The Express.
London, England, 1857-07-03 00:00:00

THE ACCIDENT ON THE NORTH EBNP

.BAIL W.l Y.

Yesterday morning, 7 homas Parry, engine-driver,
and 114111WIr IVATIN grams a, to the service of the South-
Biskra /railway Company, were *gain placed at the her
hare Mr. Troilk the magietrote at the
police-alert, charged "A
neglecting their duty
=etkaiving en end train et passompws on Sundey
~deg last, 144614 eleven ponces wee Mod and several
Pliers mind, lodured. I
3k. Reis, wellaiisr, again attemiel for the company, and
ldr. Burgas Sir the priseams.
I Mimed Dashes Cbagsnan, dation-master at Black-
heath, dsposod—l was on tile platform when the 9.30
train tram Snood arrived, but kid left between the
two snivels. The 9.30 train reed two or three minutes
at the Potion. I gave the sigma to Matt to the guard, her-
b* drat celled to the signel•box from the Ake door on the
trwhether "ell was deer up." The aigusl-box we&
.egyeeds hem where I was And*: The
Willie was In show at the abpal, and in armor CZ
trellis le pd his bead oat at the box and said, " All clear
al" end trams that I add to the guard, 'AU sight."
The rind a oboist; tine es km yards from me, and
the Dein kik I wee lade& to the men Inpri at the end of
le.przi the Landon tad of the platform, telling him I
ilidatam.
wee
e work woo over, es I had beta much
sad and was dad bidding him good night
whin I heard the eellieirea. I imbed Ira to the
boa, sled soil% "Tor Oars mho, the rignal was
wrest yea per me for the bet Inds," and las said,
"Tee yen Si.' stored in my book." This was •
limb fir a_ulpatt end • half after the tree left.
_... ....,. ...... ...Air_

Zir tai waaisit-/
went to the reds mid paw the dial. The indicator sp-
Welt we " SPs sp,"
_which would indi-
a Wok wee between thenkthath and Lev/lithos
That roil weld imply that Lewisham hod acknowledged
the or maim demeans Man u train. If Lewisham had
nth bieremer, odor eled the of the 9.30 train,
the seethe werald ham Yakired "AB deer up." So that if 1
Lawithem bad not acknowledged the departure the indicator •
would thew the depeetani of the Ll 5 train. The state
eel the tehgenpli at Blackheath station immediately after the
assist ethered that either the signal " All clear up'. from
Lewithem--tithent which the 9.30 train ought not to have
dried be. Bthebbeeth—had not been reved at Black-
hmeter that Lewisham had acknowledged the departure of
the 9JO.
42.11 r. Bilffrell—l MIPS known • brie some into the
when the elpeel was aping Idea, but net without
eirerding the whirls End scrag the the clear before him.
Them are various hinds of puthiment the thr—ouch se an
Mseenltion or treat of dimmed hem the seeks.
Mr. Burgon—Then there is no semi paniiimint
The Witness—An admonition I think a pediment to a
well-directed mind.
Mr. Traill"—Tbe guard Abbott, in his evidence, mays he
did sot see you on the platform, and you my you maw him
When you gem the order to aril the train P
' Mr. Chapman—l have stated I wee standing only three or
four rude born him. He might have been 16 or 16 yards
from me; I can't dirinctimpay
John Nelson, ration-master at Lewisham, was next
exanthed—l wee on duty on the arrival on the 9.16
train at Lewisham from Strood. As tar as I can re-
collect, it arrived at 10.40, but in the ordinary course of
things it would not stop. The ream of my 'topping the
train was in obedience to the telegraph, the indicator show-
ing "Stop all up" from Lewisham. The semaphore and
distant disc signals were up. The 9.16 train, on coming in,
did not pass the distant signal, but stopped, and sfterwards
came within it. The semaphore signal is at the end of the
✓eitien. The train did not come up to the platform. Pas-
set derS were waiting on the platform for London. The train
reward about 16 minutes before the collision occurred. The
cable& took place at 10.65. The semaphore end distant
✓ods wisest " danger" the whole of the time the train was
stopping, and the 9.30 troth, on something the station, had
the same signals against them which had brought up the
9.16 teeth 1 Ina become swore of the approach of
the 9.30 rain by easing it dart ender the bridge,
the engine Itavinewerhi.42l.iffhts in front of it. Ido not
know at soy telegraph being received from Black-
heath between the time 7-tll 9.16 train stopping and the
collision. The signethen was David Wilde. The signalmen
wee in his bon, bet I know, of my own knowledge, that be
wee aware at the 9.16 train being stopped near the station.
By Mr. Traill—The line at the Mid-Kent junction was
thew about the time of the collieion. The Mid-Kent train
bad passed five or de minutes previously, but the red lights
were rill kept up.
Examination continued—A few minutes after the collision
I went to the signal-box and sew Wilde there. I mid to
him, " How is this P" He replied, " I cannot my, Black-
heath bad giventwo bear, and myinetrument being stop all
up,' I did act reply." I then looked at the book, and
drew a line under -his entry, and the book con-
arms his statement that at 10.32 he acknowledged the arrival
of the 9.15 train, by signelling " stop all up.' I looked at
the instrument, and the indicator showed " stop all up." The
• entry in that column would apply to all succeeding tieing
from Blackheath. Thesein the book shows that the
• 9.16 train had been from Blackheath, and that
• Lewisham bad acknow the train to come on from
Blackheath. There is no entry in that book showing that
train bad been signalled to Bleckheath as leaving Lewisham
for London. If each signal had been given I should have
expected to And an entry in the second column of the book
produced, but there is no such entry. The effect of each a
r .ignia to Blackheath would be a beat cm the gong and
altering the needle of the instrument to "all clear up."
Supposing Wilde had received such signal of the intended
departure of the 9.30 train from Blackheath, and had
• acknowledged its receipt, I should expect to find
I as entry of such en acknowledgment in the book ; them
is no such entry, The inference I drive front the book to
that he had not received or acknowledged a signal sines the
• arrival et the 9.16 train, end that statement ie consistent
with the dial °fibs telegraph and his statement to me.

