The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-07 00:00:00

as far as Bregenz, and its junction with the Swiss ; APPALLING RAILWAY ACCIDENT,
lines.

ITALY.

The Venice Gazette publishes a sentence of the
27th ult., by the Court-martial of Vicenza, con-
demning
three persons to various periods of mili-
tary arrest, and one to death for possession of
arms ; one to eight months' arrest in irons for re-
sistance to the revenue officers, and the wounding
of one of them ; one to six months' arrest in irons
for disturbing the public peace by inflammatory
speeches, and one to five years' hard labour in
irons .for the crime of insurrection. All these
punishments have, however, been considerably
mitigated by the commandant at Vicenza, the
man condemned to death being considered suf-
ficiently punished by his five months' previous
imprisonment, and the punishment of the last
on the list reduced to three years' hard labour.
The Milan Gazette of the 30th ult. publishes a
sentence pronounced by the Court-martial of that
city, condemning a cheesemonger named Ale, aged
47, having a wife and six children, to death, for
having kept a musket, a pistol, and some cart-
ridges in a concealed place ; and a peasant, aged
64, having also a wife and six children, to the
same punishment, for secreting a pistol. • These
punishments have been commuted by Marshal
Radetzky, for the former, into two years' hard
labour in irons, and for the latter into three
months of military arrest. The same paper of the
Ist contains further sentences upon three persons ;
one of these has been condemned to four years'
hard labour in irons for having arms in his posses-
sion ; and another to six months' military arrest
for high treason of the second degree ; the third
has been provisionally set at liberty for want of
sufficient evidence.

A terrific accident, followed by a lamentable loss
of life, took place on Wednesday evening on the
Great Southern and Western line at Straffan,
within a few miles of the Dublin terminus. The
following succinct account of the tragic occurrence
is furnished by the Freeman's Journal :
" One of the most appalling accidents that it has ever
been our sad duty to record occurred last evening on the
Great Southern and Western Railway, about half a mile
beyond the Straffan station. A passenger train, up from
Killarney and the south, that was due in Dublin about
six o'clock p.m., was brought to a standstill between
the Sallins and Straffan stations, owing, we believe, to
some defect in the engine. Mr. Croker Barrington, the
solicitor to the company, who was a passenger by the
train (and who was accompanied by Mrs. Barrington)
got out, and directed one of the railway servants to go
down the line with a danger signal, as there was a heavy
cattle and luggage train following. The man departed
accordingly with a red (danger) lamp. He had been
gone about 12 or 15 minutes when the red lamps in front
of the cattle train were seen approaching. It was taken
for granted that it was coming along at a slow speed,
for the line was straight, and its pace could not be
judged, and in consequence of this unhappy confidence
some persons who had got out of the carriages of the
passenger train re-entered them, fearing lest their en-
gine might be got into motion and that they would
be left behind, and feeling satisfied that the danger
signal had been observed by the driver. Scarcely had
they done so, however, when the cattle train ran at full
speed into them, going clean through a first-class carri-
age that was last in the passenger train, and driving
the remainder into a heap of ruins. The third
carriage from the front of the passenger train, a
second-class carriage, broke up and turned over, burst-
ing the powerful iron links which held it to the carriage
immediately before it. The impulse given to the two
forward carriages thus freed was so tremendous that the
roof was cut clean off the one next the ruined train, and
it actually fell upon the spot which the carriage had just
before }occupied, the unroofed carriage with the one
before it, the tender, and the engine, being sent flying
along the line, which they traversed for nearly three-
quarters of a mile before they stopped, passing the
Straffan station about a quarter of a mile. Of the pas-
sengers in those two carriages scarcely any escaped with-
out serious injury. Two were killed, two men were
not likely to survive the night, and five or six were
badly injured, all having broken limbs or serious contu-
sions. Among the less seriously hurt was Mrs. Bar-
rington' the wife of Mr. Croker Barrington, the soli-
citor. Of the killed, the only names we have as yet
ascertained were Mr. Jelly, of Maryborough, and Mr.
Egan, of Birr.
" Among the passengers was Captain James Collis,
the commander of the Times steamer, on which the fatal
accident occurred a few months back off the Pigeon-
house Fort by the bursting of the boiler plate, and whose
activity and humane conduct upon the occasion elicited
so much praise. Captain Collis got out of the train
when it came to a stand. He had for some time pre-
viously been thinking that all was not right with the
engine, for the train was 11 minutes behind its time at
Sallins, and when it stopped it was about a half-mile
short of the station at Straffan. His example was fol-
lowed by a few other gentlemen, but only four—viz.,
Mr. Connor, of Newbridge ; Mr. Kelly, of the same
place ; Mr. Leitch, of Armagh ; and an English gen-
tleman, whose name he did not ascertain, remained
upon the embankment with him. The others all un-
fortunately returned to their carriages.
" And here a most melancholy episode occurred. The
English gentleman was accompanied by his sister, his
wife (a beautiful young lady of 21), and their child, an
infant of about nine months. A passenger, a Mr. Jelly,
of Maryborough, had got out of the carriage in which
the two English ladies and the baby were, and stood
talking with Captain Collis, but on seeing the cattle
train coming along, he got in again, and stood in the
doorway watching its approach. The ladies got alarmed
on hearing that the train was coming, and wanted to
get out, but the English gentleman advised them to stay
as they were, and he was about to get in himself, and
was only waiting for Mr. Jelly to get out of the door-
way when the collision took place. Mr. Jelly was in-

