The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-21 00:00:00

THE LATE ACCIDENT ON THE

MANCHESTER AND LEEDS RAILWAY.
Sow ERDY-BRIDGE, SATURDAY EVENlNG.—Captain
Buistead, the indefatigable superintendent of the
Lancashire and Yorkshire line, has been most atten-
tive to the sufferers. He attended Captain Ellis to
Normanton after the accident, and forwarded him
and other passengers by special train to York. Cap-
tain Ellis's escape was miraculous. He is slightly
hurt in the back, and must certainly have lost his
life but for his presence of mind in clinging to the
carriage, and not attempting to jump out. Captain
Buistead had the melancholy duty to-day of sending
the remains of the unfortunate Mr. Weston to Lon-
don, accompanied by his afflicted nephew, Mr. Dixon.
Mr. Moon, Mr. 1V estop secretary, is so far re-
covered that he will be enabled to leave Yorkshire
for London to-morrow.
It is due to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Com-
pany to state that, although it is, in consequence of
its vast goods traffic and the great number of its
stations and branches, a most difficult line to work,
it has been remarkable for its admirable management.
The present, indeed, is the first fatal accident that
has occurred to any passenger since its opening in
1839—a period of eight years; and the present su-
perintendent, Captain Buistead, has conveyed nine
millions of passengers without the slightest injury to
one of them, until the present calamity. The latter
gentleman's unceasing devotion to his duties, his ad-
mirable arrangements of the signals, and general
management have indeed been long the theme of
public admiration.
We have succeeded in obtaining a copy of the
following document, addressed by Mr. Dixon to
Captain Buistead. It was obviously not intended for
publication, but it reflects so much honour on the
good feelings of the writer that we do not hesitate to
print it here
Royal Hotel, Sowerby-bridge, Sept. 18.
"Received of Captain Buistead, R.N., the under-
mentioned property found upon the person of Mr.
Weston. a '6 And in handing to Captain
Buistead this memorandum, I feel it my duty, as the
representative of Mr. Weston, to acknowledge his
most kind, active, and consoling attention, under cir-
cumstances of so distressing a nature.
" J. H. DIXON."
The inquest was held this afternoon, at the Royal
Hotel, Sowerby-bridge, before J. Dyson, Esq., Coro-
ner, and a highly respectable and intelligent jury.
Captain Buistead, R.N., the superintendent, Mr.
Hawkshaw, the engineer, and numerous other wit-
nesses, were called, and subjected to a severe exami-
nation. It was clearly shown from their statement,
that no blame whatever was attachable to the officers
of the company. The accident appeared to have been
caused by the breaking of a rail, and the consequent
oscillation of the coupe, which was the last carriage of
the train of seven carriages; that the train was under
the guidance of two guards and three breaks, which
were applied the moment the carriage was discovered
to be off the rails. The jury ultimately returned the
following special verdict :—" Verdict, Accidental
death.' The jury cannot separate without suggesting
the necessity of having a luggage or break van at-
tached to the end of each express train, as an addi-
tional security to the passenger carriages, and to ob-
viate the dangers arising from the great oscillation of
the last carriage; and they would also recommend
that some mode of communication should be adopted
between each carriage and the guard in charge, as the
fatal result of the present accident might have been
avoided if such had been the case."

NIGHT ASCENT Or MR. GALE'S BALLOON.—Last
night, at half past nine o'cln•ck, Mr. G. B. Gale made a
brilliant ascent in his new balloon, called the Prince of
Wales. Some difficulty having been obtained in getting
the balloon filled with gas at Cremorne Gardens, the
machine was taken to the gas works at Vauxhall-bridge,
and the same having been inflated it was towed by one
of the Citioen steamers to the gardens, and, at the above
time, Mr. Gale and Mr. Harry Coxwell entered the car,
and at a given signal the majestic machine left terra
firma and ruse high into the air. Upon gaining a cer-
tain hltitude Mr. Coxwell discharged, by means of a
fusee, a grand display of pyrotechnics, which, on this
occasion, excelled any former attempt, in consequence of
the introduction of a new wire gauge shield, the inven-
tion of Mr. Murtran, the artist to the gardens. Not-
withstanding the unfavourable state of the weather, the
gardens were well attended, and the banks of the river,
during the progress of the balloon to the place of enter-
tainment, were rendered nearly impassable, owing to the
immense crowd of people waiting to see the ascent. The
balloon appeared to proce, d in the direction of Croydon,
and, after remainina in sight a considerable period, the
brilliancy of the fireworks obscured the balloon from
further notice.

•