The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-10 00:00:00

The Fatal Accident on the Shrewsbury
and Chester Railway.

ANOTHER DEATH.

WEST FELTON, Friday.

We regret to state that another of the sufferers by this
fearful calamity has been added to the list, making 11, and
that two others are not expected to survive the day. This
morning George Kent, of Greenwich, died in the Shrews-
bury Hospital. Captain Rich came down to Rednal this
afternoon to inspect thelocality of the accident preparatory
to an official visit by the Government inspector.
The inquest commenced yesterday at Rednal on the
bodies of such of the deceased persons killed by the accident
to the Whitsuntide excursion train near this place on Wed-
nesday as had been identified, was resumed to-day, before
the coroner, Mr. Blackburne, at West Felton, about a mile
and a half from Rednal, there being no convenient room for
the inquiry at the latter place.
Mr. Jones, solicitor, of Oswestry, attended on behalf of
the Great Western Company, and there were also present
Mr. Grierson, traffic manager, and other officers of the com-
pany. Mr. Chandler, of Shrewsbury, Mr. Jobson, and Mr.
Corbet Davies, of Shrewsbury, attended to watch the pro-
ceedings on behalf of the injured passengers.
It should be stated that after our parcel was despatched
last night another witness was examined in addition to
those called to identify the bodies, and the surgeon to prove
that death had been caused by violence. This witness was
Mr. P. W. Leather, surgeon, of Liverpool, who was a pas-
senger in the train to which the accident happened. He de-
posed that he came from Birkenhead in the train ; that as
it approached Rednal there was some oscillation in the car-
riage and then a noise. He looked out of the window of his
carriage, and then saw one of the engines of the train on its
side. He got out and found what had happened, and saw
some of the passengers lying dead. He assisted to remove
the injured, and attended to them. Was occupied about
two hours in this duty, when a train came up from Shrews-
bury. He ordered the severely injured to be laid in the van
upon cushions, and the less seriously to be placed in the
carriages. He accompanied the injured to Shrewsbury in
the train, and saw them lodged in the Infirmary and at the
Raven Hotel. He remained in attendance on the latter
during the night. The train was 20 minutes late when it
left Birkenhead. He could not tell how much it was be-
hind at Chester. He thought they were late all through the
journey, and could not tell whether they had gained time
coming from Birkenhead. He thought the train was tra-
velling faster just before the accident than it had done on
the rest of the journey. They were going very fast, and,
feeling a little timid, he looked out of the train to see what
was the matter. Did not see any red flag held out.
On the jury reassembling this morning it was stated that
no other bodies had been identified, and the coroner said it
appeared that the first derangement of the train was at the
place where the repairs of the line began, and they would
proceed first to take evidence as to the cause of the engine
leaving the line at that place. The first witness called was
David Evans; f Birkenhead, who was driving the second
engine of the excursion train from Birkenhead to which
the accident happened on June 7. He left Birkenhead at
10 46 ; the proper time for leaving was 10 20. The delay
was caused by their having to put on extra coaches. They
arrived at Chester at 1134, and left Chester at 12 28. They
ought to hav& left at 11 25. They stopped at Gobowen,
which was the next station before the accident occurred,
and here they were an hour and 20 minutes behind time.
The delay arose from their leaving Birkenhead 20 minutes
after time, and having to stop at Chester. Between Go-
bowen and the place where the accident happened there
was a caution flag by the side of the line, on
a slope about a mile and a quarter from where the
accident happened. It might have been placed in a better
position to be seen. He was close to it when he saw it. As
soon as he saw the flag he shut off steam and touched the
whistle for Anderton, the driver of the first engine, to do the
same. There was no other signal ; but a man ran out of the
gang of platelayers on the line as soon as he saw the flag.
From the flag to the place where the men were at work
might be- half a mile. By the time they got to the plate-
layers they had pulled up a little, and were going about 30
miles an hour. His engine now appeared to be going very
rough. They had all the brakes on from the time they saw
the flag, and when they came to where the men were at
work he pulled his breaks out of gear, which would tend to
stop the train. Saw some dust arising from the first engine,
as if something had got loose rind was dragging the ground ;
but he looked out and could see nothing. Newton was his
fireman, and when the accident happened he was killed.
The Coroner told the witness that, if he liked, he could
tell the jury what he thought was the cause of the accident.

The witness answered that he could not tell what it was

By Mr. Chandler—From the bridge to the place where
the accident happened the line was on a gradient down hill.
When they came to this they were "on the swing." They
were on the swing before they saw the flag. Was not aware
that Anderton had made a dying declaration that he saw
no flag. When the line was being taken up it was custo-
mary to send men back with a red flag. A danger flag
was red, and a caution flag green. It was a green flag that
was put up.

