The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-01 00:00:00

ADDITIONAL PART' 'ULARS.

From the information we have been able to collect,
as to the cause of the accident which occurred on this
railway on Tuesday morning, we have gathered that
the luggage train consisted of thirty trucks, ten of
which were empty, and were put on at the Cowlairs
station; they were under the charge of two breaks-
men and a guard. When at the Cowlairs station,
through the negligence of some parties, the loaded
trucks were not coupled to the empty ones which
were in the front. The breaks, four in number, con-
sequently started without the loaded carriages ; but,
unfortunately, the latter being on the incline, began
to move after the others, and as they progressed they
acquired at every moment additional velocity, and
eventually overtook the empty trucks in the tunnel,
when a violent collision ensued—the empty trucks
being forced onward at a rapid rate, and all the efforts
of the breaksmen were unable to control or to check
the impetus which the train had received. The breaks-
men and guard were thus hurried onward with fear-
ful rapidity, with scarcely a chance of escape ; but,
about the entrance of the tunnel, two of the men,
William Duncan and William Wylie, succeeded in
leaping from the train, and thus fortunately escaped
the melancholy fate of their companion, James Mac-
arthur, who delayed to jump off until too late, the
trucks being forced through the gable of the store-
house ere he left the break, and consequently he was
overwhelmed in the falling ruins. The collision in
the tunnel was of such a violent nature that the
breaksmen and guard were nearly thrown from the
train ; and Duncan, who was much injured, attributes
the greater part of his injuries to the violence with
which he was thrown against the break. Another
account which we heard was, that the deceased, James
Macarthur, had the charge of the train, and that he
refused to take on some extra carriages at Cowlairs,
but that after he started they were sentdown the in-
cline after him, and thus caused the accident. We, of
course, cannot say whether this is true or not; for,
although an investigation into the affair has been
commenced by the directors, we were. unable to get
any information from the officials connected with the
railway ; but we suppose the result of the investiga-
tion will be made public as soon as it is closed. In
the account given yesterday morning we stated, on
the information we received, that there were four or
five persons on the train, and that two of them were
missing, but we are glad to find that there were, only
three persons 011 the train ; one of them, Macarthur,
being killed as stated above, Duncan, who was so
severely injured as to be obliged to be removed to the
Infirmary, and Wylie, the guard, who escaped with-
out any serious injury. Duncan, who still remains at
the Infirmary, though severely bruised, is, we are happy
to state, in no danger. The body of the unfortunate
man Macarthur was dug out of the ruins abous six
o'clock yesterday morning, and the immediate cause
of death appeared to have been a severe contusion on
the forehead, apparently caused by a beam falling on
his head. It is to be hoped that the affair will un-
dergo a searching investigation, for it is quite evi-
dent, from the facts, that there was great culpable
neglect on the part of some person at the Cowlairs
station in omitting to couple the carriages together,
for had that been done, the melancholy accident
would not have occurred.—North British Mail of
Wednesday.