The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-06 00:00:00

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FATAL ACCIDENT on the NORTH:

WESTERN RAILWAY.

A melancholy accident, attended with the loss of two
lives, took place yesterday at the King's Langley station
of the North-Western Railway, 21 miles from London-
A waggon train, laden with coals, from the midland
counties, was on its way up the line, and had stopped at
the King's Langley station about one o'clock en Tuesday
morning, to leave some of the wacons. While the
latter were being "shunted" a luggage train, from
Birmingham, was heard approaching. The danger
lamp at the station was duly displayed, and the tail
lamp and side lights of the last waggon, or " break," as
it is called, of the coal train were also properly affixed.
The night was extremely foggy, and the policeman on
duty at the King's Langley station supposing, from the
undiminished speed of the advancing goods train, that
the engine-drivers had not seen the lights, ran
down the line and waved his lantern. These
signals were seen when about 50 yards olf by
the engine-driver and stoker of the first locomotive, or
"pilot-engine" (No. le) of the gocds train, who, per-
ceiving that a collision was inevitable, hastily shut oil the

steam, sounded the steam whistle as a warning to the
driver and stoker of the second locomotive (No. 113),
and saved their own lives by jumping off. A tremendous
collision took place almost instantly afterwards. The
luggage train, with all the impetus imp:l.:led to it by a
speed of 1.3 miles an hour and the weighi of 20 or 30
carriages, ran into the coal waggons, smashed the break,
and other waggons, and strewed large heaps of coals
upon and about the line. The locomotive and tender of
the pilot engine became a shapeless mass from the force
of the collision. The men who lost their lives were the
engine-driver and stoker of the second locomotive. From
the position in which their disfigured remains were
found, it appeared that they must have been sitting
down, one on each side of the engine, and it is also con-
jectured, that worn out by.fatigue, they were probably
both a sleep. Before they could have been apprised of
their danger by the crash, the tender behind them,
by the prodigious momentum of the weight of the
train, was lifted up and driven into the part of the
engine where they sat. The unhappy men were
crushed beneath the superincumbont mass, and in this
helpless position they were miserably scalded and burnt
by the steam and fire of the boilers and furnace. Escape
was impossible. The steam rushing cut on all sides
with an immense noise prevented any one from coming
near the sufferers ; and, with limbs mutilated and
mangled under the tender, the poor fellowe could do no-
thing for their own relief. About en hour or an hour
ands .htlf elapsed before they could be rescued from
thtif flightfat positiew; 'by..whieb t;etre their . features
could scarcely be roe ;raised, so blackened and charred
were they from the eihcis of the fire, &c. The driver
and stoker of the pilot-engine were but little injured.
The York mail train, which was due at King's Lang-
ley about a quarter to four A. 8.1„ and the Liverpool mail
train, due at a quarter past four A.m., were in conse-
quence of this accident delayed at Bexmoor until thirty
minutes after seven, when, the down line having
been cleared of the debris of the broken carriages,
Ste., these trains proceeded up this line es far as
Watford. The early morning trains leaving London at
thirty minutes after six ('clock, seven o'clock, thirty
minutes alter seven o'clock, and thirty minutes after
eight o'clock, were also detained for a considerable
period. Mr. Miller, the station-tnaster at King's Lang-
ley, lost no time after the accident in repairing to Wat-

ford for assisti-, ace, and a number of bands having been
obtained, and the greatest energy displayed, b3:11 lines
were cleared about ten o'clock, and the trains ran as
usual without interruption. The names of the men were
William Alsop and Mather.
The bodies were removed to the village of King's
Langley, where an inquest was to be held this morning
(Wednesday), at eleven o'clock. The attention of the
coroner's jury, so far as the railway company are con-
cerned, will, we imagine, be mainly directed to two
points; firstly, whether the engine-drivers of the luggage
train were duly apprised' at Rugby that a coal-waggon
train was before them on the line; and, secondly, whether
a sufficient forco was employed at Langley to "shunt"
the coal-waggons- without unnecessary and dangerous
delay.

The proximate cause of the accident appears to have
been the fog, which prevented the engine-driver, from
seeing the ramp signals. It is worthy of the considera-
tion of the directors whether, on occasions like the
present, when the policemen hear the approach of a
train under circumstances which render the ordinary
signals of danger valueless, they might not introduce
with advantage the detonating fog signals, which explode
with the noise of a cannon, and may be heard at a gr9at
distance,

Since writing the above, we have received a commu-
nication from an official source, which states that the
accident " could not have occurred had the signals which
were given at the Boxinoor station and responded to by
the engineman of the leading engine of the goods' train
been properly attended to, and the printed regulations of
the company duly observed."