Mr. Chandler here called upon tho railway officials to
produce the rule regulating the repair of the line.
Mr. Grierson produced the rules. No. 2 described the
duties of the overlooker of workmen on the line requiring
that a signal should be put up at least a mile from the spot
where the work was going on. Witness was in charge of
the train. The train consisted of 32 carriages and two vans.
There were two guards to the train, and four breaks on the
tenders and van. Was not aware that when there wore
more than 12 carriages to a train rule 56 •of the Great
Western Company's General Instructions required that there
should be three guards, and when 20 carriages four guards.
Could not say whether a certain number of guards was re-
quired to a certain number of carriages. Did not know the
56th rule.

Mr. Grierson said the different servants were supplied
only with such rules as applied to their special duties.
Rule 56, the substance of which is given above, was then
read by. Mr. Chandler, and Mr. Jones pointed out that this
rule applied to steep gradients.
Witness continued—The first engine left the rails just
where the accident happened. It was customary when any
alteration of any moment was being made on the line to
send a man up the line with a green flag to hold out. Could
have seen such a signal better than when a flag was stuck
by the side of the line.
By Mr. Corbett Davies—Had been in the company's ser-
vice 18 years, and according to rule there was a certain
number of guards to a train, proportioned to the number of
carriages. [This, it will be seen, is in contradiction to what
the witness stated in reply to Mr. Chandler's cross-ex-
amination.] 6
By the Coroner—Had nothing to do with the number of
breaks or number of guards to a train. Took his instruc-
tions in the case of excursion trains from the papers issued.
It was the stationmaster's duty at Birkenhead to see to the
making up of the train. 15 or 18 carriages was the usual
number to an excursion train ; 25 were not unusual.

By Mr. Jones—Had seen as many as 40 carriages in an
excursion train on the London and North-Western line.
Tho train went all right and well until they got to the place
where the men were repairing the line. The gradient was
lin 120, or greater. The rails were not being taken up,
but "lifted;/ which means raising the sleepers and packing
them. By going on the swing he meant travelling about
35 miles an hour.

By the Foreman—During the process of packing, should
a train come up unexpectedly, might it not happen that one
side might be higher than the other ?

The witness was understood to say that if the one side
was packed higher than the other it would not throw the
leading wheels off the line.

By Mr. Jones—Was it not the duty of the driver of the
first engine to look out and give notice of what was going
on to the driver of the second engine ?
Witness—Ho had a better chance of seeing.
In reply to Mr. Chandler, the witness said that at a speed
of 35 miles an hour, a train with two engines, 32 coaches, and
two vans could be stopped in two miles. In answer to further
questions, the witness said he could not have slackened the
speed of the train to less than 20 miles an hour from the
bridge to where the men were at work—three-quarters of a
mile. The caution flag was a quarter of a mile further on,
and he was asked how much he could have slackened the
speed from this place to where the men were at work. He
did not give a direct answer to the question, but said he
thought he had reduced the speed to 15 miles.
Emma Owen was next called 'to prove the identity of her
brother, and a distressing scene ensued. She stated that
her brother, William Owen, was an engineer, of No. 11,
North-end, High-street, Southampton ; that he was a pas-
senger•by the excursion train, and in conseqence of what
she had seen in the newspapers she had come down and
identified his body among the five unknown corpses lying
in the shed at Rednal. He was married, and had loft a wife
and five children, the youngest two months old. He bad
telegraphed• to his wife to come down. The witness here
went into hysterics, after an excited exclamation about
"the man that killed her poor brother," and was carried
out of the room insensible.

After a short adjournment for refreshment tho examina-
tion of witnesses was resumed.

Edward Gregory, guard of the excursion train, said he
came with the train from Manchester. Tho first intimation
ho had of the accident was a bumping of the van in which
ho was. He saw no caution or danger flag. The train
stopped soon after the bumping, and the accident had taken
place. Did not hear any whistle or signal to stop the train.
When the bumping took place ho put on the break. They
were then going at the rate of thirty or thirty-five miles an
hour. After the accident he sent one of the plate-layers
back 'down the lino to stop anything that might follow, and
then assisted in getting the wounded from under the wreck.
A number of the passengers assisted, and he left them and
got a horse from a man in a field to send to Oswestry for
medical help. On passing along the lino ho saw that it was
crooked and the chains broken. The line was in one place
stripped of its ballast. Being asked as to the cause of the
bumping, the witness said it was his impression that they
had run over something. Witness was the head guard of
the train, and his van was within four carriages of the
end of the train.

. By Mr. Chandler—That was not the usual place for the
head guard, but the end of the train. The other guard's