The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-02 00:00:00

RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Stit,—To venture to give an opinion as to the precise
cause of the most lamentable, and too frequently called
" unaccountable " railway accidents, which have so re-
cently come under the public notice, would seem to be a
task that would involve considerable difficulty, as the
testimonies, adduced, and great attention paid by the
most eminent engineers, seem materially to confirm t
on
fact that great negligence and mismanagement exist on
the part of railway authorities.
From evidence given, and the essential service most
willingly rendered by the press (whose voice is always so
instrumental in these searching inquiries), the public
would naturally infer that the most stringent measures
would be instituted by directors themselves to insure the
public safety, for otherwise, in truth, they have no will
of their own in such matters—they are utterly destitute
of all control, and totally incapable of providing the re-
quisite means ; consequently, having no power of them-
selves to help themselves, these " far-reached intellects,"
instead of directing merely sanction their engineer's pro-
positions, who, on his part, will see that the necessary
orders are rigorously enforced, and thanks the Board for
its valuable suggestions. What, then, is the result ? A.
superficial remedy on such occasions is immediately re-
sorted to ; precautions are taken professing to counter-
act existing evils, which in reality have never been dis-
covered. If they had, why so many conflicting opinions ?
Engineers and servants under their employers tender
evidence so obscure and abstruse that the public are led
to suppose it arises more from a fear of their directors
than from love to their fellow-creatures ; it thus seems
they are actually encouraged in this unwarrantable sys-
tem in baffling every effort to discover truth. This may
be substantially correct ; for, from a statement made by
one of the plate-layers, at the recent examination at
Manchester, the witness would have reluctantly with-
held certain particulars from fear of being dismissed ;
the substance of which, however, was, that there were
only two persons, and in some instances only one, per
mile for the repairs of the permanent way.
Lord Harrowby justly remarked that one great cause
why railway accidents were so numerous, was chiefly
owing to "excessive economy on the part of the com-
panies." Thus the lives of passengers are to be endan-
gered through the gross neglect and imprudence of these
specimens of ability. Is it because the railways are not
in so prosperous a condition ? If so, I beg to state that
whether they are or not,a large number of labourers ought
to be appointed to maintain in order that part of the
permanent way which is curved.
The accident which occurred only last year on the
Kirkham curve, on the York and Scarborough line,
which resulted in the express running off the line, would
probably not have happened if an efficient staff had been
employed ; in fact, it seems to be a general rule amongst
engineers to employ the same number of men per mile
irrespective of the curvature of the way.
Again, another cause proves the inattention of railway
directors. Lord Malmesbury makes mention of the
complaints brought forward by Mr. Spence relative to
the dangerous state of the bridge on the North Shields
Railway. The result was an accident only eleven days
after that negotiation took place. Probably if Mr.
Spence had been residing near the Whitby Railway, he
could have foretold the unsafe state of the bridge, which
was totally swept away during the floods of last year.
In 1847, the Dee Bridge over the Chester and Holy-
head Railway (an iron structure) gave way, when a
frightful loss of life ensued. The bridge over the Ouse
on the Scarborough line is similar in construction, but
the officials, happily, in this instance, took the neces-
sary precautions, by having its defects rectified, or, pro-
bably, it would have shared the fate of its predecessor ;
for, in their construction, no attention was paid to sta-
tical pressure and impact ; in fact, previous to the ma-
thematical investigation which subsequently took place,
their construction seemed to be regarded more as an expe
riment than as a means of conveying our fellow-creatures,
While the repairs at this bridge were in progress, through
engineering negligence it seems no attention was paid
to the two bridges between the Hutton and Malton sta-
tions, on the same line. These bridges, the first from
Malton, are subject to considerable deflexion, especially
when engines of a heavy construction pass over tkem ;
they will no doubt be considered to be in an efficient
state of repair until the engine drivers dare prove to the
contrary, without the danger of dismissal.
In the House of Lords, on the 15th ult., their Lord-
ships appeared to be unanimous in their opinion, that,
should Government resolve to take the responsibility
from the railway companies, it would be transferring
the burden from those who were capable of carrying out
a judicious system of management to those who were
not. They certainly could not make the present system
worse than it is, for by enforcing the various companies
to appoint an inspector at every terminus, to examine
the arrival and departure of all trains, the claims of the
public would be satisfied, their Jives ensured, besides a
source of gratification to think that Government had so
readily interposed. Moreover, by increasing the staff
of labourers at certain points. and by authorising the
engine drivers and others connected with the trains to
notify to their engineer should any irregularity occur,.
these means being strictly adhered to, the high speeds
might still be maintained without any visible increase in
the expenditure ; on the contrary, a mutual benefit would
accrue both to the proprietors themselves and the public
at large.
By calling your attention to these statements, your
readers will be made fully aware of the present system
of management, the continuance of which will be fraught
with the utmost peril.—l am, Sir, yours obediently,
ROBERT CHAMPLEYS.
Scarborough, March 22d, 1853.

