The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-05 00:00:00

THE LATE COLLISION ON THE GREAT

WESTERN RAILWAY.

Yesterday Mr. Wakley, ccroner for Middlesex, as-
sisted by Mr. Brent, deputy•coroner, resumed at the
Beaumont Arms, Shepherd's-bush, the investigation
touching the death of John Moore, a breaksinan, aged
41, late in the service of the London and North Western
Railway Company, who was killed in a collision which
took place at the Harlesien-bridge junction of the Great
Western Railway, under circumstances already briefly
detailed. The inquiry caused considerable sensation,
and a number of gentlemen attended on behalf of the
two companies. Messrs. Parker and Hos,yes, solicitors,
likewise watched the proceedings on. he part of the
North-Western Company, and Mr. Herring appeared at
the instance of the Great Western Company on behalf
of Bennett, a policeman on the railway, whose conduct
was seriously mixed up in the melancholy transaction.
It appeared that at Harlesden-bridge the Great West-
ern rails are crossed on the level by the London and
North-Western. On the morning of the collision the
line of the Great Western was signalled as clear for the
passage of a coal train along the London and North-
Western across the metals of the Great Western Coca-
113anY- At the time the signal was clear, the danger
signals were put on to prevent any trains passing along
the Great Western line until the coal train had gone
across. These signals, it was stated, ought to have
been seen by Bennett, who was stationed in the Acton
cutting, so as to have enabled him to stop a goods train
which came up at the time towards Paddington. Ben-
nett, however, according to the evidence of the engine
drivers of the goods train, showed the white (or safety)
instead of the " danger" signal, and when at last they
caught sight of one of the danger signals it was too late.
They could not stop the train in time to avoid a colli-
sion, and the two trains met at the crossing. The goods
train was about five hours late, having been due at Pad-
dington at 1.10 a.m.
In answer to the coroner, Mr. Herring said he did not
intend to place his client under examination.
The Coroner then remarked that the whole inquiry
turned upon the conduct of three persons, viz., Ben-
nett, signal man, and Collins and Brown, the engine
driven?. After some further discussion, the jury deli-
berated alone for half-an-hour, at the expiration of which
period the Coroner stated that the jury had agreed to a
further adjournment, in order that they might have
the benefit of some practical disinterested gentleman's
experience in the matter, and at the same time the jury
hoped that before the next meeting the directors of the
two companies would take the dangerous state of the
Harlesden junction into their serious consideration.

MANCHESTER TRADE REPORT.—MANCHESTER, Tues-
day.—There is no great change in our market to-day,
and the business is not considerable. Nevertheless, as
compared with the pitst fortnight, the transactions in
yarns have been more multifarious, and qualities suita-
ble for India and Italy, also certain descriptions suitable
for the home trade, are likely to be affected by a short-
time movement at Oldham, and are in more request,
and secure full rates.

