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

AMERICA.

SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY EVENING.
By the United States Mail Steam-ship Franklin,
James A. Wotton, commander, which touched off
Cowes this evening on her way to Havre, we have
dates from New York to the 24th ult. The Frank-
lin has about 100 passengers, 19 of whom are for
Havre, and on freight for France 1,700 barrels of
flour, and specie valued at 300,000 dols.
The Africa arrived out on the 22d ult.
The yellow fever continued to rage with great
virulence on the plantations, and in the various
towns of Louisiana, Mississippi, &c., but the epi-
demic was rapidly decreasing at New Orleans and
Mobile.
The accounts respecting the crops in Louisiana,
Texas, and the other Southern States, were very
favourable.
An immense and enthusiastic public meeting was
held at the Metropolitan-hall, New York, on the
22d ult., for the purpose of voting a testimonial to
Captain Ingraham, of the United States sloop-of-
war St. Louis, in appreciation of his gallant con-
duct in rescuing the Hungarian, Kossta, from the
Austrian frigate in Smyrna harbour. The hall was
densely crowded. French, Italian, German, Hun-
garian, Swiss, and Cuban exiles gathered in im-
mense numbers, marshalled under their respective
revolutionary banners. The speeches, delivered in
French, Spanish, German, and Slavonian, elicited
tremendous applause, and the demonstration was
of a most effective character.
Dates from Havannah to the 13th ult. announce
that, owing to the high price of freights, there were
no extensive operations in sugar, although the
article was in much demand.
Exchange on London was 111 to 11-i premium.
The Cunard screw steam-ship Andes arrived at
Boston, from Liverpool, on the 22d ult. On the
11th ult. she encountered a tremendous hurricane,
during which Mr. John Maxwell, the second mate,
was washed overboard and drowned, and Captain
Hutchins was so badly injured that he died the
same afternoon.
Telegraphic dispatches from Washington state
that General Almonte, the Mexican Minister, had
received intelligence of large discoveries of gold on
the Rio Mescala, which. is on the route of the
Mexican Ocean Mail and Inland Company. Thou-
sands of Mexicans were flocking thither.
Late news from New Mexico, via New Orleans,
states that five companies of United States' troops,
which left New York under General Garland, had
arrived at Santa Fe in good health. Governor
Mereweather had arrived out, and had been inau-
gurated.
A terrible encounter is reported to have taken
place in the mountains near El Paso between a
party of 14 Americans, and some 200 Apaches, in
which 11 of the Americans were killed. The
United States' Dragoons stationed near the spot
were too few in number to render any assistance
in repelling the Indians. The American Consul
at El Paso had asserted his belief that very little
resistance would be offered in the event of an at-
tack upon Mesilla Valley by General Garland and
his forces.
The last accounts from Texas deny the reports
of the hostile disposition and movements of the
Mexicans, and declare that more friendly feelings
never existed between the people of the two
countries.

Commodore Vanderbilt's steam-yacht the North
Star arrived at New York on the 23d from her
European trip. Since leaving New York the
North Star has steamed upwards of 15,000 miles,
and a full description of all the wonders Commo-
dore Vanderbilt saw and did in Europe during his
tour is published in ,the New York Herald in the
shape of a diary, which appears to have been kept
on board by some of the members of his pleasure
party. The Herald, in summing up the voyage,
says:--

1' Since the 26th of August the Commodore and his
friends touched at points of Asia, Africa, and Europe,
and when they landed in America they accomplished the
feat of visiting a part of the four quarters of the globe
in 26 days. During her absence the North Star
astonished John Bull, was admired by the Russian
Court, gazed at by the Sultan, and frightened the Pope,
which completes a series of incidents unequalled in the
history of even Yankee ships."
Telegraphic accounts from Washington of the
23d ult. state that the reply of the Cabinet to the
Austrian protest on the Kossta affair would be

published in a few days, and would fully come up
to public expectation. Mr. Marcy, it is said, has
long since taken occasion to communicate to the
United States' Minister in London the President's

views on Lord John Russell's dispatch relating to
Cuba. The position of the Administration is de-

tided, and does not differ materially from the views
propounded by Mr. Everett, the late Secretary.
The European news received at New York by the
Africa had depressed the stock market of that city.