ANNUAL DINNER IN AID OF THE WESTERN
JEWS' FREE SCHOOLS.

The annual dinner in aid of the funds of this merito-
rious charity was held on Wednesday, at Willis's Rooms,
when about 120 gentlemen, chiefly of the Jewish per-
suasion, sat down to an excellent dinner. The objects
which this institution has in view are the care and edu-
cation of Jewish orphans, who receive an excellent prac-
tical education, and are subsequently apprenticed to
useful trades. There are two schools, one for girls and
one for boys, the former being considered the more an-

cient foundation. The boys' school was founded in 1816,
and since that time has educated an average of 70 boys,
having, as is the case in most of the Jewish schools, a
Hebrew and an English master. The girls' school was
established in 1846, and has maintained since its foun-
dation an average of 60 pupils. Both boys and girls
were marched round the room after dinner on Wednesday
evening, and were much admired for their intelligent
and orderly deportment. The chair was taken by Mr.
Alderman Salomons, who, on the removal of the cloth,
proceeded to give the customary loyal toasts. The
health of the Queen was enthusiastically received, after
which the National Anthem was sung, a young Jewish
lady, Miss Marian Taylor, eliciting general applause by
her manner of singing the solos. An occasional ode, in
Hebrew, composed by the Rev. M. B. Levy, was re-
cited by one of the boys, and subsequently a copy of
verses, by one of the female pupils. After these preli-
minaries,

The CHAIRMAN proceeded to give " Success to the
Western Jews' Free schools." In doing so, he called
attention to the important fact, that nothing was so
important a consideration in every civilised country
as the case of the destitute poor, and the more
civilised the country, the greater was the amount
of solicitude evinced on the subject. In furtherance
of that object, they met there for the first time
round the social board to strengthen, by their pre-
sence, the cause of the Western Jewish Free Schools.

(Cheers.) The worthy Alderman having given the de-
tails respecting the schools (which we have mentioned
above), proceeded to remind the meeting of the contrast
there was exhibited between the past and present con-
dition of the Jewish nation. The prejudice and tyranny
of the dark ages had driven them to Holland and to
England, where, although they had found shelter, they
were still obliged to live in one neighbourhood, for
mutual counsel, for consolation, and, it might be, for
defence. (Cheers.) During the greatest part of the
last century they had been confined within the city of
London, and even there they did not enjoy the ordinary
privileges of citizenship, nor were they allowed to learn
handicraft trades, because the trades of the city of London
were then all close corporations and admitted none to their
privileges except members of the Established Church.
Even dissenters were excluded, and what chance had the
Jews ? (Hear.) How different and how much better
was the position of the Jews at the present moment
(Loud cheers.) Jews held office all over the country,
and he was on the present.occasion supported by several
members of the corporation of the city of London. It
behoved the Jews to show that they were worthy of
their improved circumstances, and they could not do that
• better than by attending to the charities of their respec-
tive districts. There was now a large Jewish population
in the western districts of London, and he trusted the
poorer members would not be neglected. The Legisla-
ture had long turned a deaf ear to the educational
wants of the people, but at last they had attended
to the prayer of the Jews, whose schools were
now assisted by a portion of the Parliamentary grant.
This was a great encouragement, and he hoped would
induce those who heard him to !perform their duty
more efficiently, as it is well known that the schools
of the western districts were insufficient for the purpose
intended. Much, however, had been done, and among
the most zearous of the supporters of the schools, he was
proud to reckon the Baroness Rothschild. (Cheers.) It
was a trite subject to dilate upon the value of education,
but he believed that, after all, there was nothing that
would prove so permanently useful. A traveller who
had seen the magic celerity with which the Americans
regularly rebuilt San Francisco after its weekly confla-
gration, attributed all the energy and confidence of our
transatlantic brethren to their early education, and the
completeness of their intellectual development. (Cheers.)
lie believed there was something in that, and he hoped
it would form an additional argument to induce the com-
pany to support an institution with which education was
the great if not the sole object. (Cheers.)
The SECRETARY then read the list of subscriptions, and
a collection was made, the total amount of both being
nearly 5001.
The CHAIRMAN next gave the health of the Chief
Rabbi, the Rev. Dr. Adler, with a high eulogium on
that gentleman's piety and scholastic attainments.
The CHIEF RABBI returned thanks.
Mr. C. PEARSON gave the health of the Chairman,
humorously reminding him that forty years before they
had both, as boys, met at Mr. Richardson's shop, and
prophesied the great advances in toleration which had
since come to pass. Having sketched the exertions of
the chairman in promotion of the great cause of Jewish
- emancipation, Mr. Pearson concluded by again propos-
ing his health to the company.
The CHAIRMAN having returned thanks, the remaining
toasts were disposed of, and the company separated.
We are requested to state that the dinner was pre-
pared by Messrs, J. Myers and eon.