The Sun.
London, England, 1837-09-15 00:00:00

INQUEST ON THE BODIES.

Last night, at seven o'clock, a Jury was empannelled be-
fore Mr. Hices, the Coroner for Westminster.

The Jury having been sworn, proceeded to view the
bodies of the unfortunate individuals, which presented a
very distressing appearance, the features being scarcely dis-
cernible, while the flesh of each was almost entirely charred.
The Jury having returned, received the following evidence.
Robert Tozer, one of the fire brigade at the London Fire
Establishment station-house, Chandos-street, Covent-garden,
deposed that about four o'clock that morning he was called
by a policeman, who stated that the house No. 48, Strand,
was on fire. He instantly proceeded there with the engine.
He found the street door open, which had been forced by
the policeman. The lower part of the house was in flames,
and there was a female at the second floor window. Wit-
ness asked her to jump out, stating that he would catch her.
She refused to do so. They had the ladders with them,
which tbey raised to the first floor, but the fire drove them
back.

By the Jury—No one escaped by the door. A fire
escape was brought, but which was put up the wrong way.
The brigade have nothing to do with the fire escapes.
Evidence continued—They have examined the premises
to ascertain the source of the fire, which appeared to have
commenced in the shop. They found the bodies of Mr.
Harris, his daughter, and the servant girl in the second
floor. They were all huddled together under a window,
and were exposed when the wall fell.
Paul Gerard, another fireman, said that they have suffi-
cient length of ladder to reach the second floor. He took
the bodies out through the next house. He placed the
body of Mr. Harris in a blanket. He found the child's
arms clasped round the servant.
By the Jury—There was no one to direct the raising of
the fire escape. There were ten or twelve attempting to
raise it, and they were occupied about ten minutes in
raising it. There were no party walls on either side.
Anna Ford, servant to the deceased, said that she slept
in the second-floor back. She went to bed about half-past
eleven o'clock. She left all Mr. Samuel's family up. About
four o'clock Elizabeth Windor, who slept with witness,
awoke her, and said there was a fire. They both got
up, and knocked at her master's (Mr. Harris's) door,
which was locked. She broke open the door, when
they found him running about the room, calling out
" Escape." Elizabeth Windor entered. Witness took
hold of a baby, which was saved. The deceased, Esther
Harris, ran to witness, who, finding the fl Imes ascending,
left her. Witness ran up stairs with the baby to Mr. S
muel's mop], whose family had escaped by the roof of the
house, in their night clothes.

By the Jury—The gas on Mr. Samuel's side of the shop,
which was on the left side near Mr. iiewlay's, was lighted
when she went to bed. (It was here explained that Mr.
Samuels occupied half of the shop.) The gas on her mas-
ter's side was out. The gas has escaped for some time from
tl.e pipe. _

Dennis Napoleon Lavalette Ely, in the employ of Mr.
Samuels, who is a lapidary, deposed that he went to bed
about twelve. He left Mr. Samuels up in the back kit-
chen, which is his manufactory. When he heard the cry
of fire he rushed down stairs and saw Mr: Harris's side of

the shop on fire. Mr. Samuels' did not appear to be on
fire. He made his escape through the yard, and got over
the wall by a ladder.

By the Jury—His master's gas pipes were always in good
order. Mr. Harris was always complaining of the escape
of gas. When it was defective he sent for the gas-fitter.
.111 r. Samuels was next examined, but not sworn. He
stated that after he had left his manufactory in the
hack kitcbeo, which was about twelve o'clock, lie went
into the 'front kitchen, and had his supper, and, as he
is accustomed to do, read for an hour and a half.
He turned off the gas previous to going to his bed-
room, and he retired to his bed about two o'clock.
Whm be escaped, his sister and Miss Moss, who was on
visit to her, accompanied him. Mrs. Harris left town a few
days ago. Mr. Harris went to bed about ten o'clock.
This being the evidence, the Coroner summed up, whrn
the Jury returned a verdict of " Accidental death by fire ;
but how the fire originated there was no evidence."

FATAL RAIL WAY ACCIDENT.