staitly decapitated, both his legs cut off, and- his body
torn to pieces. The ladies were both killed, and the
agony of the unfortunate husband and brother when he
cast himself upon the lifeless body of his young wife was
quite indescribable. The baby was extricated from un-
der its unhappy mother and aunt, and was living.
" When Captain Collis saw the train approaching he
checked the other gentlemen who were about to enter
the carriages, and advised them to wait, as there was
no calculating the speed at which a train, end on, was
approaching.' He glanced along the shining part of the
rails, and observed by the glitter of the reflection from
the lamp that the speed was full. The train was then
within a couple of hundred yards. He at once shouted
`My God ! she's coming at full speed ! Look out I look
out !" and, turning round, he,sprang over the wire fence
into the field. Mr. Leitch followed his example, but
fell. Mr. Connor and Mr. Kelly threw themselves on
their faces, having no time to retreat. Captain Collis,
having gained the field, looked round and saw the scene
we have described. When the engine came to a standstill
in the midst of the ruin he jumped back again, and ran
with Messrs. Leitch, Kelly, and Connor to assist the

wounded. They had dragged a few out, and all who
were able to move had congregated round the shattered
train to render aid. When he noticed the violent throb-
bings of the engine, he sang out for the engineer, who
was helping to extricate some passengers, and bid him
instantly jump on the engine and blow off the steam, or
they would have an explosion that would destroy them
all. The engineer did as he was ordered, and thus the
lives, in all probability, of even more than had been
sacrificed by the collision, were preserved. Captain
Collis, having seen 14 dead bodies, and having helped to
extricate about 50 wounded people—a labour which
occupied some hours—arrived in town about midnight.
It is to him we are indebted for the dreadful narrative.
" Captain Collis said—After passing the Sallins sta-
tion, the engine went slowly, and stopped about half a
mile short of the Straffan station ; it remained stationary
about 15 minutes. Five passengers got out with me,
Mr. Jelly, of Maryborough ; Mr. Connor, of Newbridge ;
Mr. Kelly, of the same place ; a Scotch gentleman, Mr.
Leitch, from Armagh ; and an English gentleman, whose
name I did not ascertain. He was in too much trouble
for me to ask him after all was over, for he lost his pretty
young wife and his sister. Mr. Croker Barrington, the
solicitor to the company, who was riding in a first-class
carriage next the engine, got out and sent one of the
railway servants (the stoker I think it was) down the line
with a red lamp to stop the luggage and cattle train that
we knew was about half an hour behind us. We were,
however, 11 minutes behind our time at Sallins. He had
been gone about 10, or from that to 15 minutes, when we
saw the lights of the cattle train approaching. We all
thought, of course, it was coming along quite slow. Mr.
Jelly stepped into his carriage, stopped in the doorway,
and looked out. The English gentleman's wife and
sister were behind Mr. Jelly, and they wanted to get
out, but he bid them not stir, as he wanted to get in.
Mr. Kelly was going to step into his carriage also,
when I said, Stop a little, there is no hurry. The
train won't go without some warning, and, at all events,
you and I are active enough to jump out if it should.
But just wait till this train comes up. Oh,' he said,
it is merely walking up to us ;' but, nevertheless, he
waited. I stepped close to the line and cast my eye
along, when I saw by the reflection of the light upon
the shining rails that it was coming at full speed, and I
