The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-07 00:00:00

FA'..TAL ACCIDENT ON THE BOLTON RAILWAY.

TH 'BEE PERSONS KILLED, AND TEN INJURED.
The following additional particulars have been ascer-
taim sd with respect to this accident, of which we gave a
brief Account on Saturday :
The train was an express from Liverpool, Southport,
and Fleetwood, bringing passengers from Scotland and
the north of England. Its time of starting from Bolton,
a,ccordirig to the published time tables, is 5.45 p.m. ; but
it is stated that it left about three minutes beyond that
time. It was due at Manchester at ten min. past six,
having to do eleven miles in about twenty-five min. in-
eluding a stoppage to collect tickets. The train, When
it left Boston, consisted of a four-wheeled engine and
tender, a composite carriage of three compartments ;
then came a first-class carriage, followed by a second-
Class ; behind these were five more, of various kinds.
The rate at which the train usually runs from Bolton to
ivlanchester is from 30 to 40 miles an hour ; between the
Tralshaw Moor station it is often the latter speed, and
that this fearful event has occurred, there is a gene-
rat ,complaint of the oscillation of the carriages when at
that speed.
IN'othing occurred to attract attention, it would seem,
antil the train got to Halshaw Moor, when a speed was
attained of such velocity that the last carriage, a first-
class, rocked to and fro so much that its occupants could
not have retained their seats had it not been for the arm
rests. The high speed and the concurrent excessive
oscillation were complained of by the passengers. A
gentleman who rode in the last carriage, annoyed by
the jolting, said to a fellow-passenger that he thought
they were going at a tremendous rate, and that the car-
riage rocked very unpleasantly, to which the person ad-
dressed replied, "Oh no, we're only going a little
quick ;'' but he had scarcely finished the sentence before
both felt the carriage off the line. Almost immediately
after it came to a stand-still, and on getting out hastily
they found that an accident had happened, and that
every carriage was off the rails. It was then about six
o'clock, and the train had got about five miles on its
way towards Manchester. The scene which then pre-
sented itself was appaling. The engine was laid across
the up-line, with its head towards Bolton, directly
opposite to its former course, whilst the tender was
fixed in the side of a cutting, through which the line
runs, a few yards behind the engine. The composite
carriage which had been next to it was reared upon it,
still higher up the side of the cutting ; below, between
the engine and the tender, was a first-class carriage, and
next to it the second-class carriage. The first-class car-
riage was slightly on fire, and in these three carriages
were a number of persons shrieking for help. Informa-
tion was instantly sent forward to the Clifton station,
but from some difficulty in carrying the information
speedily to Manchester, it was fully an hour and a half
before any of the officials from the main station could be
got to the spot. In the meantime every exertion had
been used to relieve the sufferers, and it was found that
a fearful sacrifice of human life had taken place, and that
'many who were not killed wereshockingly injured. The
driver, Thomas Crostin, was found between the two
lines, not far from his engine, quite dead, and horribly
crushed ; John Simmons, a man who got on the engine
at Halglraw-moor, was found dead not far off, shockingly
disfigured.
The composite carriage, which mounted upon the tender,
was found to be scarcely injured. In one end compart-
ment (second-class), there were five or six persons, who
were uninjured beyond the severe shaking. The centre
compartment contained two ladies, Mrs. and Miss Sofiani,
wife and daughter of Mr. A. Sofiani, a Greek mer-
chant, in Booth-street, Manchester, and Mr. Constan-
tine Carati, of Glasgow, also a Greek merchant, a friend
of Mr. Sofiani's. The ladies were much bruised and cut
about the head, but were not more seriously injured.
Both Mr. Carati's legs were broken a little below the
knee; The compartment itself was not much injured.
The next, a second-class, forming the other end was
much more damaged. The first-class carriage was a
complete wreck ; of the frame scarcely a foot remained
intact, and when the men went to clear it away they
coul do no more than throw the pieces into a heap. In
this carriage were Mr. G. F. Barbour, of the Grange,
Edinburgh ; Mrs. Barbour ; their three children, one
about eight years, another five, and an infant in arms ;
Betsey Macartney, nurse, and Ellen Hogg, lady's maid.
The second son was killed, the
,injuries on the head
appearing to have caused instantaneous death. Mr.
Barbour was very much hurt, and was insensible for a
couple of hours, from a slight concussion of the brain
and other injuries. Mrs. Barbour was also rendered
insensible from the shock, and when she recovered she
found herself lying across the rails. Fearing some
greater mishap if she continued there, she crawled with
great difficulty to the side of the line, and found her
unfortunate child dead. She remained lying there per-
fectly sensible, but unable to rise, from about six o'clock
until nearly eight, when she was removed to Manches-
ter, and it was found that she had fractured her collar-
bone. The eldest boy was taken up insensible, but not
dead, and it was subsequently found that he was severely
scalded on the lower extremities. Ellen Hogg, the lady's
maid, escaped with a slight contusion of the spine.
Betsy Macartney sustained a compound dislocation of
the ancle joint, and when she reached the Manchester
Royal Infirmary it was necessary to amputate the end
of the bone before it could be returned to its place. The
preservation of the infant she had in charge was almost
miraculous. It was found by a passenger, lying in a
ditch by the side of the rails, and was given by him to a
woman, who took it to her cottage, undressed, and
warmed and fed it ; the unhappy parents not knowing,
for a length of time, what had become of it.
Mrs. Horrocks, wife of Mr. Horrocks, of Middleton-
ball, drysalter, also sustained a compound dislocation of
the left ancle, and the bone had to be cut before it was
reduced. Mr. Vincent Martin, of St. Austell, in Corn-
wall, a traveller, who had just finished his north journey
and got in at ffalshaw Moor on his return home, had
his right arm fractured, two ribs broken, and his right
hand lacerated. Mr. Robert Fitton, cotton-spinner, of
Shaw, near Oldham, sustained a fracture of the leg, and
internal injuries. Mr. Henry Kay, of Prestwich, a
salesman, had his left thigh fractured ; and Mr. Henry
Pugh, shoemaker,. of Bexley-street, Salford, had both
bones of his left leg fractured.
As the unfortunate sufferers were taken out of the
carriages, they were laid upon the wet banks, on some
parts of which snow still remained ; but the cushions of
the first-class carriages were made into beds for them
eventually. About half-past seven o'clock Mr. Black-
more, superintendent of that division of the line, Mr.
Thirst, the locomotive superintendent, and Mr. Ayles-
bury, master of the Oldfield-lane station, reached the
spot with a special train, and instant arrangements were
made for removing the sufferers to Manchester. The
task of removal from the carriages was a dreadful one,
owing to the difficulties of getting the sufferers out, but
it was effected with as much care and gentleness as could
be shown. It was not until Saturday afternoon that
the debris had been removed and the line restored.
There are two hypotheses as to the cause of this fright-
ful accident ; one, that the engine went off the line be-
cause the speed was too high ; to this the .Passengers
adhere ; the other, held by the company's officials, that
the axletree of the engine broke.

