The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-06 00:00:00

COLLISION ON TEE MIDLAND RAIL WA Y.

On Tuesday evening a collision took place on the Am-
bergate branch of the above railway. It appears that
on the afternoon of Tuesday an engine had got off the
down line to Matlock, and help had been sent for from
Derby. An engire was speedily dispatched, conveying
several men to render asaistance. On their arrival,
however, it was thought they had not sufficient strength
among them to replace the engine, and a message was
sent to Derby for further aid. Another engine, convey-
ing 14 or 15 men, was immediately sent, and on these
arriving at Ambergate, the engine was reversed, and it
ran towards Matlock, with the tender first. Before
this last assistance arrived, the men first sent had suc-
ceeded in getting the dislodged engine replaced on the
line ; and thinking the distance but short to Amber-
gate, they started to proceed thither on the line they
were on, instead of running a short distance in the op-
posite direction, and getting on to the up line by a
siding, which they could have done. The consequence
of this was, the two engines on arriving at a curve, came
into fearful collision, although the drivers shut off the
steam and reversed both engines immediately upon
coming in sight of each other. One of the men on
the tender jumped off before the engines came in con-
tact, but the others were scattered in all directions.
Many of them were seriously bruised on various parts of
their bodies, and others rendered insensible. Informa-
tion was immediately dispatched to the Ambergate sta-
tion, and thence a telegraphic message was sent to
Derby, for medical and other assistance. A few minutes
past 6 o'clock an engine was got ready, and Mr. Gis-
borne, the Midland Company's surgeon, Mr. Mills, and
other officials of the company, went off to the scene of
the accident. On arriving at Ambergate they found that
eight or ten of the injured men had already been sent
to Derby by another train ; and Mr. Gisborne proceeded
onwards and brought the remaining sufferers with him
to Derby. We hear that the following were received at
the Infirmary :—Edward Shepherd, with dislocation of
the shoulder, and various contusions on the body. Mi-
chael Barks (stoker to one of the engines), with exten-
sive laceration on the back part of the scalp and frac-
tured thigh. This man was insensible when taken up,
and continued so until 11 o'clock yesterday morning,
when he expired. Thomas Blackam, of Ambergate,
with contusions on various parts of his body, and knee
dislocated. The following were taken to the Infirmary:
—George Richmond, with contused knee ; William
Calladine, with fractured collarbone ; John Roberts,
scalp wound, and other bruises ; Thomas Tomlinson, cut
face, and bruised arm and knee ; John Jackson, gene-
ral contusions. Besides the above, Mr. Gisborne saw,
at their respective homes, the following sufferers :
Thomas Chambers, Liversage-street, with fractured jaw,
and extensive cut on the mouth and lips ; Samuel Kent,
Albion-street ; Smeeton (driver of one of the engines)
Canal-street ; Perry (driver), Carrington-street ; Riley
(driver), Railway-terrace ; and Bottom, Litchurch ; all
of whom had received injuries, but not of a serious
character. Mr. Redfern, of Arboretum-terrace, also
received injuries on the head and body, but was under
the care of his own medical attendant. We under-
stand the surviving sufferers are all doing well.