The Pedes•riau transport, No. 58, Capt. Brougball,
arrived at Spithead yesterday &Om the East, with a cargo
orshot, shell, cartridges, rum, &c., condemned stores.
The steam transport Imperador, No. 178, Capt. Jas.
Brown, arrived at Spithead yesterday afternoon from
the East. She left Constantinople on the 11th ult , and
'
arrived at Renkioi on the 12th • sailed the 13th., and
arrived at Malta on the 17th ; left on the 18th, and
arrived at Lisbon on the 27th, and left on the 28th. She
brought as passengers Lieut. Richmond, 3d Dragoon
Guards ; Lieut. Maitland, R.N., wounded in the foot ;
Major Campbell, Royal Artillery ; Mr. A. R. Elliott,
master mariner ; Mr. Sloane, ditto ; Mr. Fuleher, pay-
master's clerk ; 7 naval invalids, 11 merchant seamen,
1,463 common ten-inch shell, and 1,240 hollow shot,
transshipped from steam-transport Sydney as ballast.
She brought a mail from Lisbon. The Imperador has
been ten months out, during which time she has been
upwards of 17,000 miles, in 284 days' steaming time,
carried 6,827 officers and men, and 1,795 invalids from
Balaklava to Scutari, Renkioi, and Smyrna hospitals,
and has been in port 37 times.
The following were the naval movements at Ports-
mouth yesterday :—Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane,
the Commander-in-Chief, struck his flag and proceeded
to London on his way to Windsor, being invited to dine
with her-Majesty and the King of Sardinia at the Castle
this evening. Her Majesty's steam yacht Osborne, to-
gether with the Blenheim, 60, Lieut. Jackson ; the
Vivid, Admiralty steam yacht, Master Commanding W.
Allen ; and the Fire Queen, do., Mr. W. Paul, Mas-
ter Commanding—all left Portsmouth last night, under
the command of Capt. G. T. Gordon, of the Victory, for
Dover, where the Osborne will embark the King of Sar-
dinia for France to-morrow. The Hawke and Hastings,
60-gun blockships, Captains Ommanney and Fanshawe,
are ordered to prepare for sea. Tne Meander, 44, sailing
frigate, Capt. Baillie, arrived at Spithead from Devon-
port. The Hecla, 6, paddle-sloop, Commander Aplin,
from the same port, also made Spithead yesterday. The
Sampson, 6, paddle-frigate, Capt. Hand ; the Polyphe-
mus, 6, paddle-sloop, Commander Warren ; and the Sa-
lamander, 6, do., Commander Mecham, returned to har-
bour from Spithead yesterday. The Exmouth, 91, screw
two-decker, Capt. W. K. Hall, is ordered to return to
Plymouth. The Lucifer steam-vessel left Portsmouth
for Plymouth yesterday afternoon.
The new screw steamship Conqueror, 100, was com-
missioned at Devonport on Monday by Lieut. Edey, for
Captain Symonds.
The Government hired screw steam-transportßerwick,
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put into Plymouth Sound on Monday afternoon for coal,
and sailed in the evening for Balaklava.
The transport-ship Castle Eden, Captain Young, from
Portland, which arrived on Sunday at Plymouth with
300 convicts, is appointed to embark 16 there, and to
sail this day for Bermuda.
A Spanish lugger from Gilboa, bound to Hamburg,
put into Plymouth Sound yesterday morning, having on
board the ma-ter and all the crew of the brig Harmony,
of South Shields, Capt. Clarke, which foundered in the
Bay of Biscay on the 28th of Nov., six days from St.
Sebastian, with wheat for Rouen.

The paddle-wheel steamer Dee, Master Commander
Pullen, sailed from Woolwich yesterday morning, with
machinery and boilers for Portsmouth.

The new mortar-raft arrived at Woolwich yesterday
morning, from Shoeburyness, in a damaged state. The
experiments intended to have been were not thoroughly
completed. 104 rounds were, however, fired, which
proved that the principle was good, but that Borne modi-
fications were required, and more substantial metal in
the pontoons which float the raft and its weighty piece
of ordnance, so as effectually to resist the force of the
recoil without the probability of damage.
Major-General Ashmore having, by his recent promo-
tion retired from the command of the Royal Marines, has
left Woolwich. It was the desire of the officers unani-
mously to mark the high appreciation of their late Com-
mandant's merits on his departure from office, by enter-
taining him at a public dinner, but circumstances pre-
vented the General from accepting their proffered invita-
tion.

Leave of absence has been granted to Captain Oliver
N. Chatterton, 35th Foot, from the 4th to the 30th of
December.

Assistant-Surgeon Skews, Itoyal Newfoundland Corps,
on being relieved from duty at Chatham, is to proceed
on board the contract mail steamer Liverpool, via Hali-
fax, for Newfoundland, to join his corps. _
Timla irVizzo,ged of Capiain-Superiistendent
'Deputy-Inspector-General of
pitals and Fleets, &c., will be held in the Dockyard,
Chatham' for the purpose of awarding pensions to such
sailors and marines as may be considered unfit for fur-
ther service, subject to the approval of the Board of
Admiralty.
On Monday evening 53 invalids, belonging to different
regiments, from the depot attalion, Winchester,
reached Chatham, 23 of whom were taken into the
General Hospital. On Tuesday a party of invalids of
the Rifle Brigade arrived from the camp, Aldershott,
seven of whom were received into hospital.
Acting Assistant-Surgeon Lezars is under orders to
proceed to Plymouth on board the Urgent steamer, to
go in medical charge of a draught of the Land Transport
Corps to the Crimea.