The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-16 00:00:00

THAMES.

HEARTLESS HUSBANDS.—A respectable young woman,
named Sophia Eliza Best, applied to Mr. Woolrych for a
protection order. She stated that her husband, Henry
Sweetland Best, deserted her on the 17th September last.
At that time she was very ill, her life was despaired of, and
her child was lying by her side in a dying state. The child
has since died. Her husband had previously intimated that
he intended to leave her, and would never return. She had
never seen him or heard from him since. She was anxious
to protect the little property she possessed in the event of
her husband's return.

Mr. Woolrych granted the order, and advised the appli-
cant to register it at the Bow County-court within 10 days.
ANOTHER HEARTLESS HUSBAND.—A poor, half-starved
woman, named Marsh, who has seen better days, and whose
application was highly recommended, respectfully asked for
a little aid from the poor, box fund. Her husband formerly
carried on business as a broker in Little Britain, near St.
Bartholomew Hospital. He absconded with his servant
girl a few years since and proceeded to Australia. He had
previously converted everything he possessed into cash, and
left her and her three children in a destitute condition. She
struggled to carry on the business as long as she possibly
could, and tailed. All her furniture and effects had been
disposed of to procure food. All she could earn, with the
assistance of her daughter, in making up shirts was 7d. per
day. That employment was very precarious, and she was
now without the means of procuring a meal. Her husband,
who was doing well at Pert Phillip, with the infamous
woman, sent her a letter, but not a farthing of money, and
she despaired of ever seeing him again.
Mr. Woolrych kindly sympathised with the starving
woman, and directed Mr. Livingstone, the chief usher, to
assist her with a donation from the poor-box fund.

Terrible Accident on the North-Eastern
Railway.

Yesterday an accident happened to a passenger
train on the North-Eastern Railway, which in its
results has probably been without a parallel in the
history of railway misfortune.
The circumstances are very brief. At 7.15 a.m.
the Government train to Hull and Leeds left
York and proceeded without interruption to
the first station, Copmanthorpe, some' three or
four miles from the city. The morning wes
very dark, but otherwise favourable for travel-
ling. The train, consisting of an engine, two
guards' vans, and some eight carriages, left Cop-
manthorpe station, and proceeded on their jour-
ney at an easy rate, but when opposite the fifth
mile-post from York, Reynolds, the guard in the
first van, was alarmed by feeling a sudden shock,
which shook him violently. Ho was about to look
out of the van window, when another shock threw
him back with considerable force into the van. As
soon as he recovered he looked out and saw that
some six or eight carriages were loose from the first
portion of the train, and were turned topsy turvy
down an embankment some 10 or 15 feet high. At
the same instant the screams of the passengers and
the crash of broken carriages led to the impression
that a frightful accident had occurred, and the most
prompt measures were resorted to stop approaching
trains, and to alleviate the suffering and alarm of
the passengers. The engine was detached from
the train, and at the next station transferred
itself to the other line, returning to York at the
greatest speed to spread the alarm. In an in-
credible short space of time, J. Cabrey, Esq., the
company's engineer, and A. Christisen, Esq. the
general passenger superintendent, were quickly on
the spot, accompanied by Mr. J.Rutter, Mr. Nichol-
son, and Mr. Baines, the chief officials, and a body
lof workmen. On arriving at the scene of the
accident it was found that the whole of the passen-
gers, some 50 in number, had scrambled out of the
carriages, and were crowded about the debris of
the smashed carriages. Several medical gentle-
men had been called upon, and they accompanied
the special train to the spot, where they at
once busied themselves in ascertaining the
extent of the injuries of the passengers; and now
we have to relate the most remarkable portion of
this otherwise serious accident. Though some 50
men and women had been turned over and over
down an embankment, in railway carriages
proceeding at the rate of some 20 miles an hour,
not one was killed, nor was there any one seriously
injured. Indeed bruises were somewhat scarce,
and the doctors had but little claims upon their
attentions. One man had his foot crushed in one
of the carriage doors, but his injury was not
serious, and he proceeded to York by the
next train. Another man was very much
shaken, and he stayed during the day at a neigh.
bour;nr, farm house. The third of the wounded
was a gentleman whom it is feared has been injured
well to proceed
though be is sufficiently
internally,
on his journey home.
Several of the other passen-
gers were alarmed, and had sustained slight con-
cussions, but nothing of that serious nature which
was expected from the character of the accident.
The exertions of the railway officials were of the
most strenuous nature, and the debris was so soon
cleared away that little or no interruption took
place to the traffic on the line. We may also and
that the strength of the company's carriages was a
powerful means of preserving the lives of the pas-
sengers.