The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-14 00:00:00

THE INQUEST.

The inquest to ascertain the cause of the Lath of Robert
Wilkey, Edwin Hall, Joseph Clegg, John Coppard, and
Wm. Winfield was resumed this morning at 12 o'clock, at
the Literary and Scientific Institution, Eghatn.

Colonel Yolland was present to watch the proceedings
in behalf of the Board of Trade, The following gentlemen
were also present :—Mr F. Clarke, for the brothers of Mr
Trigg; Mr Chubb, of Gray's-inn, for Mrs Hall; Mr
Robinson, of Jermyn-street, and Mr Newman, of Chelsea,
for Mrs Clegg; Mr Lamb, of Ship-street, Brighton, for
Mrs Trigg; Mr Rawlings, of Romford, for Leo and
Trainer, the engine-driver and fireman; Mr Crombio,
the law clerk, Mr Frederick Clarke, the secretary, Mr
Beattie, the engineer, and Ur Godson, the superintendent,
were also present on behalf of the South-Western Railway
Company,
The jury, with Mr William Gardener as foreman, having
answered to their names, the Coroner said that at the pro-
ceedings on Thursday he had pointed out the evidence he
should require. He should first take evidence as to the
gradients, the stations, and the signals; then the time of
starting and arrival; end, lastly, whether the code of sig-
nals were properly exhibited and observed on the night in
question. The jury would have the assistance of Colonel
Yolland, but it was not probable that any engineering
question would arise. He (the Coroner) desired to know if
the guards and fireman were present.
Mr Crombie said the guards were present, and notice had
been sent to the houses of the engine driver and fireman,
warning them to attend.
Mr Rawlings said he represented them, and he would
not at present tender them for evidence.
The following evidence was then taken .

William Frederick Godson, superintendent of the line,
said—The line on which the accident took place was the
Staines and Wokingham, properly so called. Special
instructions were issued with reference to the traffic on the
Tuesday, and for other days of Ascot Races. They wore
issued to every servant of the company with regard to the
service of the week from the 4th to the 11th of June. That
would comprise the four racing days. With regard to the
exhibition el signals on the Tuesday there sa ere instructions
on the third page. Witness was at Ascot all day. Those
instructions would be delivered through the head of each
department, Mr Beattie having charge of the engineering
department. There were not any times mentioned, and
the traffic was of necessity uncertain. There were 11 plate-
layers on the line between Egham and Ascot, seem ding to the
regulation, which is in the following words:—" Line be-
tween Waterloo and Ascot, and between Reading and
Ascot. —On Tuesday and Thursday platelayers will be sta-
tioned along the railway between Waterloo and Ascot and
between Reading and Ascot to signal trains throughout the
day, and until the last train has passed. After the passing
of every train they will show a stop signal for five minutes,
to be followed by a caution signal for five minutes more;
but when the line is clear, and the preceding train has
passed over ten minutes, they will show an all-right signal.hieh
trust be put
down also. When a platelayer shows one red sig-
nal enginemen will not stop their trains, but pro-
ceed very cautiously till the obstruction is seen."
first station
miles, VirginiatatienfrernAs Watercotwill is
be
theneat, and beyond
Sunningdale,te usual
w
is about firbout tw
that is four miles, and then the Egham station another two
miles. The signals at Sunningdale are the
standard and two auxiliary signals, OLIO for the up and one
for the down road. At Virginia Water the sante. Between
Virginia Water and legham there are gates Called Euehatn
from 1,250 to 1,300 yards from the Egham station. Ti-at
is a level crossing, and a gate keeper and etandard
nals.
There is an auxiliary signal 530 yards from the skgham
station, and worked from time. On Tuesday, in accord-
ance with the regulations, there was .
a platelayer named
wm. Drew near the distant signal. Ho had directions to
be there the whole day.
Mr Crombie—All the platelayers we have, Mr Coroner.
By a Juror—There were arrangements made for putting
out passengers at various stations, Egham amongst the
number.
By INIr Rawlings—l3oth Mr. Scott and myself were pre-
sent. There was no such train on the Monday night as
on the Tuesday. If the driver of the train had to stop he
would have his instructions from Mr Scott, through the
guard. The second train had to stop at Staines, and the
memorandum now put in is in Mr Scott's handwriting.
The printed regulations are special, but do not interfere with
the ordinary traffic. On Tuesday, the 7th, 14 special trains
ran, but no notice was given to the public of them. They
were to run at intervals of five or ten minutes, but the ser-
vants of the company were not informed when they were
likely to pass. The station masters had notice to expect
trains every or any minute. We have the telegraph en this
line, but it is not used to signal the train from one station
to another. Mr Henry Clay is the sta.ion master at Egham,
and was present. It was customary to run either engine
or tender first, as was convenient, Witness was familiar
with the rules.
There is no time-table at Ascot, If the train was run-
ning, tender first, he (witness) was not prepared to bay
communication could be fixed. The train, as made up,
would carry about 400 persons. Thtre is a rule as to the
guard seeing that communication was fixed. The engine
driver can only communicate with the guard by the whistle.he
Witness went to Egham after the accident and saw
.t
thethe statlon.
station master there. Mr Scott was thresnonaatt
Witness did not say anything to any pcstation.
By Mr Chubb—The
plate layers were on duty early in
the morning, and were not rcheved all day. ...he second
train started six minutes after the other train.
The Coroner—You mean the interval between the two
trains.
Witness—Yes, precisely. I was only uncertain as to
the accuracy of my watch as to general time.
By Mr Chubb—The engines of both trains were running
—tender first.
By the Coroner—There are general orders as to the sig-
nals, but nothspeedcalaulgienrsiteruficxtiEodn—s.fiAvettemr
itnhuettersairnedhaashpassed
the signa' the danger is fixed—five minutes red and five
e St tar abpep,
preparedresiden t
tehneg engineer opfrtohdeueSouthproduced,
s. Westernun der
minutestheiNisri,gjnoahgl
:men.
ComPallY,

