The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-13 00:00:00

The Fatal Accident on the Shrewsbury
and Chester Railway.

The inquest on the bodies of William Anderton, of
Chester, the engine-driver; Thos. Sivitter, of Bill-street,
Wolverhamptom ; and Geo. Kent, of Greenwich, was re-
sumed yesterday at the Shrewsbury Infirmary, before Mr.
Charles Frail.

Mr. Chandler, solicitor, appeared on behalf of the widow
of Mr. Kent, and Mr. Thurston, of Wolverhampton, for
the representatives of Mr. Sivitter.
Some discussion took place as to whether the jury should
inquire into the cause of the accident, as well as the imme-
diate cause of the death of the deceased. Mr Chandler said
on behalf of the interest of his client he did not wish the
jury to go into the evidence as to the cause of the accident
that having been already fully inquired into, and a verdict
returned by a jury of the county. Mr. Thurston also con-
sidered it unnecessary to go into any further evidence than
that of the medical gentlemen as to the cause of death.
The majority of the jury, after having retired to delibe-
rate upon the point, were of opinion that it was their duty
to investigate the cause of the accident before they-returned
a verdict as to the cause of death, and it was arranged that
the whole of the evidence taken at the inquest at West Fel-
ton should be read over and sworn to by the witnesses.
Wm. Eddowes, house-surgeon, was examined, and said
the deceased, Mr. Kent, was admitted into the infirmary on
June 7, suffering from a fractured spine, sad he on Thurs-
day, the Bth. William Anderton was brought in on the same
day as Kent, suffering from the ribs on the right side being
broken in and his lungs lacerated. He died on the 9th from
the injuries inflicted. Thomas Sivitter was also admitted on
the same day, and died directly afterwards. On examina-
tion witness found that the pelvis was smashed, and that
deceased had also received injuries to the back of the neck.
The injuries in each case were such as would be inflicted
by a railway accident.
The evidence of Captain Tyler and the other witnesses
was then read over.

David Evans, the driver of the second engine, in addition
to what he had previously stated, said, in reply to Captain
Tyler, that he shut off the steam when he saw the green
flag, and he got the engine out of gear when he saw the
platelayer. When he saw one of the platelayers come out
from the gang to caution the drivers, he blew his big
whistle. The driver of the first engine shut off his steam
shortly after he passed the flag, and his stoker put on the
break when they came in sight of the platelayers. When
the smash took place the speed was reduced from 30 miles
an hour to 16.

Edward Gregory, the guard in the rear of the train, added
that it was most unusual for him not to have heard the
big whistle if it had been blown. He did not put on the
breaks till he felt the train bumping. The train was going
at a rate of 35 or 40 miles an hour.

Thomas Davis, the ganger of the platelayers, said, in re-
ply to Captain Tyler, that nothing had been done to the
line since the accident, except the straightening of the rails.
Captain Tyler, in reply to several questions, said he did
not consider 30 or 35 miles au hour an excessive speed fur a
train of this description. There were many trains that
would pass over that line at a higher speed-40 or 50 miles an
hour—and indeed, that being a straight portion of the road, the
train ought to have gone over safe at 60 miles an hour. If
the line had been in good order the length of the train had
not much effect in speed, but there was a description of
engine used on this occasion which was not safe at a high
rate of speed in passenger trains, and therefore the speed at
which the train was going was not desirous. If a straight
line was not fit for a train to pass over at the rate of 30 or.
40 miles an hour, it must be defective. He thought that the
line being in its present condition a red flag ought to have
been sent down the line as a danger signal. A green flag with
the pole placed in the bank would not be sufficiently visible. It
was the common practice to have gangers to send men down
with a red flag whenever it was necessary. He considered
the break power with the train quite insufficient. There
was a certain amount of chance in these accidents. The
engine when it jumped might have come down on the right
side of the line and all would have been well. It was the
weight of the engine that tried the permanent way, and
not the carriages, as these were much lighter than the
engines.

Mr. Grierson said it being his opinion that the line was
not in a fit state to run over at the ordinary speed, it.was
the duty of the ganger to send back a red flag. If the plate-
layers were only lifting the line in the ordinary manner,
then the green flag would be sufficient ; but, in his opinion
he was sorry to say that No. 2 rule, which required that a
person should be sent along with a flag, would apply in this
case. If the sleepers were being lifted more than two inches,
and if the line were in a condition which would prevent the
train running safely over it, then the rule which required
a man to send back a flag would apply.
At the request of the foreman, Mr. Grierson read the rule
which required in trains of a great length guards to be
placed throughout the train, and a certain number of guards
to a given number of carriages.
The Foreman—Then it was quite clear there was not a
sufficient break power to this train. .
Mr. Stephens said with the two engines there would have
been sufficient break power under ordinary circumstances.
It was in the discs etion of the superintendent or station--
master who started the train to arrange the break power.
Richard Griffith; a platelayer, was called. He said he
had been employed on the line on the 7th. The excursion