H. I

i:i.
'nick ;

By Mr. Traill—l saquite pure Wilde knew of the deten-
tion of the 9.15 train, for I told him to rim down and see if
the trsin could take passengers on to London, and, Rao, to
draw up to Ms platform, and called to another man, &why,
to stay at the electric box, and stood there myself outside in
a porition to have heard if any signal had bean received from
Bleekheuh.
By Mr. Bergen—There have been complaints made of the
distant signal at the Lewisham station, and probably there
might have been complaints last week. I will not under-
take to say .that Hill, the driver of the 9.16 train, had
not complained to me within two days of the accident of the
condition atlas signet. I have no recollection oldie distant
signal having boon recently repaired. Since the accident the
gas pipes haw been cleared out. It is not so long es two
months since they were cleared out. When the driver of
the 9.16 train imam part the distant Miranl to the semaphore
signal I did not reprove him. No driver is allowed to per
the distant signal without first stopping there.
By Mr. Rees—The signal lamps are lighed with gas.
Within one or two honre after the accident the distant signal
and lights were examined by myself and Mr. Eborall, and
found perfectly correct.
By Mr. Traill—l saw the prisoners after the accident, and
they made no complaint to me of the lights. I went to the
prisoners and questioned them, but they made no complaint
whatever.
A conversation here took place between Mr. Traill and
Mr. Ram, when the latter gentleman left the meet, and
having consulted with Mr. Eborall, the manager of the com-
pany, the resulted which was that an application was made
for the detention of John Griffiths and David Wilde, the
two signal men at the Blackheath and Lewisham stauons;
end after the close of the CYO they were both taken into
custody end charged with neglect of duty. They will be
kreaght up for examination with the other prisoners on
Sahrlighintit:sta raxtm was the next witness. He mid—l was
under-guard of the 9.30 p.m. train on Sunday firs&rood.
My ma was next to the engine. I gave the navel, which I
had pevlously received from the head guard, to the driver to
start from Blackheath. I did not herr any signal given to
the Anion meter. I saw the Lewisham junction signals
when between the two bridges from Blackheath, and
the breaks. The signal was a Tedlight. After I the
Meeks I bowl the whistle of the engine, and the engine
we. roomed ; bat whether the Warn wu shut off
or est I maul say. We were going at • good rate ; what I
sheet tel " tall swing." The speed wee afterwards slack-
ened. I did not afterwards see the driver and Seeman. I
also taw the station signal as well •• the distant signal.
Both were led lights. We go up toe station se fast aa we
can, in ceder not to stop short and lose time. On seeing the
distant signal it is our duty to stop outside the distant signal,
but we amid not do so en Sunday night, becalms we were
going so dot.
By Mr. Borgon—As soon am I got the break on I
the whittle of the engine.
By Mr. Train—l am certain the 'nineties reversed.
Edward Corner, 'moistest to the locomotive department of
the South Eastern Railway, was called to prove the delivery
of a copy of the compony's rules reguding the priuners'
duties, the fireman being requited " to look out for signals
when not engaged in other duties.'
By Mr. Treed—l consider the driver much more raven-
'ibis in looking out for signals than the fireman. The fire-
man is required to use the break.
Mr. Bergen asked if his worship thought the fireman
ought to be further detained, as be dal not think a jury would
convict.
Mr. Trail said he would rather not say what a jury
'sled:rimers Comer, in reply to a further notation tram
the magistrate, said diet whimever any neglect of 'quit-
one' took place, the driver, and not the lbenem, was
plodded by the company.
Mr. Taal raid that was an important admission_ ; bat he
could not think of dischargieg him from custody. Be would
accept ball far his appearance.