his direction, and he had checked them by the working
plans of the line. The distances are correct as stated. The
distance from the Egham standard to auxiliary is 513 y a r ds,
and from the auxiliary to the level crossing at Rusham - g ate
is 703 yards. The gradient from Rusham to Egham is at
the rate of three feet three inches per mile, the cis t ante
being three quartrrs of a mile. Beyond that point tow ards
Ascot the line rises for a mile and 18 chains at a ratio of
451 t Sin per mile. The line takes an easy curve of r ether
more than a mile, and you could see the signal at Rus hula-
gate a little more than halt a mile before you get to it. The
standing signal can be seen a long distance before the auxi-
liary signal.
John Walker, guard in the service cf the South-Western.
Railway Company, depesed he was in charge of the up train.
which left Ascot station at 10 minutes past 7 on Tuesday,
the 7th inst. He took the time from his own watch, having;
referred to it.. Mr Scott directed him to leave. He is the
traffic manager. Instructions where to stop were in writ-
ing, and witness gave them to the driver Honer.
The paper (produced) was in Mr Scott's hand-
writing, and contains the names of the places we
we eto stop at. The train consisted of 14 carriages and a
break. We had to stop at Egham, Twickenham, Barnes,
Clapham, and Vauxhall. They were not to stop at Virginia
Water. In pursuance of those instructions we stopped at
Egham station, having get there at 20 minutes past 7. The
signals were all right, and barring the caution signals there
was not anything to interfere. The train stopped at Eghare
to put down passengers. According to the rules and regu-
lations the usual time for stopping at Egham was a minute
or a irinute and a half. The train barely stopped two
minutes at the Egham station. The extra traffic, and some
altercation with some passengers, made the difference in the
delay. He got out at the station, and having done his work,
and had the signal from the under guard, he (witness) took
the orders to start from the station master, and gave the
usual signal to start by blowing his whistle and showing
the green flag. Witness did not look back until after alter-
ing his break, and before his train had got 20 or 30 yards
platform,tfrhoemeutrhvee
under
following train coming rcunit
bridge.