STATE OF TRADE.

(From the Manchester Guardian of Saturday.)

MANCHESTER, MARCH 4.—The Liverpool market is but
• little affected by the enlarging prospects for the supply of
the raw material. Below good middling the buyer has
an advantage of nearly -Id. per lb. as compared with: this
day week, but scarcely so in any quality above middling.
In our market, the effect is an increase of caution on
the part of buyers, with a further tendency to lower
prices in goods at large, and in mule and water twist
of the medium and lower counts. Warps and cops have
yielded more than bundles. But such spinnings as'suit
the Bradford trade remain quite firm ; and those
into which sea islands cotton enters are rather dearer.
The arrival of the overland mail, with advices showing
some decline in prices at Bombay, Calcutta, Shanghae,
and Canton, has exercised a somewhat unfavourable in-
fluence upon business, yesterday and to-day ; and 40-inch
shirtings may now be had at a concession ofat least W.
to 6d. per piece from the late highest rates. In Most
other goods the bias is somewhat in favour of buyers.
The Liverpool market has proved much steadier than
either the spinners or the Manchester merchants antici-
pated. Yarns have receded much more than the raw
material; so that the position of this branch of trade is
decidedly changed for the worse. The general expecta-
tion, however, is, that the weight of supply must occa-
sion a gradual subsidence in the value of cotton.
GLASGOW, MARCH 4.—Our cotton market has been
very quiet during the past week, and prices are a shade
10wer.... Holders appear rather more anxious to sell. t
on"P°", MARCH 3.—W00l —The transactions
thrtsn ghout the week have been limited, the prices sought
acting
a barriersaviiththe to business, the spinners having an-
ticipated, great dullness that has existed, a cor-
responding decline
in the market een in
prices. But so dear has the stock
generally bought (and no ease
can be had now from the growers), that there isd no
ispositien
the to scell,eurrenxtcePt at rates bearing no propor-
on with
sales of colonial and Lice for yarns. The closing
,
by
greaftalr at Bristol yesterday
were both marked
at prices 'far
too high for their destinationzarfnness_s'
There is rather
• an improved demand for
the spool ; the feeling is owns
at
sinlqal, and it is not
for Lancashire, on
rates to last
improbable, had prices ruled
steady,
extended.
season, that the consumption would baverb
The demand for this market continues
tmh ee feelinga
are more willing tc, buy than
the
buyers for shipping
the
were two or three weeks ago, no doubt from
that there is no chance for yarns being
anry cheaper. The contracts made for
Yarns to-day l
certainly not more favourable to the
buyer, I,TiL
e
any change will most assuredly be upwards.
Pieces.—'The fact of an advance taking place on the
Ist of March with the dyers, has caused the month just
' closed to he more active than many of its predecessors,
and large deliveries have been made to the merchants.
The stocks on hand are by no means heavy, and if we
have the usual briskness of spring, considerably higher
prices must follow.—Bradford Observer.
NOTTINGHAM, MARCH 3 —The lace trade is not by
any means in so brisk a state as we anticipated it would
be this month, yet there is time for a considerable im-
provement to develop itself, especially in the fancy de-
partment, as an improved style of design is constantly
41, being produced. Although orders for hosiery goods are
not quite so numerous as they have been, there continues
to be a fair amount of business doing.—Nottingkam
Journal.
LEICESTER, M
. . ARCH 3.--There has been no variation
in the demand for manufactured goods this week.
Wyarnorsstefrdom aspimlers have been compelled to raise their
frequent halfpenny to a penny per lb., and these
appo,rancm advancesi Cause great caution, though from all
prices, wools bell: not likely to remain long at these
Thegvery difficult to purchase even at the
higher rates.colonial wool sales have terminated,.
•