The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-31 00:00:00

THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON
AND NORTH-WESTERN RAIL WA Y.

BIRMINGHAM, Saturday Night.—An inquest was held
this evening before the borough coroner, on the bodies
of William Daws and Thomas Box, the driver and fire-
man killed by the collision which took place near the
Allesleygate station on Thursday morning last.
Mr. Barrs, from the office of Mr. Carter, solicitor ;
Captain Brueyeres, and Mr. Robinson, of the Birming-
ham station, appeared for the London and North-Wes-
tern Company. During a portion of the time Walker,
the pointsman, was present in the room.
K. Box was the first witness called, and identified
Box, the stoker, as his brother. He also knew Daws,
the driver. The deceased was a married man, with 5
sons and 2 daughters, and about 40 years of age. Wit-
ness was present when the occurrence took place on
Thursday morning last, and drove the ordinary engine
of the train. They went on well until they arrived at
the Beechwood tunnel, about four miles and a half from
Coventry, when the pilot engine was attached to
take them up the down-line. The up-line at that part
and for some distance was being re-laid with new rails.
When the pilot engine was attached the engine of the
train did not work. Nothing was allowed to travel on
that portion of the road unless the pilot was with it, the
down-line being the only line used. There were police.
men at each end of that portion of the line which was
under repair. At the time they ran off the down-
line they might be proceeding at twelve or thirteen
miles an hour. They passed the points at Allesley station,
which are used for crossing from one line to another.
The first thing I saw was a signal from the inspector of
police, who rides with the pilot engine over that ground, and
also from the driver of the pilot engine, who held up
their hands to stop. Witness instantly reversed his en-
gine. He saw the inspector then jump off the pilot en-
gine, and lost sight of him. He then saw that they were
going into some ballast waggons, but he stood firm,
holding the handrail. The pilot engine ran into the
waggons, but he (witness), who was on the second engine,
did not feel the slightest shock. The pilot engine was
turned over on her back on the down line, from which
she had ran. The leading wheels of the engine of the
train did not go off the line. No part of the passenger
train suffered injury. When they came to a standstill
witness got off to see what was done, but could see
nothing for the steam. The drat person he did see was
his brother. He was on the platform at the- Allesley-
gate station,
,kst where the engine turned over. He was
sensible, but dreadfully hurt. One leg was nearly off.
Went round the engine and found Daws, the driver, in
the ditch on the other side of the line with boiling
water from the engine pouring over him. He was carried
on a shutter to the platform. His legs were nearly cut
off. A boy was thrown from the engine, and when he
got up he ran away. M'Kay, the inspector of police,
was much injured. In about three quarters of an hour
the deceased, the inspector, and the boy were all re-
moved to Birmingham in the same conveyance. They
were sent, as soon as it could be obtained, by a special
engine. He saw his brother at the hospital about five
o'clock the same night. He was then alive and sensi-
ble. Witness asked him "What was the reason that
he and Daws gave me the signal ?" "He replied,
" Don't you know ? " Witness rejoined, "No ; I
want to know particularly." Deceased said " The
points were wrong." He did not enter into any fur-
ther details. He said he should lose a leg, but he
should be all right after. He died in half an hour.
He understood his brother to mean that the points were
open. The effect would be that the engine would go on
the other, or up-line, which they ought not to have done
for about half a mile further, and the ballast waggons
were in use for the repairs. There is only one pair of
points at Allesley-gate. They are worked with a lever.
There was always a man on duty there. One night, and
one day. Witness saw him there that morning. He was
standing away from the points at the gateway, with a
green flag in his band. He was close to one end of the
points and quite upright. His position signified that all
was right for the train to pass.
By Mr. Barra : Our steam was shut off previous to en-
tering upon the single line, just on entering the points.
It was done momentarily.
Henry Barmiagham, the stoker on the engine of the
express train which left Birmingham at 7.30 on Thurs-
day morning, confirmed in all important points the evi-
dence of last witness. Almost at the moment the acci-
dent occurred gave a signal with his right hand, and got
hold of whistle with his left. Paws did all he
could to stop the train. Before he (witness) went to see
after the wounded men, he looked at the points towards
the gate, and found them open to the straight road ; if
they had been so at the time the train passed the colli-
sion would not have occurred.' The points were known
as figure 5 points. He felt satisfied that the points
were not in the same position as when they passed
by, and he took hold of the handle of the lever,
and pulled them. He found that when he pulled
them they stood in the position he put them, whereas
they ought to have gone back to the position from
.which he took them. He thought the points were out of
order ; otherwise they should have gone back again.
They were not in acting order, and he attributed the
accident to that cause. The points being out of order
was from dirt, want of oil, or both. His opinion was,
that there was dirt and a scarcity of oil. He particu-
larly observed dirt, and could see no traces of oil. If a
heavy engine had passed over the points from the up to
the down line in the condition in which he saw them, it
would be very likely to leave them open.
Do you know whose duty it was to look after and
clear the points ? —Witness—There is a man by day and
night kept there for that purpose. He would not under-
take to say that the points were not oiled the day before.
Mr. Bedford, superintendent of the London and
North-Western police on the southern division, produced
the regulations of the company with respect to the duties
of pointsmen, and from which it appeared that they were
directed " to keep their switches clear and well oiled ; I
and whenever a train has passed over, he is to see that
no particle of coke or dirt has dropped within the points
so as to prevent them from closing, and also that they
are replaced in the proper position. He is also to try
his points before the passing through of a train that he
may be thoroughly satisfied there is no impediment to
their working." Witness also produced instructions to
engine-drivers, pointsmen, and all concerned, directing
that no train was to travel over a single portion of the
line at more than twelve miles an hour. There were
also special directions with regard to the working of
the single line whero the accident occurred.
Every policeman was supplied with these instruc-
tions. William Walker was the man charged with
the points at Allesley-gate. He must have been the
pointsman spoken of by Box. The pointsmen are on
duty twelve hours, and their wages 20s. per week. Wit-
ness examined the points the morning aiter the accident,
and they wented a little cleaning and oil. From the
dust occasioned by the relaying of the line and the bal-
last, they would require a little more attention than
usual. It was the duty of Inspector M'Kay, who is
injured, to see that the pointsmen did their duty.
By a juryman—The train would not have gone off
the line it the points had been right.
John Vaughan, a ballast-engine foreman, deposed
that, about ten minutes past seven of the same morning,
be took a heavy ballast-engine through the permanent
points ; but he did not observe whether they were left
open or not.