The Coroner (to Mr Strapp)—ilow far is that ?
Mr Strapp-1 will have it measured accurately.
Examination continued—Witness called out loudly that
the other train was coming on, He did not know whether
his
steamdriver!was
heard,fu onh
He (witness) h
t ed
s e didee n not
ttrain
knowincameunder
it
the
the bridge, but "I am certain it was on when struck
our train, but whether reversed or not I cannot say,
but I should think it was by the beating of
it." The train ran into them, and the result
was that the last break van was broken up, and
one second next to it, and the next one too, also
a second class slightly damaged, So were all the other car-
riages, less or more, the effect of driving the train forward.
The rear of the train was about 20 yards frcm the platform
when it was shuck. After the collision, when he (witness)
came back he saw three bodies lying there dead. After
some little deby witness went on to Staines, atter having
first gone to the down road to stop the down traffic.
The second train was not to stop at Staines.
All those who were injured were attended to.
There was no whistling as the train came on. The
auxiliary was put on as the witness's train passed the arm-
road, and the standing were at caution and raised to danger,
and were never lowered,

By Mr Crombie—All the signals were right. The plate-
layers wore all right with hand signals.
By Mr itawlings—Witness cansidered the road quite
good. The ordinary traffic) ran between London and head-
ing. When the train left London the communication was
applied, but not on returning, the tender being first.
The case was proceeding when we wen, to press.

LONDON GAZETTE.—This Evening,

WINDSOR CASTLE, JUNE 10.

The Queen was this day pleased to conter the honour of
Knighthood upon William Slice, Esq., one or the Judges
of her Majesty's Court of Queen's Bench,
FOREIGN OFFICE, JUNE 2.

The Qum has been graebusly pleased to appo;nt Sidney
Smith Stunders, Esq., now her Majesty's Consul at Alex-
andria, to be her Majesty's Consul-General is the lonian
Islands. •

The Queen has also been graciously pleased to appoint
George E, Stanley, Eeq , now her Majesty's Consul at
Jeddah. ti be her Majesty's Consul at Alexandria.
The Queen has also been graciouay pleased to appoint
the lion. Berkeley Wodehouse to be her Majesty's C..,nsul.
in Zante,

The. Queen has also been graciously pleased to appoint
Charles Sebright, Esq., to be her Majesty's Consul in
Cephalonia.

JUNE U.

The Queen has been pleased to approve of Don Miguel
Suarez y Gaan.s as Vice-Consul at Sierra Leone for her
Majesty the Queen of Spain. _

JUNE 13.

The Queen has been pleased to approve of Capt. William
Roberts as Consul at Glasgow for the Republic of Hayti.
WHITEHALL, JUNE 11.
The Queen has been pleased to appoint Sir Robert
Anstruther, Bert., to be Lieutenant and Sheriff-Principal
of the Shire of Fife, in the room of James Hay Erskine
Wemyss, Esq., deceased.
DOWNING-STREET, JUNE 11.
The Queen has been pleased to appoint Charles William
Franks, Esq., to be Colonial Treasurer for the Colony of
British Columbia.

BANKRUPTS.
The portion of the Gazette containing* the Bankrupts had
not amved when we went to press.

Course of the Exchange.--This Day.

.kinstettlam
Ditto
Rotterdam — 12 0i 12 1
Antwerp .. 25 65 25 70
Brussels — 25 65 25 70
llamburgh — 13 Si 13 9
Faris
Ditto
Marseilles
Frankfort on Maine - 120 120;
Vienna

Trieste
Petersburgh
Berlin
____
Madrid
Cadia
Leghorn — 25 G7l 25 75
M i lan — 25 70 25 75
Genoa — 25 70 25 75
Naples
Palermo — 26 72f 25 77i
Messina — 25 721 25 771
Lisbon — 518 51/
Oporto... - . — 51/ 52
Foreign Gold in Bars (Standard), per 0z.... S 3 17 9
Mexican Dollars
Silver in Bars (Standard)

