The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-11 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 11, 1863.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

GREAT WESTERN.

The adjourned special general meeting of this company
was held ye3terday at the Paddington station to receive the
report of the scrutineers on the question of electing 17 di-
rectors to represent the interests of the Great Western pro-
prietors at the Board of the amalgamated company. The
Right lion. S. Walpole, M.P., the chairman, presided.
It appeared that the poll closed at 12 o'clock, and that the
scrutineers were not prepared with a report as to the result
at three o'clock, being the time appointed for receiving it.
The CHAIumAN inquired of the scrutineers when it was
probable they would be in a position to make their report to
the adjourned meeting, as he thought it was necessary the
decision should be come to within the month from the
passing of the Amalgamation Act.
Mr. ADAMS, one of the scrutineers, said there were so
many proxies to examine that it would take a considerable
time to go through the whole of them in the manner he
deemed requisite.
Another scrutineer thought the scrutiny could be finished
by Wednesday.
Mr. ADAMS said he would do all he could to facilitate the
scrutiny, and even work all night for the purpose, but them
were between 2,500 and 3,000 proxies to be examined.

After some conversation it was agreed to adjourn the
meeting to Thursday, at five o'clock, to receive the final
report of the scrutineers.

Thanks were voted to the chairman, and the meeting ad-
journed.

NORTH-EASTERN.

The directors report that there is an increase for the past
half-year of £63,112 over the corresponding period of 1862
A considerable portion of the increase may be attributable
to the opening of new lines and to the construction of new
works to develope the trade of the district. The statement
of receipts and expenditure shows that the revenue of the
past half year has not reached the amount received in the
corresponding half of 1861 by £24,312, although since that
time 27 miles of new line have been opened. On those lines
and other works there has been expended between January,
1861, and January, 1863, the sum of £1,040,704. Some of
these works are still unfinished, and therefore are unpro-
ductive, but the greater part has been spent on lines, roll-
ing stock, warehouses, &c., which have been in use, and
have contributed to the revenue of the past half-year, so that
the general result of the half-year's working shows that,
with the addition of new lines and with increased facilities
for traffic in all departments, the depression still existing in
some branches of trade has been such as not only to stop
the usual progressive increase, but to keep the receipts at a
lower point than they were in 1861. The necessary issue of
new capital has caused an increase in the preference divi-
dends and interest 3f about £12,000 compared with 1862,
and the additional train mileage (314,440 miles) consequent
on the opening of new branches and the partial revival of
trade has materially added to the working expanses of the
half-year. In addition to this increased expenditure, the
altered mode of treating the cost of renewal of way has ope-
rated for the first time in the past half-year, it having been
resolved to charge a part of the renewal to the first half-
year, instead of wholly to the second, and accordingly the
sum of £11,293 has been charged in the half-year ending
June 30. The gross receipts of the half-year are £1,060,623,
and the gross expenditure £491,505, leaving a balance for
dividends of £569,118. Theso on the revenue accounts of
the different sections are available as follows:--On the Ber-
wick account, £160,722; on the Thirsk and Malton, £1,575;
on the York, £52,107; on the Leeds, £13,703; and on the
Carlisle, £36,785. Out of these sums the directors recom-
mend dividends at the following rates :—On the Berwick
ordinary stock at the rate of 4t per cent. per annum, leaving
£5,083 ; on the Thirsk and Mahon, 4 per cent. per annum,
leaving £575 ; on the York at the rate of 3 per cent. per
annum, carrying forward £3,822; on the Leeds, 11 per
cent. per annum, carrying forward £635, and on the Car-
lisle 6 per cent. per annum, with 2 per cent. to make the
dividend on the 4 per cent. preference equal to the ordinary
dividend, carrying forward £635. The Malton and Driffield
section receives no dividend, but, en the contrary, shows a
loss upon the half-year of £1,503, the total debt being now
£30,120. The directors congratulate the shareholders upon
the amalgamation with the Stockton and Darlington Rail-
way Company for the management of the district of this
company. The former board, with two North-Eastern di-
rectors, are to form a separate committee, The revenue ac-
count prepared by the Darlington committee shows a dis-
posable balance of £53,342, out of which is recommended a
dividend at the rate of 71 per cent. per annum, leaving
£1,902, Owing to the amalgamation with the Darlington
Company the proportions of the joint net receipts will in
future be as follows :—Berwick, 44'10 per cent. ; York, 25'41
per cent. ; Leeds, 7.72 per cent. ; Malton, 0.29 per cent.;
Carlisle, 8.58 per cent.; and Darlington, 13.90 per cent.