KENYON, SEPT. l3.—Tic inquest on the body of the
female ki'led by the collision of the Birmingham and Man-
chester train with the Bolton Railway carriages, on Satur-
day evening last, was held this dry.
The first witness examined was Thomas Mort, one of
the policemen stationed at the Bolton junction, who said
that about ten minutes before seven o'clock on Saturday
evening last the accident happened. The train from Bolton
arrived at the station about half-past six o'clock, to await
the arrival of the train from Manchester, to convey the pas-
sengers to Liverpool. The train from Manchester has ing
arrived at the proper place, the two carriages containing
passengers for Liverpool were attached to the hind part of
the Manchester train in order to proceed to Liverpool. I
am not sure that the Liverpool engine started before the ac-
cident happened. John Warburton, a platelayer, was just
hooking the carriages together when I saw the Birminghatn
train from Manchester coming towards us. It was at the dis-
tance of rec-quarters of a mile. I gave a sign 11 (by waving
my hat) to the engineer of the Birmingham train to stop
his enj.,e. The ergi. ear s'ackened ks speed, .1 a hen the
engine was about five hundred yards from the Liverpool
train, I called to the passengers to jump out of the c
rives. I threw ashes on the rails iu.order to check the
speed of the Birmingham train, which was, when it passed
me, at the rate of about fifteen miles an hour. I was ap-
prehensive that the Birmingham train would run agattst
the other carriages. This did happen, and the two Bolton -
carriages were broken and forced off the rails. The de-
ceased was in the first of the two Bolton carriages. She
was lying on one side, and I believe there was also a man
in the same carriage. I assisted to take the deceased from
the carriage, and she was not quite dead. We brought
her into this place, and shortly afterwards I was told that
she was dead. The bone of her left hip was broken, and
it was forced through the skin. She was also discoloured
about the back of the neck. The Birmingham engine was
damaged so that it was obliged to be detained at the en-
gine-house here, in order to be repa'red, and the car-
riages were sant on by another engine to Warrington.
There were only three carriages in the Birmingham train,
and it was &et o'clock before it was sent on to Warrington.
The engineer, who is known by the name of Dennis, was
carried into this room. I asked him, " Did you not see
them, so that you could let the steam off .r" He made
no reply. I afterwards heard that be was conveyed kick to
Manchester by one of the trains from Liverpool. The
Birmingham train carried the mail, and the guard must have
been seated in his proper place on the last carriage, hut „,
he would not be able to see a train before him. The regular
gu :rd of the train was also iu his place ; but I am not aware
that I saw any of them before the accident happened. The
Birmingham engine was at a distance of 350 Yards from the
Liverpool train when I began to throw ashes upon the rails, • •
• When the engineer took the steam'-off, that engine was
going at the rate of thirty miles an hour. The Birmingham
trains do not stop at this place. The engineer, when he

s the train hefcre him and going at the speed th.istaf,
miles an hour, ought to has e checked his Teed at the dis-
tance of half a mile from tne train in front. lam net aware
that there was anything to prevent his seeing the Liverpool
train. At this place we can see a train when it is at the
distance of a mile hence. The place where the tegineer
and firemen stand is on the engine, and the fireman has
to go upon the tender to apply the break in order that
the engine might be stopped. I did not see the Oita-
man apply the break. I harl not any conversation either
with the guard or the fireman after the accident. I
did not hear that any of them were hurt. It is the duty
of the engineer to look out for the trains before them,
and then it is the duty of the fireman to " fire up" and to
assist the engineer. It is usual to hoist a red flag at this
station when passo.sgers want to go by the eccond class
train to Liveraeasi. The Birmingham train was drawnby
the Meet" engine, and it left Manchester at half-past tame
o'clock. The distance from Manchester to this place is
twelve miles. Ido not know the name of the deceased,
hut she was going to Wigan. I ascertained this from find-
ing her railway ticket to Wigan in her pocket. She had
thirteen shillings in her pocket, and a reticule containing
some caps and other clothes. Shc appeared to be about
50 years o; age. She wore a brown gown and black satin
bennet, and is a little, spare woman, without a ring on her
tinge,. There were only two other persons hurt.
he deposition of Warburton, a plate-layer, was taken,
James Collier then deposed as fellows ;--I am an engi-
neer employed on the Bolton Railway, and broealit- up the
Bolton train from Bolton on Saturday nigist, andb assisted
in removing two mf the carriages 'upon the Liverpool
line. I saw the Grand jenetien train coming up at a
distance of half a mile, was travelling at a great
speed. I s"a, upon my own engine, and when I saw the
train coming I..inv.ped off the engine and told my fireman
to stop the emfaie. 1 said I was sure that some one would
he killed. I rai! to the carriages, and in an instant the train
passed me and ran against the carriages. The train was
going_ very quica at the time. One of the Liverpool guards
asked me to move the Birmingham engine, but I could net
do that as the reversing lever had been tied. The buffer
of the Birmingham engine was broken, and lay under the
ulieels. The reversing lever was strained, and it had been
tied, in order that it might not fall out of gear. He might
have cut the string with a knife, and then he could have
reversed the engine. It is customary to tie up the reversing
levers when they get strained. If they are not tied they
will slip, and cause the engine to reverse itself. I went to
if any. person was under th coaches, but I could not see
anybody.
The surgeon's evidence and that of' some other persons
having been received,
The CortotvEa said it appeared that the more serious
charge was removed. Had the engineer seen the train,
and had still pressed on, it would have been a case of wilful
murder. But this part of the ease was not borne out, but
from the evidence of the witnesses the case would be let
down to manslaughter only against the engineer and fire-
man. If they thought it a case of mere accident, then they
would find a verdict accordingly. He thought, however, that
justice would not be done to the public otherwise than by
their returning a verdict of manslaughter.
The Jury having been left in the room by themselves,
consulted fora few minutes, and then returned a verdict,
" That the accident had happened from the neglect of the
engineer and fireman of the Birmingham train."
This verdict being tantamount to a verdict of man-
slaughter, -the Coroner made out his warrant for the ap-
prehension and committal of the fireman and engineer of
the Birmingham engine.