train was more than two miles off when ho first saw it, and
the line was quite clear for it. There was so much dust
and smoke accompanying the train it was evident that it was
coming with great speed. Davis sent a man back to caution
the drivers and the man went back about 300 yards. Wit-
ness did not hear the whistle blow till after the engine passed
him a good bit. They put ballast in after the train had
passed, and packed it up close round the sleepers after the
excursion train had gone past. They had not lifted the
last sleepers more than half an inch. No other train had
gone over the last bit that they had raised before the ex-
cursion train.

By Mr. Grierson—The sleepers were not lifted more than

two inches in any case, to the best of his knowledge. It
was not usual to send a man 300 yards down the line in
ordinary lifting. The reason for sending a man back was
because it was a long train. He could not seo that it was
a long train till after it passed the bridge.
Peter Foulkes, another platelayer, said when he first saw

the train it was about a mile off, and Crump was then sent
back to caution it. He did not hear the engine whistle
till after the train had passed. The steam was on when the
engine passed him. Crump walked back and did not run.
By Captain Tyler—ln the morning he was engaged open-

ing out ballast, and after dinner he and the other men were
employed beating up the ballast under the sleepers. There
were about two lengths of rails of sleepers that had been
filled in underneath, but the ballast was not beaten up. He
did not know the train was coming.

Henry Jones, another platelaper, said the train was a
mile and a half off when ho saw it. Crump got near to the
level crossing when the train met him. He heard a whistle
after the train passed. Ho was engaged in raising the
"middles" when the train came in sight. He did not stop
beating till the train reached about 100-yards of him.
Gregory, the guard, said, after the accident he went down
to the platelayers, and he found them at work putting the
line straight. ,He sent one of them for a medical man.
Henry Crane, a passenger in the train, said, after remain..
ing at the scene of the accident for some time he went down
the line to see whore the train had gone off, and saw some
men at work on the line. When he got into the carriage to
leave the scene of the accident, an hour and a half after-
wards, there were three or four men still at work at the
same spot.

This concluded the evidence, and the Coroner in summing
up said it seemed that in this case there was no one point
upon which the jury could .fasten and say the blame lay
there, or that that was the cause of the accident. There
seemed to be a combination of causes to bring about the
sad result. The first was an insufficiency of break power,
next an inefficient engine, and, thirdly, there could bo no
doubt that the lino was not in a proper state to receive an
ordinary train, and certainly not a train of this weight and
magnitude. If the line had been in good order there would
not, according to the evidence of Capt. Tyler, have been
any reason to complain of the speed. In reference to the
evidence of the platelayers, he thought tho jury could come
to no other conclusion than that men were withholding
something from thom. Although they had with one excep-
tion denied working on the line after the accident, there
were two respectable witnesses who had sworn to the con-
trary. In other respects their evidence was also unsatis-
factory.

The jury then retired to consider their verdict.
After an absence of about three quarters of an hour the
jury returned with a verdict similar to that which had al-
ready been found in the previous inquiry. They considered
that the engine No. 5 was not such as should have been
attached to a train of that description; that the break power
was not adequate; that the permanent way was not in a fit
state ; that the signal exhibited was not sufficient ; nor
shown in a proper manner, and that gross negligence had
been displayed; but they were unable to attach criminality
to any individual.
Mr. Peolo said, on behalf of the company, there had
been only one anxiety, and that was to ascertain if there was
any fault which in any way might be remedied in the
future. With regard to the permanent way, ho believed
that this line generally was as perfect as any in the king-
dom, and that this was the first accident which had hap-
pened upon it for eighteen years since the time it was
opened. He was afraid the accident had arisen from the
platelayers not going back with a flag. In other respects he
thought there was no blame attributable to the company's
servants. _ _ _

The foreman expressed the satisfaction which the jury
felt at the facility which Mr. Grierson had given for carry-
ing on the inquiry.
Of William Lockley, of Longwaist, near Wellington, and
James Warton, of Bilston, now in the Shrewsbury Infir-
mary, there is little hope of recovery. Mr. Hughes, who
was taken to the Raven Hotel, is also in a most precarious
condition, and is not likely long to survive. -

LANGIIAM HOTEL.—We hear that crowds of
visitors have already gone to the hotel. Although yester-
day was the first day of opening to the public, three storeys
of the hotel are already occupied. There can be no doubt
but that it will be a great success.