A greater stringency of the money market was by
some expected. Bankers' bills on London, at 60
days, were firm at 1091. The importation of dry
goods for the week ending the 24th ult. was in
amount twice as much as during the corresponding
period of last year, and exceeded anything ever
known in the trade, both in extent and value. The
flour and grain markets had advanced in conse-

quence of the news per the Africa, with an active
demand. Barrel flour advanced 12-ic. to lBic. per
barrel, and wheat 2c. to 3c. per bushel ; corn was
held more firmly. Canadian flour steady ; Southern
flour better ; rye flour firm. Cotton without mate-
rial change, the middling and higher qualities being
'firmly held, while the lower qualities were more
freely offered. Scotch pig iron steady ; lead firm.
In provisions, pork rather firmer ; beef firm. In
wood rather more active. In freights, 40,000
bushels of wheat were taken to Liverpool at Bd. to

N. ; to Glasgow, at 90. A British ship was also
taken up for Fahnouth, and orders, at 13d. for

wheat.

FREE PASSAGES TO AMERICA.—On the occasion of the
last performance of Mr. Henry Russell's entertainment
at the Lyceum Theatre, on Saturday night, he came
forward after the conclusion of the first part, and in-
formed the house, which was crowded to excess in every
part, even to the passages and lobbies, that it was his
intention, although it had not been publicly announced,
to make them a little present, as some acknovi-ledgme_,
n.t
for the great patronage bestowed on him, which should,
at the choice of the audience, be either one free passagel
to Australia or three free passages to America. d
the The
verdict having been given in favour of t
prizes were awarded to thefullsatisfaction of the audience.
at the close of the performance, to three working men
occupying seats in the pit and gallery, one of whom, a
carpenter, is at ; present at work at the new Crystal
Palace at Sydenham.

APPALLING RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

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 014 unhappy confidence
some persons who had (sot out of the carriages of the
passenger train re-enterede 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-
stantly 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 Caine 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 piace ; 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 lat once shouted out—' 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 the
frightful calamity. I asked him, was he hurt ? He re-
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 beblown 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 el 'so to the
rails, as if he bad 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 ! 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
bodies of
been first
struck by the engine, and there we's:: thewaist . They
two ladies, apparently cut in two a
t
were so jammed in that we
could not get at them.
another lady, whose dress
Near them was the body
only we could see,
she wasbruised at
me. He was about
eight years old. in the ruins. The
cries of a little boy then attracted
lying under the axletrea of a
carriage, which had .vasbrols.en both hii little legs, and was
lying across them. With great difficulty we got him
out by raising the
brietowtiitll; atwcorolay.d-bieas o
r. I then re-
turned with more P
hands was
jammed, and w e 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, which had been shot on
by the collision past Straffan station. He had escaped
unhurt, and bad rendered every assistance to the pas-1
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 1 jherl
walked on to Straffan, thinking we had seen 'all- tne,
damage, and not knowing about the two carriages 'that
had been shot away. At the station we found a bil'
Roe, who had escaped in one of those carriages, 3"'
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 ins
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. •"'
priest was hearing the confession of another, who
evidently had very few moments left him in Or
world. The dead bodies were removed from the
room. Mrs. Barrington was lying in another roan
in the station very badly hurt I heard. "
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, lvb°
was very badly hurt, had been sent by Sir Edward gene
nedy, on his own car, to some hospital in the neigh'
bourhood. There was a medical gentleman present
was doing all in his power to alleviate the sufferings
the wounded. I believe there were several medical_s,(Tes'
tlemen, but lam not sure of more than one. The 1-ins'
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 s
the accident at the station. He at once threw up 11,`„
,
passage, quitted the down train, and set to work. to
the sufferers in a most extraordinary manner. Sec'
ci
vigour and kindness and gentleness as he exhibited COwe
not be surpassed. A train was got ready about 14,11*
past 10 o'clock, and by it I came to town. We arrive'
at the King's-bridge terminus about 12 o'clock. Neither
the driver nor stoker of the cattle train was injured."