The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-23 00:00:00

Serious Railway Collision.

Late on Saturday night a serious accident hap-
pened on the West Midland section of the Great
Western Railway near Kidderminster. The evening
express train from London, which leaves Worcester
at 9.33 p.m., and is due at Kidderminster at ten
o'clock, had passed Hartlebury station, about three
miles from Kidderminster, when it ran into a goods
train on the same line of rails. The engine of the
passenger train, which is supposed to have bee❑
running at the time at the rate of 40 miles an
hour, crushed up several trucks of the goods train,
and then becoming detached from the carriages ran
off the rails and turned over on the up line of rails,
thus blocking up the line altogether. The passen-
gers were thrown by the collision with great vio-
lence together, and some of them received severe
bruises; but providentially no life was lost, nor
were any limbs broken. The driver of the passenger
train, Reeves, just before the collision, caught sight
of the goods train in front of him, and immediately
shut off steam, reversed his engine, and called to the
stoker to jump, at the same time himself leaping
from the engine and falling down an embankment
It is said he has received serious if not fatal in•
juries. The stoker stuck to the engine and escaped
with a few bruises. The guard of the train, T.
Penzer, of Wolverhampton, was seriously hurt about
the head ani body. Information was at once sent
to Kidderminster, and several surgeons were quickly
on the spot, who attended to the injured. The cause
of the disaster arose from a goods train from the
Severn Valley line (which runs into the Great Wes-
tern at Hartlebury) breaking down between Hartle-
bury and Kidderminster. On this happening, the
guard of the goods train went back, as he repre-
sents, and put down fog signals. Whether this is
true, or'whether they were not noticed until too
late by the driver of the express train, it is hoped
will be elicited by a full and complete inquiry.

SHOCKING OCCURRENCE ON THE UNDERGROUND
RAILWAY.—On Sunday night, shortly before ten
o'clock, an occurrence of a very frightful, and, in all proba-
bility, fatal character took place at the Baker-street station
of the Metropolitan Underground Railway. A fine young
woman, named Agnes Delmott, aged 28, in service at 11,
Pem!eridge-villas, Bayswater, had alighted from the 9 45
train from Farringdon-street, and the train was in motion
when she discovered she had left, her purse in the carriage
she had just quitted, and ono of the passengers held it up
to her at the window. She made an attempt to run to-
wards the carriage to secure it, but was stopped by one of
the porters on duty named Davis. She, however, eluded
his grasp, and persisted in running towards the train. In
her attempt to seize the purse she slipped between the
moving train and the platform, and instantly became muti-
lated in a most frightful manner. On being picked up it
was found that the left leg was dreadfully shattered, and
was completely revered just above the instep, the foot only
hanging by the skin and tendons. The right leg was also
severely torn and lacerated by the steps of the passing car-
riages. The unfortunate young woman was at once seen
by several surgeons, and the blood having been stanched as
well as possible, she was placed in the next train for Pad-
dington, and conveyed to St. Mary's Hospital in an insen-
sible state. Mr. Gascoigne and other surgeons held a con-
sultation, and in consequence of the frightfully shattered
state of the bones of the left leg, immediate amputation was
determined upon, and the limb was severed just below the
knee joint. On inquiry at the hospital yesterday, it was
ascertained that, although sensible, the young woman is in
a very precarious state, and that but very faint hopes are
entertained of her recovery.
BANKRUPTCY COURT.—A return of the business
done in the Court of Bankruptcy in the legal year
ending with the close of the long vacation of 1863 shows
that there were 8,470 adjudications of bankruptcy in Lon-
don and the country, and in no less than 4,916 instances the
de: is did not exceed £3OO. The discharge was suspended
in 38P) cases, but refus'ed in only 120. The total amount of
gross produce realized from bankrupts' estates in the year
was £698,08. A dividend was made in the year in 996
bankruptcies, in 459 of them under 2s. 61, in 20, 20s,
3,016 trust deeds were registered. The solicitors' bills of
costs taxed in the year amounted to £96,197, and those of
the messengers, auctioneers, and accountants brought the
charges taxed up to £94,262, from which rather more than
9 per cent was struck off ore taxation—namely, £8,681. The
accountant's return states th at the salaries in the Court of
Bankruptcy at £80,109, and ,adds £4,933 for County Court
registrars' fees, and £2,157 ,for the solicitor for pauper
prisoners. The compensation and retiring annuities
amounted to £23,636, the expenses of courts and offices to
£5832; costs of prosecution, 4602 ; old £1,931 was paid to
the Bank for remuneration. The I;ank account shows
£322,711 received, and £708,329 paid; 58 appeals from
Court cf Bankruptcy were heard, and in 37 the judgment
was reversed or varied ; 13 appeals under trust deeds; and
in eight the judgment was reversed or varied ; three ap-
peals from County Courts, and in all the judgment was
reversed or varied.
MR. SAMUEL MORLEY, a wealthy Nonconformist,
proposes to give one-third of the cost of 12 Dissenting places
of worship, each to accommodate 500 persons, and to bo at
the expense of erecting six iron rooms in dating° localities,
so as to prepare the way for permanent buildings.
THE NEW PARIS THEATRE, "Lies Bouirel Pnri-
alone," has bceu built in six wccica.