The Express.
London, England, 1861-09-04 00:00:00

(Stamped, id. Additional) [TWOPENCE

THE DREADFUL COLLISION ON THE
HAMPSTEAD JUNCTION RAILWAY.

It is admitted that the collision was the result of
gram neglect ; but the delinquent has not as yet been
named. The Hampstead Junction line is peculiarly circum-
stanced
as regards ownership ; and at the present moment
there are indications that the question of " responsibility" in
connexion with the recent accident will be raised. The rolling
stock by which the passenger traffic is worked belongs to the
North London Company. The station-masters, porters, and
pointamen are in the employment of the London and North.
Western, To complicate the matter still further, the entries
and ballast truck, with which the COll=ll.loll took place are
the property of the London and North-Western Company,
while the locomotive and carriages_ of the passenger train
are all branded " North London." The servants of the
one company seek to throw the blame on those of the I
other ; and inquiries at head-quarters do not result in any
light being thrown on this knotty point. There does not
appear to ke may "liampeteadJunction" staff in existence ;
though since the accident much trouble has been takes to
assure the world that the Hampstead 'Nunn*, line Is not •
=either at the Loadon and North-Weetern or the North
To maks "confusion worse confounded" there are
in the Hampstead Junction stations two sets of time-tables
one beaded "North Loudon, Blackwell, Hampstead
Junction, and South-Western Railways; the other,
"London and North-Western Railway." On each of these
the times of arrival and departure at the stations are given.
It is to be hoped that the mysteries of ownership and
management in respect to this small loop line may be
unravelled at the coroner's inquest.
In the absence of any statement from the company—
whichever it may be— from which an official account of the
accident might have been expected, there are various sur-
mises as to the cause of the collision. One fact is admitted
on all hands—namely, that the excursive train dal not stop
at the Kentish-town station, which is within some 300 yards of
the point at which the ballast trucks were shunting. Be-
tween the Hampetearland Kentish-town stations,at about 400
yards from the latter, there is au auxiliary signal, which
can be worked from either of those stations. There are no
time bills fur excursion trains on their return to town ; but
the arrival of each train, venal as well as ordinary, is
telegraphed from Hampstead to Kentish-town, and when
it comes to the latter it is, in like manner, accounted at
Camden-road station. Au official at Kentish-town nation
asserts positively that this auxiliary showed the signal
which should have warmed the driver of the preuser
train that there was danger ahead ; and other
officers connected with the joint maniygemeut state
their belief that signals were exchanged between the two
engine-drivers. If there was such au exchange of signals,
it may have taken place when it was too late to avert the
calamity which followed. There is an auxiliary signal
within a few yards of the spot where the ballast train was
shunting. Whether it was used on this occasion, or
whether its employment would have bad any prac-
tical effect in preventing what followed, remains
to be inquired into. The up rails were so much
displaced by the wheels of the locomotive when it
was falling over that it took several hours yesterday to
repair them, and during the greater part of the day the
traffic both ways was worked on a single line for the length
of a few hundred yards. Great caution was used, and the
numbers in the various train were not large.
It is now altar that the Smithy as to the muse of this
accident will, like that at Brighton, resolve itself into
one as to signals. Unlike the portion of the Brighton line
on which the accident took place, there is no tunnel between
Kentish-town and Camden-town, but there are very sharp
curves, which make a proper system of signalling and
a close attention to its practical working matters of the
1 last importance. To show any train to run through the
Kentish town station without stopping while shunting ope-
rations from a siding to the up-line and from the latter to
the down line were being carried on many times each day
appears to the uninitiated in railway management a very
questionable proceeding. To do so on a day when there
was an unusual number of trains, some of which had uo
stated time, is yet more extraordinary ; bet to allow it
without a system of signals that would make mistake on
the part of the railway servants an impossibility would be
totally inexcusable. If, as is alleged by the higher offi-
cials, the signals on the Thunpstesil Junction were sim-
plicity itself, then it will be for the companies who fur-
nish the joint supply of servants to show who the guilty
person is.
Among those who visited the sacs yesterday were hun-
dreds of persons in the higher ranks of society. Private
carriages were eminently arriving by the roads leading to the
holds, aad ladies, as well n gentlemen, proceeded to the
spot where all that remained of the excretion teals was
to be seen. There was but one opinion expressed —that if
ever there has been a case for rigid inquiry the present is
one.

Some of the canapes from serious injury by this collision
were extraordinary. The third carriage, u has been
already stated, hung from the line by the coupling irons
which attached it to the fourth, one said just meting on the
second carriage, which lay below. The bottom was knocked
out of it, and its sidesand one end were shattered. Notwith-
standing its fearful position, and the violence with which
its panels hail been driven in, several of the occupants,
among whom were women, suceeediel in extricating them-
selves and reaching the ground. The appearance of the
suspended carriages was extremely curious. Some of them
were removed on Monday night, but photographs of the
remainder were taken yesterday morning, before the line
was cleared.