Box, the driver, was recalled, and said, after he had
run round the engine, he sawWWalker, the pointsnian,
come away in the direction beyond the points. He
might be 100 yards distant from them. He asked wit-
ness "What is to do ?" Witness said, " The points
must have been wrong ;" to which Walker replied,
"Come and look whether they are right or no." Wit-
ness said he had something else to do, and went away to
the engine. Walker, after the accident, gave every as-
sistance in his power.

Mr. Haddrick, superintendent of the permanent line,
deposed that, shortly after the accident occurred, he
examined the points, and they worked well, although
they did not appear to have been oiled in the morning.
The train could not have got off the down line on to the
up line if the points had worked properly.
Mr. Johnson, house surgeon to the Birmingham hos-
pital, described the injuries inflicted upon the deceased.
Daws died on his way to Birmingham, and Box in the
hospital about five o'clock in the evening. M`Kay was
still suffering from a severe fracture of the skull.
The above was the evidence relating to the principal
Points of the inquiry, but ultimately the coroner ad-
juurned the inquest until ten o'clock on Monday (this)
morning.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.

CUSTOM HOUSE, JULY 29.

VESSELS ENTERED INWARDS.—The Enchantress, from
Middelhairt; Charles, Baltimore; Mathilde, Aalborg; Cor-
nelia, Worcum; Anna Dorothea, Randers; Slater Rebow,
Tarragonna; Claudia, Quebec ; Pioneer, Hamburg ; Miles
Anders, Horsens ; Omer, Aalborg ; Juno, Sudwesthon ;
Diana, do.; Armelino, Venice; Pytho, Gothenburg; Pri-
mus, a Russian prize of war ; Hortensia, Dantzic; Jesse,
Sijusne; Trio, Adelaide ; City of Hamilton, Montreal and
Quebec ; Emily, Dantzio; Apollo, Grenada ; Ajax, Mel-
bourne ; Aurora, Manzanillo, ; Precise, Belize ; Armeria,
Lykkim; Victoria, Stockholm.

VESSELS ENTERED OUTWARDS.—The Christine Jantina,
for Dordrecht; Slater Rebow, Malta; Maria, Umea'; Jane,
Valencia; Rose, Crest; Champion, Sierra Leone; Standard,
Adelaide; Tertius, Cherbourg; Alfred, Jamaica; Brooking,
Constantinople and Varna; Friends, Cherbourg; Harriet
Armitage, Cape of Good Hope and Ceylon; Mary Goddard,
Hobart Town; Pioneer, Hamburg; Spencer, Ghent ; Vier
Gebruders, Hamburg; City of Hamilton, Quebec andMon-
treat; Royal Shepherdess, Singapore.
VESSELS CLEARED OUT WITH CARGO.—The Johannes
for Harburg; Johanna, Stettin; Carl Richard, do.; Schmell-
ford, do.; Dspatch, t. Vincent; Liberty, Ghent; Friends,
Cherbourg; James Moorhouse, Antwerp; Cybele, Berbice;
Industry, Antwerp; Troende Sodskende, Dronthoitn; Gut-
teridge, Dunkirk ; Robert Law, Melbourne ; Victor, Lis-
bon.

VESSELS SPOKEN WITH.
to London, May 4,
latT. h 385 SA,blboenyg. 21 E.
(barque), H"g*K"ig
The Lando, Londou to San Francisco, June 4, lat. 4 N,
Ihe..l.lda (brig), from London, June 17, lat. 23 N, long,
36 W' .
The Chan
3 Chance
W.
(barque), Bonny to Liverpool, June 26, lat.
34 N, long.
July
eCondor
N(5, long. 3
we(lishsW.
barque), Matanzas to Gibraltar,
5, let. 38
The No. 5,916, second distinguishing pendant, Dutch
ship, off Cape Horn.
The Wilhohnine Callao to Cork, April 17, lat. 40 5,
long. 94 W.
,
The Thoexene, April 25, lat. 54 S, long. 36 W.
ingApneEndnagulizlimbr.iyg,l3,
The Louise, Callao to Cowes, May 30, lat. 25 S, long.
27 W.
28:
*English ship, showing
The Olhers, Callao to Cowes, June 4, lat. 19 S, long.
pendant, May 11, lat. 5 8, 10Nng°..30946*
lat. 1 S, long. 31 W.
showing No. 8,107, second distinguish-
The Glance, of New York, bound west.
second distinguishing