amounted to £39,995, and for the corresponding half of 1362
to £42,206, showing a decrease in the receipts of £2,211, and
the expenditure, including interest on loans, to £23,929,
against £19,901, showing an increase in the expenditure of
£4,028, leaving the net balance £16,066, against £22,305,
showing a decrease of £6,239, as compared with the corres-
ponding half of 1862. The directors regretted that those
accounts continued to show an unfavourable result. The
main cause of the deficiency was the continued decrease in
the mineral traffic, arising from the depressed state of the
iron and coal trades. The directors proposed a dividend of
41 per cant. per annum to the holders of the Consolidated
Stock. The reserve fund amounted to £4,082. The revenue
account showed that £39,905 had been received for the past
half-year, and £19,844 expended in working, £4,084 for
interest on loans—leaving a balance of £16,066. The
capital account showed that £917,728 had been expended.

sion with ono another ; but they may be called upon to re-
sist extraordinary strains at any moment ; and when this
test is brought to bear upon a train, the difference of strength
in the carriages is frequently one of lite or death to the pas-
sengers who ride in them. It may be well to observe that
the axles of No. 51 (the carriage which was first thrown off
the line) are lower than those of the other carriages, and
that this circumstance appears to have caused that carriage
to leave the line. The engine and tender passed over the
bullock with no other injury than the fracture of one of the
feed-pipes and a bulge to the ash pan, and it remained be-
tween the wheels of the three first carriages as they passed
on it. The two axles of the fourth carriage appear (from the
marks on them) to have struck it one after the other, and
it afterwards got outside of the rails to the west of the line,
as is evident from the marks on the remaining car-
riages, The fencing at the sides of this line consists, in
parts, of a post-and-rail fence, with four rails about three
feet six inches high, and with a small ditch to prevent
cattle from rubbing against it; in other parts, of a ditch
from 5 feet 6 inches to 14 feet wide, from 3 feet to 5 feet 6
inches deep ; in some places dry, and in others containing
water from a few inches to 3 feet deep. The ditch usually
has a low rail on the inside of it, but in some places there
is no rail, and in others there are two rails. The new fence
which is being constructed by the company consists of seven
wires, supported on iron strung posts and intermediate wood
posts, and is an excellent one. The lowest part of the fence
opposite Mr. Bloomfield's occupation appears to be 11 feet
wide at the top by 3 feet deep, with a rail 91 inches high on
the inside. The sides of the ditch are not sufficiently clean
and steep. The wire fence which the company are now put-
ting up on this part of the line will make it perfectly safe.
The gate referred to by Mr. Royston as that one which he
saw a cow jump is 3 feet 5i inches high in the lowest part,
measured on the outside, and the cow jumped slightly up-
hill. As the cattle will jump such gates, it would be well
either to have them higher or to place a bar over them, so
as to give them a minimum height of 4 feet. I consider my-
self, and it appears to have been the opinion of those gentle-
men who accompanied me, that a ditch 10 or 12 feet wide
and 4 feet deep, with 2 feet water in it, with steep sides and
in good condition, is a sufficient fence to keep out sheep and
cattle. But when the ditch is dry and the sides in bad order
one low rail on the inside is not sufficient protection. The
ditches generally require cleaning out, and in many places
where the water is low, or the banks low or sloping, some
extra protection is required. The present appears to be
a very dry season, and the fences may be considered to
be even at their worst; and I think that, taking the above
dimensions as the minimum of what a sufficient fence
ought to be, it would be desirable to add a second rail on
the inside of the ditches, or to afford other equally satis-
factory protection in all cases in which these dimensions