heard by the beat of the engine that the steam was not
eased off. I at once shouted ()lA—' Good God she is
coming at full speed ; look out, look out ;' and I jumped
over the wire fence into the field, and looked round me.
I saw the cattle train run right into the last carriage
of the passenger train—indeed, through it. In an in-
stant all was a pile of ruin. I ran back, and saw the
driver of the cattle train, who seemed horrified at Teeh
frightful calamity. I asked him, was he hurt ? He
plied, ' No, but I'll [never get over it.' He then pro.
ceeded to assist the wounded passengers. I perceived
that the steam -was being generated, and that in a
minute more we would all be b town away by the explosion
of the engine, and I sang out for the engineer and bid
him blow off the steam. He did so, and then we set to
work. The first, sight I came on was the bodies of two
women quite dead. They lay on the bank as if they
had been shot out of the door. Near them was a priest
or friar, or monk. He was quite dead, lying cbga to the
rails, as if he had been thrown against the embankment
and had rebounded back. I next saw a man both of
whose thighs were broken across. Messrs. Kelly and
Connor and I pulled him out from under the ruins of
the carriages. He. was living, and we laid him upon
the bank. We were then attracted by the cries of a
lady, whose hand was jammed between the carriages.
Her sister lay near her, either dead or insensible. After
labouring very hard for some time we failed to extricate
them, and had to turn to others while more assistance
was being procured. From a heap of ruins, where we
saw shawls, hats, and handkerchiefs, we next got out a
lady, greatly disfigured, but still alive. We then came
to the body of Mr. Jelly, which could hardly be recog-
nised, his head being torn and smashed off—his legs
both cut off—his body torn up, and his clothes torn all
off him. I adjusted his clothes, and we put the body
aside, and from near him we got out the bodies of the
English gentleman's wife and sister. Poor fellow 1 He
threw himself madly upon the body of his wife, and
kissed her frantically, and then we got the little baby,
from under her and the aunt's clothes, alive. We then
went to the first-class carriage that had been first
struck by the engine, and there we saw the bodies of
two ladies, apparently cut in two at the waist . They
were so jammed in that we could not get at them.
Near them was the body of another lady, whose dress
only we could see, she was so bruised in the ruins. The
ebrwokaesnlbyointgh
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cries of a little boy then attracted me. He was about
l'yairnrgiaga:ross them. With great difficulty we got him
eight yearwsboiledb had .
out by raising the axle with a crowbar. I then re-
turned with more help to the two ladies one of whose
hands was jammed, and we got them out. I don't know
whether the insensible lady was dead or not, but I
think she was. We laid her on the bank. The other
was not much hurt. We next discovered the body of a
very large man under the train. His head was cut off
and gone. We found no trace of it. Both his legs were
cut off also from the thighs down. We got out the re-
mains and placed them on the bank. I was at this time a
good deal exhausted, having worked very hard. Sir Ed-
ward Kennedy now came up. He had been a passenger
in the carriage next the engine, whiclihad been shot on
by the collision past Straffan station. He had escaped
unhurt, and had rendered every assistance to the pas-
sengers in those two carriages, which, with the engine,
had been sent on by the concussion. He then returned
down the line to help there, and took the command from
me, to my great relief, for I was quite worn out. I
cannot tell you how hard he worked, as also did those

