The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-06 00:00:00

Railway Accidents.

Wolverhampton was nearly being the scene of
two serious railway accidents on Saturday night last.
Just before the collision happened on the London
and North-Western line in that town, already re-
ported, a train broke down in the tunnel on the
Great Western line in the same town by which the
station is approached from Birmingham. The Great
Western tunnel is on the low level, and is situate
within a few hundred yards of the northern ticket
platform on the high level of the Stour Valley branch
of the London and North-Western station. The
train on the Great Western line, which is due in
Wolverhampton from Birmingham at 9.15, was late
at most of the stations, and when it arrived at the
southern, or Birmingham, entrance to the town
tunnel, was half-an-hour late, and had the London
express not far behind it. Here the engine alto-
gether broke down. The guard alighted from his
van, and with the nearest switchman ran back some
distance to warn the driver of the express of what
was before him. The signals at Priestfield's Junc-
tion also told of an obstacle, and the express, which
was due in Wolverhampton at 9.50, was somewhat
late. While the guard was away the driver of the
broken-down local thought that he could get through
the tunnel and put on what little steam he could
raise in the hope of doing so ; but he could not move
his train many yards, and was brought to a dead
lock in the tunnel, which was soon suffocatingly full
of steam and smoke, for a tube in the engine had
burst, and the boiler had become so heated that the
timber framework in which it was set had fired. The
passengers were naturally greatly alarmed, know-
ing that the engine of their train was in this condi-
tion, and that the express followed them. The
guard, however, not only had the express fully in-
formed of what was going on, but also procured the
assistance of its engine to push the local train into
the station, and all further danger was over. A
spare narrow-gauge engine removed the disabled

broad-gauge engine and its attendant carriages, and
then the express engine returned for its own car-
riages. The passengers who received injuries by
the collision in Wolverhampton on Saturday night
are now known to number about 15, and the list,
it is supposed, is not yet full, but the additions have
not been cases of importance. The case of one of
the ladies (Mrs. Pearce, of Oozell-street, Birming-
ham), still lying at Wolverhampton, assumed an
unfavourable appearance yesterday.
DROITWICH, Tuesday.
A collision between a passenger and a goods train
(briefly telegraphed last night) took place on the

rest Midland section of the Great Western Rail-
way, about a mile from the town, yesterday after-
noon. Happily, however, it has been unattended
with loss of life, although several persons have been
seriously injured. It should be explained that this
portion of the Great Western line forms also a loop
line for the Midland Railway, uniting with the Bris-
tol and Birmingham branch at Stoke Works and at
Abbotswocd, the Midland train diverging from the
old Bristol and Birmingham line and running on
the Great Western through Worcester. At Wor-
cester most of the Great Western Midland trains are
so timed as to exchange traffic at that city. The
accident happened through a Midland passenger
train running into a
Great Western goods train.
It seems that the Midland train leaving Birming-
ham at 2 p.m. for Bristol departed without waiting
for the passengers from the north, the train thence
being behind time. On its arrival about a quarter
to 3 p.m., a special was put on to take the Midland
passengers on to Worcestershire, and this train ar-
rived at Droitwich at about 3.30. There the driver
was informed that a Great Western goods train. was
travelling in front of him to Worcester, and a cau-
tion ticket was given to him. After a stoppage at
Droitwich of about ten minutes, he proceeded with
his train towards Worcester, but had not gone above
a mile when, in turning
a sharp curve, he saw the
goods train, which had broken down, standing on
the line. He immediately reversed his engine, but
a collision was inevitable, and the engine of the
:passenger, train,. dashed into
.tb.e rear of the goods
'train, smashing four or five' frucks, and scattering
the contents about the line. Fortunately, notwith-
withstanding the severity of the collision, the pas-
senger train did not leave the rails, but the passen-
gers themselves were severely shaken, cut, and I
bruised. Dr. Rodin of Droitwich and other medi-
cal men were quickly
on the spot, and the passenger
train was taken along the down line to Worcester,
where they were properly cared for. The chief
sufferers were Mr. Hardwick, a commercial tra-
veller, who has a deep cut on the head, and Mr.
Oddy, cut face, both of these travelling to Bristol ;
Assistant-Surgeon Adsett, Royal Artillery, injured
head and face; Miss Green, Gloucester, severe
bruises. Lord and Lady Carnarvon were passengers
in a first-class carriage, but escaped without injury.
Lady Carnarvon's maid, travelling second-class,
sustained severe injuries on the forehead. The in-
juries to the other passengers were chiefly bruises.
It appears the cause of the goods train breaking
down was that one of the waggons got off the line
and the wheels broke from it and run on the other
bar of rails. As soon as the train was stopped, the
guard and driver, knowing there was a train nearly
due on the other line, directed their attention to
the removal of the wheels, as they were not aware of
the special train travelling behind them. Therefore
they used no precaution against a collision on their
own line of rails.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE—This day.

LONDON, Sept. 6.—Wind this day at noon—South-
Westerly; moderate breeze and fine Weather.
FALMOUTH, Sept. 5.--Wind B:VV.—Arrived—Helvetia,
from Iquique.
AArrrir-eedd--BLricioalnut',
n.
.—Arrived—Moravian,
ffir.OOLrLmmILL!LE,Nt. on
pi EonLjudoLoTooi
sss, Sept.eN.eppt tB.
. 5 44.
4.—Wind
nii
nnd sS.
sw 1 V.
from Quebec.
CLYDE, Sept. 4.—Wind
from Quebec.
OFF PLYMOUTH, Sept. s.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Devon-
shire, from Calcutta.

W.—Sailed—Maria and
HeCnAryn,DfioFrF'NeSwepYt.or.—.
SWANSEA, Sept.
4.—Wind S.W.—Sailed—Governor,
for Coquimbo. Wind S.
•
BRISTOL, Sept. s.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Rosarto, from
Quebec.

KirconoAD, Sept. .s.—Wind W.—Arrived—Morgan,
from Quebec.

[BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.]
GRAVESEND, Wednesday Morning.
Arrived, Sept. s—The Ann and tho Vivid, from
Guernsey.
Sailed, Sept. s—Violet, for Buenos Ayres ; Alice, for
Hong Kong.

Sailed, Sept. 6.—City of Hamilton, for Quebec; Sir R.
King, steamer, for Dunkirk ; Vigilant, steamer, for Calais
Triton, steamer, for Boulogne.

DEAL, Wednesday Morning.
Anchord—Vercoming, for Surinara; Violet, for Buenos
Ayres—both front London.