THE MARQUIS OF WATERFORD'S
FRACAS AT BERGEN.

CHRISTIANA, AtiQtrsT 30.—Mr. Fietxentz, master of
police at Bergen. Las sent into the department of Justice
and Police R tops, of an examination made in the Chamber
of Police at Bergen, on the 14th inst., at the request of
the British Consul, in consequence of a complaint lodged
by the friends of the Marquis of Waterford, of the plea-
sure yacht Charlotte, from London,- belonging to the
Royal Yacht Squadron.
The first witness examined was the watchman, Brynild
Larsen Hamre, forty-four years of age, who deposed that
while on his post at the Helvkand Height, at eleven o'clock
in the evening of the 11th instant, he had heard loud voci-
ferations down in the New-way. On the side of the hill
he met a woman with a man's hat on, and by her side a
man without a hat. Hearing that the man, who was
dressed in a white smock-frock, was a stranger, he (the
watchman) ordered the woman to be quiet. They paid
no attention to his (the watchman's) remonstrance, and
the stranger stooped, lifted up a stone, and advanced to-
wards him. He (the watchman) wished to make the
stranger incapable of mischief by giving him a smart blow
on the right arm ; but, as the latter stooped at the mo-
ment to catch hold of him, the blow unintentionally came
upon the head, and the stranger fell.
The fire officer on duty, Mr. Albert Mohn, a merchant,
said he had come up on hearing a blow given, and seeing
A man fall. The watchman appeared to him to be sober,
but the Englishman seemed to be intoxicated. The morn-
ing star used on this occasion was a stick with an iron spike
at one end, and a bullet at the other ; it was the latter
end that the watchman struck, and the bullet was broken
off by the blow.
Anne Catherine Uldenhoft, twenty-three years of age,
resided with two other girls at the public-house of Hoffet,
in Nostest. After eleven o'clock in the evening, on
.the
11th instant, six or seven Englishmen came to the house,
and one of them had gone out with her to take a walk over
the New Way. He had put his hat on her head before
leaving the house. He took a bottle out of his pocket and
put it to his mouth, but, observing that the cork was still
in it, he burst into a loud laugh. At that moment the
watchman came up, abused them for making a noise, and,
with his morning star, struck the Englishman on his back,
at which the hater laughed louder than before. They then
went over the Halvkands Height, passing the watchman,
but, as the Englishman continued to laugh out aloud, she
was not able to get away from him till the watchman came
up, and struck him a blow, which threw him on the ground.
Dr. A. Heiberg, town-physician, deposed on the 16th
that the blow had fallen on the right temple, and had in-
flicted a wound which had pierc:,A to the bone. A c.)tisi-
derable swelling and a discolouring of the skin ensued sub-
sequently, extending over the whole temple and eyelid.
Nearer to the cranium were two superficial wounds of no
importance. The blow must have been struck with extra-
ordinary force, and had occasioned so severe a concussion
of the brain that the 'Marquis's life was still in danger. On
the back there was no in:irk of a blow having been given ;
but on the loins there is a round blue spot of the size of a
evidently occ,:nioned by some external act of violence.
The farther examination was then adjourned till his
Lordship's recovery. The last accounts from Bergen arc
to the inst., when he was getting better, and was con- i
sidered out of danger.