The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-17 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER

RAILWAY.

An accident of a serious nature occurred to the
train from the north which should have arrived at
Liverpool at 46 minutes past five last night. We are
furnished with the following particulars by the re-
porter of a local print, who was in the train, having
left Wigan by it at ten minutes to four o'clock :
The train would be that which left Carlisle at half-
past eleven. The train proceeded with perfect safety
till it arrived within a short distance of Huyton
Quarry station, when the passengers were alarmed
by the shrill and continuous sound of the whistle,
immediately succeeded by a loud crash and a sudden
jerk, which had the effect of throwing the passengers
forward in their seats with great force, and it was at
once apparent that something very serious had hap-
pened in the forepart of the train. The passengers
issued out of the carriages in the greatest consterna-
tion, and almost immediately, another train
appearing in sight behind, a cry was raised of " The
express, the express —it is running into us!" To
describe the excitement at this moment would be
utterly impossibly, and the people, some with their
luggage, and others reckless of anything except life
and safety, ran down the steep embankment, and fell
with great violence over the wall at the bottom,
whilst others jumped into the field beneath. However,
the approaching train proved to be a goods train from
Manchester, and, having been duly signalled, was
stopped in time to prevent a further collision. When
the excitement had somewhat subsided, it was ascer-
tained that the engine of the passenger train had
come in contact with a portion of a luggage train,
which had become detached going down the Whiston
incline, the fore part of the latter train having pro-
cecded towards Huyton. The guard on the end
van of the luggage train that had become detached
had perceived his danger, applied the breaks and
signalled ; and he had only just time to jump off
when a collision took place, the engine of the
passenger train running into the van, which
was reared up in the air, and with two or
three of the trucks shattered to pieces. The
engine which was thrown off the line was very much
injured, and also the luggage van next to it, the
chimney of the former being broken off. The breaks
had been applied on the engine, and by the guard,
but did not take effect, in consequence of the wet state
of the rails, it raining very hard at the time. The
men maintained their position, sustaining only slight
injury. Most of the passengers, particularly those
in the second and third- class carriages at the back of the
train, were very much bruised and stunned, and some
of them sustained severe cuts. Trains from Man-
chester and the north followed on the same line,
but were stopped in time to prevent further acci-
dent. They were aftewards taken back with the
luggage train to Rainhill, where they were shunted
on to the other line, and conveyed to Huyton,
to be again shunted and taken on the proper
line to Liverpool. In the meantime the passenger
train which had met with the accident remained
stationary, the rain pouring in torrents, and ever and
anon there was a vivid flash of lightning, adding '
fresh terror to the awful state of suspense in which
the passengers were kept. A number of miners from
the adjacent colliery, belonging to Mr. Willis; congre-
gated on the line, and with their torches rendered
considerable assistance ; but it was nine o'clock before
the train could be removed, and then it had to be
taken to Rainhill to be shunted and taken to Liver-
pool, part on one line and part on the other. Much
complaint was made that the passengers were kept
waiting at the scene of the accident, without any
apparent effort being made to convey them to their
destination ; but every allowance should be made
under such circumstances, and the parties concerned
have to congratulate themselves that the accident,
though serious, was no worse.—Liverpool Times of
Tnursday.