 feet to she ground,
where one rested on its roof with another above it, and a
third standing on its end suspended over the brick-
work. A fourth carriage was partially suspended
and sense of those which followed were broken, but did not
actually leave the ourbeakment.
It should be stated that although this hue is the property
of the North Western Compuny they have no traffic of their
own over it., but work the traffic of the North London ;
and that officials of both lines were beady engaged
during the night in superintending the removal
of the debris, and the operations of the work-
men generally, as well as in the evening, in stipule
tending the removal of the died and wounded. Mewl
these may be mentioned Mr. Stevenson, goods manager
to the North• Western Company, and who also has
charge of the C.iiinden.statiou ; Mr. Henderson, loco-
motive foreman to the North• Western ; Mr. Harley, from
the secretary's office, and dlr. Hartley, Mr. Fleetwood, and
Mr. Coulter, also belonging to the Name company. Mr.
Chubb, of the North London `...omprity, with other officers,
likewise rendered themselves active in conducting the dif-
ferent operations.
It appears that the excursion train was but one of a series
which had run in the matuieg to Kew, iu .id of the Strat-
ford Library, and only one of which had preceded it on its
return. The passengers by the other train were delayed far
some hours in consequence of the accident, but they were
ultimately passed over the scene of the catastrophe mid
conveyed to Bow. The up line of rails has,
however, been blocked since, and the traffic is
now confined to the down line, which serves for the passage
of trains in both directions, is pilot engine being kept on
the spot for the purpose of conducting each tilde as it
crosses over this portion of the line ; surd as the driver of
this pilot engine receives a written order for each to pass,
no further accident can happen here, except under cir-
cumstances of the most unpenlonable neglect.
The number of the dead was stated in the papers of this
' morning to be twelve, but it appears to be only eleven
although it is extremely probable that other deaths will
occur.