11 85 11 90
32 32k

Railway and Public Companies in
Parliament,

Yesterday, in Lord Stanley's committee on the East
London Railway Company's project, Mr. Round sought to
establish a locus standi for the Great Eastern Railway Com-
pany in opposition to the bill, on the ground of competition
with the East London and City portions of their undertak-
ings, but the committee, after hearing Mr. Serjeant Bellasis,
Q.C., on the other side, decided that the Great Eastern had
no locus standi in that particular respect, as their petition
against the bill, while containing other general allegations,
did not specify their intention to oppose on the principle of
competion. The remainder of the sitting was occupied with
the evidence of Mr. Burke on the engineering features of the
proposed line. The bill for the Stonehouse and Nails-
worth Railway was rejected, and Mr Coleridge, Q,C.,
stated the case for the Worcester, Dean Forest, and Mon-
mouth Railway Bill, which proposes to empower that com-
pany to make a lliinnee oot fof
telhaiegyht
their authorised line of 1863 at Newent to the Gloucester
01
aoi iomtnnheibnotby
the
dne theebGwy r
rails Great miles
i
attt
ehhnreed ;tpntooot
Witnesseserrntaci
idoosennewdt
zorjeflarusectnhot
junction
Ham-
let, d,
near Dean
Forest
Gloucester;
l elfsoVrefrsienlernnaaartrjouNwnocrg:aounlig e l with
I 1.. .
therewithGe air
trintoshares
0 eNmisVattesneer Western twee; nt
.fsfi
0:0
rnr,o,B Railwayateao nt awGbyolbor
yku fromie
mloan.gsr.
Venables and Mr Hill against, the measure. Another case,
opened by Mr Denison and opposed by Mr Merewether, for
the London and North Western, was that of the Shrewsbury
and Potteries Junction Railway, which seeks incorporation,
with a capital of £500,000 in shares and £166,000 loan, to
construct eight extensions, the two leading ones being, first,
one of 20 miles, from Hanley via Burslem and Tunstall,
and thence south-eastward under the Grand Junction to
Market Drayton. The second, of nine miles, from the latter
at Hodnet to the Shrewebury and Crewe line of the London
and North Western about two miles no th of Shrewsbury,
with six other short connecting links, With power to contract
with the London and North Western, Great Western, or
South Staffordshire, to construct, or work or use. After
hearing counsel and taking evidence on the traffic and en-
gineering, the committee passed the bill for the Carmarthen-
shire Railway for extensions to the South Wales, Great
Western lines, for a line of 10 miles to the mountain branch
of the Llanelly Railway, and to the Southpit and Duffryn
Collieries, the capital required being £225,000 in shares and
£75,000 loan. The bill for the Hereford, Hay, and Breton
Railway is whhdrawn. In the Lords the bill for Rammell's
Patent Improvements in pneumatic railways and tubes was
passed, and the opposition to the bill fur the improvements
and Leith occupied the co
of the sewage of "ebargh Bch . rn-
,
ontea le is the chairman.
1 mittee of which Lord DI g

SINGULAR CITY CUSTOM.-4; S WEARING ON
GRATF.S" BY THE CITIZENS,—in early days, the
citizens of London were at liberty to discharge themselves
from all pleas of the Crown by " wager of law," or :n other
of Compurgators." As,
however,wor3s by
itnhethoearthroofrehssiso`E`
sJuucz
Mpurgators might die, criminal plea his selected
co
a custom prevailed in the City of
London for the accused party---or perhaps others—to testify
solemnly on oath upon the graves of the deceased who had
been summoned as eompurgators, precisely as to their in-
tended verdict. The foregoing custom was repealed by the
9th charter of Henry 111 , after which it was disallowed.—
City _Press. •

NOT DEAD YET, By J. C. Jeaffreson, Author of
"Live it Dawn," icc., 3 vole.—" Not Dead Yet" is a novel
of remarkable genius and power. It must be read twice—
once rapidly, to get over the stirring incidents and Wenoue-
Inent; and then steadily, to taste and relish at leisure the
fund of worldly wisdom, the close insight into the work •
ings of the human mind, and the fine vein of philosophy
which the writer displays throughout,"—mes,n,gm
CRYSTAL PALACE.—The great choral concert of
the metropolitan schools will take place to-morrow. The
choir will consist of 5,000 voices, including 1,003 tenors and
bastes. The programme will include anthems, chorales,
part songs, /to. Conducted by Mr G. W. Martin. The
fountains will be played at 7 o'clock:.