The following ere the official report. from the various
hospitals up to nine o'clock list night :

The total number of victims received into this hospital
are 33—three of these were dead before adtuioeiou, and three
h►ve died since.

DELD.—Mary Sellis—Frightfully bruised ; brought in
dead.

Emma Bowby—Pelvis smashed end separated, and a
severe blow io the head ; brought in dead.
JoborYeoman—Head horribly smashed in behind ; brought
in dead.

Edward Hills—Ruptured diaphragm, and two fractures in
pelvis ;died the same night.
Eve Stacey—The flesh torn off the left leg from the
I knee to the foot, and compound comminuted fracture of
the left leg ; the loft leg was immediately and carefully am-
putated, but she sank, and died soon after admission.
Richard Saunders—Compound comminuted fracture of
the skull, from which he died yesterday morning.
INJURlD.—Charles Cox, aged 43—Fractured sternum,
fracture of fifth and sixth ribs on the left side, and a severe
contusion over the back and loins ; he is better, but still in
a very serious condition.
Luse Coral!, aged 27—Fracture of scapula with contusions
of the soft parts, scalp wound over the left parietal boo° ;
seriously but not dangerously injured.
&latent Essex, aged 30—Dislocation of the cartilage of the
seventh rib, contused wound over left temple, ecchymosis
of left eye, severe braises of minutes of neck and back ; he
is going on favourably.
George Bolton (the stoker), aged 22—Large scalp wound
over the left frontal region, bone exposed ; severe but super-
ficial scald (rein left hip to back of left thigh ; large lace-
rated sound os the back of the left thigh from which
fragments of coal were extracted ; he is going on favourably.
George Woodley—Severe contusion over lower part of left
breast ; going on very favourably.
William Woolley—Fracture of left clavicle, slight con.
tus;on of forehead ; going on very favourably.
Barry Johnson—large scalp wound over right parietal
occipital regions exposing the bone, slight contusion of fore-
head, eechymosis of left eye ; he is improving, but in a very
doubtful state.

Rushbrook, aged about 50—Severe wound over left
forehead, also back of the head, in both places exposing the
bone, another on left side of lower jaw, ecchymosis of left
eye, fracture of fifth rib in right side with emphysema,
severe bruise over sternum, seriously injured ; result very
doubtful.

William Stewart—Scald on back and front of both arras
and forepart of legs ; he is doing very well.
John William Hewitt, aged 10—Large scald wound over
the forehead, over left parietal region, lacerated wound
over nose, fracture of nasal bones, ecchymosis of left eye,
contusions of upper lip ; doing well.
. .

Joseph Bridges (the guard)—Contusion of back and front
part of chest ; going on very favourably.
Jane Greenwood, aged 47—Fracture of left clavicle
in two places ; contusion over left hip ; doing very favour-
ably.
Susanna Finnic, aged 12—Fracture of left fibula (leg),
lacerated wound on outer border of left foot, fracture and
impaction of right clavicle, extensive bruise over right cheek
and left forehead, and ecchymosis of both eyes ; she is in
a doubtful state.

Ann Ward, aged3o—Wound on right temple, slight wound
at miter angle of right eye, contusion of ear and cheek ; she
is going on favourably.
Aline Hewitt, aged 30—lacerated wound of right eyebrow,
ecihymosis of both eyes, lacerated wound across nose, costa.
sion of upper lip ; going on favourably.
Joao Noce, aged 11—alight abrasion of face, wounds on
the top of bead with exposure of bone, contusions acrose

loins, especially on left Ode, pared blood with her urine ;
very doubtful state.

Elizabeth Ward—Large scalp wound over right parietal
regions, contusion of right cheek and right lip, lacerated
wound of shin, severe contusion of top of foot from great toe ;
going on favourably.
Mary Ann Matthews--Slight wound of 'map.
John Bailey, aged 36--Slight contusion about forehead,
root of nose, and upper lip, lacerated wound of both legs,
slight contusion of upper part of left leg and bruises of left
shoulder; going on favourably.
Charles Albert Hewitt, aged 2 year.—Concussion of
brain; recovering.
George Thomas Hewitt, aged 12—Slightly shaken, but
quite recovered.

Eliza Molt, aged 15—Scalp wound over left eyebrow,
bruising of left aide of face, contusion of left cheek ; going
on very favourably.
Mary Wordley, aged 33—Slight seclyinoeis of right eye
and cheek, bruising of left ear, abrasion of left chin ; going
on very favourably.
Sarah Clements, cook, of 34, Gordon-square Commi-
nuted fracture of right clavicle, fracture of several of the
upper ribs, considerable ecchymosis over seat of fracture
very unfavourable case.

Joseph Cox, aged 23—Abrasion of skin over forehead,
oontusion of taco and right lip ; will be recovered in a day
or two.

John Stacey, aged 13—Scalp wound over back of head
very favourable cue.

Henry Stacey (brother), aged 17 -Four small scalp
wounds, contusion above left ankle and over right shin ;
very favourable cue.

Mrs. Drake--Bruising of forehead, ecellymosis of right
eye, probable internal bruising ; going on favourably as yet.