are not reached. The quicks which were put in during
the construction of the line are now nearly covered with
grass and weeds, and should be properly cultivated. I
observe that the gate fastenings require to be improved
in some places, and it does not appear that padlocks have
yet been supplied to the farmers, though chains and hooks
have been placed upon most of the gates. It appears to be
only since the water in the ditches had fallen or dried up that
complaints have been made of cattle getting on the line ;
and it is probable that if the ditches had been deepened when
these complaints were made, enough water would have
found its way into them to protect the line, and no accident
would have occurred. It would be a wise precaution now
to adopt that measure, and to place men in the meantime at
various portions of the line as are not sufficiently protected
during dark or after dark to prevent the possibility of cattle
straying upon the line at such places."
Mr. Pitcher said that Mr. Billing had been to the station
and seen the carriage No. 51, which was not the one in
which the poor people were killed.
Mr. Edwards by no means admitted that any person knew
which was the carriage. Nobody knew till it was found out
that No. 279 was slightly rotten.
Mr. Pitcher—It was clearly in No. 279 that these unfor-
tunate people were killed.
Mr. Charles Miller said—Mrs. Brown was lying under
the carriage next to that in which I was, but she might
have been thrown there.
Capt. Tyler, by Mr. Edwards—There is no doubt that the
seven-wire fence is a perfect fence. There are differences
of opinion as to whether it is the best. It is dearest at first
but the cheapest in the long run. No. 51 is a weak car-
riage. Such carriages as those of which the rest of the train
is composed are such as are used generally. The wood in
carriage No. 279 referred to is very rotten.
Alan Henry Swatman—l am agent for Mr. Hamond.
I have had communication with the solicitors for the line,
Messrs. Partridge and Edwards ; the engineer, Mr.
Valentine, and the contractor, Mr. Simpson—the latter
said this plan was off the line, and he had nothing to
do with it. I visited the line in April or May, with a
view to examine the state of the fences along the line.
The longitudinal wood of the crossing was wholly deficient.
The crossing at Marsh line was too near the gate and wing
rails. I communicated the result to the engineer and con-
tractor, and nothing was done. I told the solicitors Mr.
Hamond should not execute the conveyance until the terms
of the agreement were complied with, and it never has been
executed.
Mr. Edwards then, with the permission of the coroner,
made a lengthened address to the jury on behalf of the
Great Eastern Railway, concluding in the most earnest
manner by expressing the sympathy which the Great
Eastern Company, as well as himself, felt with the poor
creatures; and he expressed the willingness of the company
to afford all the relief which they possibly could. They
came with tears in their eyes and gifts in their hands, and
hoped he would not turn them away,.
The Coroner then summed up the evidence, his remarks
extending over more than half an hour, after which the
jury retired to reconsider the verdict.
The jury unhesitatingly found a verdict to the effect that
the deceased were accidentally killed ; that the cause of the
accident was a bullock straying on the Lynn and Hunstan-
ston Railway between Wootton and Gaywood ; that the
bullock was able to get upon the line in consequence of the
gross negligence of the Great Eastern Railway Company
and their officers—first, by not putting the fence in that
state which the public safety required; secondly, by not
putting the bullock off the line where the accident occurred;
thirdly, by the disgraceful state of the carriages which were
used for the conveyance of those unfortunate persons who
were killed. The jury also found that the Government in-
spector was deserving of censure in having passed a line
which was so inadequately fenced.
The inquiry on the body of John Dennis, shipowner, was
resumed at the Town Hall at 10 o'clock, and adjourned till
Wednesday at 10 o'clock.