gentlemen whose names I have mentioned, and, indeed,
every one, railway people, country people, and all. I
broke off a piece of a carriage and helped to make a
litter of it, on which we placed a lady who had her two
legs broken, and the English gentleman's little child, and
took them to a house convenient. Sir Edward Kennedy
sent for a doctor and a priest at once. Seeing that some
people were picking up carpet-bags, I suggested the ne-
cessity of the luggage being guarded, which was at once
done. Messrs. Kelly, Connor, Leitch and I then
walked on to Straffan, thinking we had seen all the
damage, and not knowing about the two carriages that
had been shot away. At the station we found a Mr.
Roe, who had escaped in one of those carriages, and
who was very active in rendering assistance. In the
stationroom eight or nine people were lying side by side.
One of them seemed dead. I placed my hand on his
forehead and found that he was dead. He was a Mr.
Egan, of Birr. I said he was dead, and his body was
at once removed, and the gentleman died soon after. A
priest was hearing the confession of another, who
evidently had very few moments left him in this
world. The dead bodies were removed from the
room. Mrs. Barrington was lying in another room
in the station, very badly hurt I heard. One
of the ladies I saw at the station had her chest
broken in. I don't think she would live till morning.
Several had their legs broken. One servant boy, who
was very badly hurt, had been sent by Sir Edward Ken-
nedy, on his own car, to some hospital in the neigh-
bourhood. There was a medical gentleman present who
was doing all in his power to alleviate the sufferings of
the wounded. I believe there were several medical gen-
tlemen, but lam not sure of more than one. The Hon.
E. Lawless was there working very hard ; and there
was one young man, a dealer, named John Rooney, who
was going down in the Kilkenny train when he heard of
the accident at the station. He at once threw up his
passage, quitted the down train, and set to work to help
the sufferers in a most extraordinary manner. Such
vigour and kindness and gentleness as he exhibited could
not be surpassed. A train was got ready about half-
past 10 o'clock, and by it I came to town. We arrived
at the King's-bridge terminus about 12 o'clock. Neither
the driver nor stoker of the cattle train was injured."

THE CHOLERA.

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE.
Deaths on the 6th of October :

Cholera ...
Diarrhoea..

The total number of deaths from cholera and diarrhoea
in Newcastle during the present outbreak has been
1,438. In the same period (viz., the first 35 days)
during the prevalence of epidemic cholera there in
1831-2 the number of deaths was 255.

GATESHEAD.
Died on the sth of October :

Cholera

The total number of deaths from cholera and diarrhea
in Gateshead to the present date has been 387. During
the like period (viz., the first 29 days) in 1831-2, the
deaths amounted to 141.
Shopkeepers often grumble at paying rates for the
improvement of the health of a town ; but there is riot
a shopkeeper'in Newcastle, looking no farther than hie
till, but would have paid three times the amount of rate
he has been accustomed to pay, if cholera could have
been kept out of the town ; as the following fact will
show :—During five days that the cholera was raging in
that town, the proprietor of a leviathan drapery, esta-
blishment was 8001. short of his ordinary receipts.
There is not a shopkeeper in the town but has suffered
in the same proportion. The same is told of the town
of Hexham.

THE FAIRS.—The Mayor of Sunderland has given
notice that in consequence of the prevalence of cholera
in the district, the fair in that town is postponed. The
authorities have also prohibited the holding of Houghton.-
le-Spring feast.
THE BREWERS.—Since the outbreak of the cholera in
Newcastle there has been an almost entire cessation in
the consumption of malt liquors. During the past two
or three days, housewives have been unable to procure
yeast to bake their bread with.