The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-28 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.
A CHAPTER OF AMERICAN RAILWAY
ACCIDENTS.
We cannot better follow up our sketch of transatlantic
railway progress than with some samples of accidents on
American lines. In these accident epidemic days at home
they will be read with interest, though, of course, the catas-
trophes are only a tithe of what occur over the vast extent
of rail in the new world, where they du not at present appear
to be familiar with official returns of killed or wounded,
or the forms of judicial inquiry by coroners and Govern-
ment Commissioners. The information will, however,
suffice for any one who may be bent on the curious dis-
covery as to " whether they do these things better in
the States." The first ensample will readily be recog-
nised by the terrible resemblance that it bears to the
late lamentable accident on the bridge over the Dee.
On Sunday night week, when the mail train on the
Petersburgh Railroad was within a mile and a half of
Weldom, N.C., some of the props of a bridge over which
it was passing gave way. The engine and tender cleared
the brid.;e, but the mail and passenger cars went down,
and were much injured. The passengers themselves re-

ceived no material injury.
The second we have to give is the first to our know-
ledge yet occasioned by the electric telegraph, and is
altogether of a most extaordinary turn. The telegraph
wire at the Western Railway Depot at Charlton blew
down last night where it crosses the track, and the wire
caught on the engine of the down freight train, pulling
over one of the posts, and sweeping from the train three
brakemen. One was killed, one had his leg broken, but
the other was not injured. No damage was done to the
train.—Boston Ti ans.
As the Philadelphia train was entering Elizabethtown
last evening, at half past eight o'clock, a light covered
waggon, containing Gideon Allen, of Scotch Plains,
and Ephraim Ryno, of Short Hills, on their way to
Elizabeth Port, was run down by, the locomotive. Mr.
Allen was killed immediately, and Mr. Ryno was taken
off the cow-eatcher, when the cars were stopped, in
about the distance of the length of the train. The
bell was rung before the waggon was perceived, and
the steam whistle was sounded in full force immediately
after, but the persons in the waggon did not tike
it for warning of the approach of cars, not knowing that
they were run on Sunday. Mr. Ryno insisted on being
taken home last evening, and, together with the corpse
of his companion, was sent back. The deceased was an
industrious man, a carpenter by trade, and was about
sixty years of age. He was a widower, and leaves
several children. Mr. Ryno, although considerably
bruised, is not dangerously injured. One of the horses
was killed, and the waggon broke into fragments.
The passenger train of cars from Boston ran into a
freight train that was waiting at Schodack for the pas-
senger train from Albany to pass, last evening, doing
considerable damage to the engine, and smashing one of
the freight cars. The fireman, in jumping from the ens
gine, struck upon his head and was seriously injured.
A melancholy accident happened as the train of cars
for Baltimore was turning the corner at Broad and
Market-streets. A worthy man, named John M'Peck,
attempted to get upon the train, intending to proceed to
New Castle, when he slipped and fell between the
wheels, and was dragged some distance before the
I
train could be stopped. He was dreadfully smashed,
causing his death half an hour after being removed
to ved
to the hospital. He was about 48 years of age,
has left a wife and six children at New Castle, where he
resided.
AN INF AMOII S OCTRAG E.—Some miscreant opened
the switch of the A. and R. Railroad, situated about
five miles east of Canandaigua, on Wednesday night,
and fastened it open. On one side was an embank-
ment of about thirty feet in height, and it was no
doubt the design of the scoundrel to throw the entire
train down this precipice. As the night train from the
west approached, the engine and tender ran off at the
end of the switch, ploughing its way Into the ground and
completely burying the wheels on one side. But for the
softness of the ground, the engine, tender and men upon
them, must inevitably have ben precipitated down the
bank ! By promptly propping the lower side of the
engine it was prevented, and the engine was got upon
the track again on Thursday afternoon.
Dr. Hitchcock. of Middleboroueh, Mass., and Mr.
M'Kennison, were so severely injured by collision on
the Fall River Railroad at Randolph depot, that both
died this evening. Mr. George H. Haven, conductor,
Worcester-road, was run over by the engine last evening,
and died to-day.
The Houratonic railroad train for Albany, on Wednes-
day, was run into near Great Barrington, by a freight
train. A car of the passenger train got off the track,
and while they were endeavouring to replace it, the
freight train came up. A boy, belonging to Great
Barrington, who was standing in front of th car which
was off the track, was thrown down by the collision of
the two trains, and so badly hurt that he died instantly.
No other persons were hurt. Two of the passenger
cars were somewhat damaged.
An engine on the Old Colony Railroad ran off the
track at South Hanson on Friday, and a man connected
with the road had his face badly scalded. On Friday
afternoon, as the train for Danvers from Salem was
backing up to that place, it ran off the track on the
causeway of the North river. Fortunately, the baggage
crate, being in the rear, fell over the bank bottom up,
and the passenger train ran partly off but rested on the
top of the crate. The train was full of passengers, and
it was a fortunate escape. The accident was caused by
a stone being on the track.
THE ACCIDENT CoMPENsATIoN PRINCIPLE OBTAINS
IN BOSTON DAMAGES FOR THE DEATH OF A PASSENGER-
-Dr. Alfred Hitchcock, of Ashby, brother of the late
Dr. Henry D. Hitchcock, of Middleboroueh, who was
killed on the 23d of February last, by a collision of cars
on the Fall River Railroad, has made an adjustment of
the claims of the widow and heirs against said company.
The company through their treasurer, David Anthony,
Esq., of Fall River, have paid to the legal claimants the
sum of 54,500. and have received a discharge from any
further liability.
EXTRA STEAM.—Some weeke since, a western cor-
respondent, discussing the probable causes of several
recent disastrous railroad collisions, stated that a con-
ductor on the Tonawanda Railroad was accustomed to
stop at a place between Attica and Buffalo and fire up
his own engine with a tumbler of brandy. It is not ne-
cessary to inform readers in the vicinity that the Tona-
wanda Railroad only extends from Rochester to Attica,
and consequently that our correspondent's remark could
not have justly applied to any of its conductors, who, of
course, stand wily vindicated in the premises. There is
special reason why men employed on railroads and
steamboats, but especially engineers and conductors,
should never taste intoxicating liquors, and we are glad
to hear that those on the Tonawanda resent the imputa-
tion that they have done so while on duty.
ENGINE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.—A short time since
an engine attached to a passenger train on the railroad
from Augusta to Atalanta, was struck by lightning.
The fluid passed along the cars and gave the passengers
a shock, but did no further mischief.
John Driscoll, an engineer on the Norwich railroad,
was killed at Grenville by the collision of two engines.
FOUR MILES OF FOREST FIRED BY A RAILWAY.—
The woods, about four miles on the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad, were on fire on Tuesday evening when the
Washington cars arrived, supposed to be fired by a spark,
and were burning before the stormy wind which was
blowing with great fierceness. It is apprehended much
damage may be done.
NEWCASTLE AND BERWlCH..—Yesterday, the anni-
versary of the battle of Waterloo, was appointed for the
opening:of this great national undertaking—now the last
connecting link in railway communication between the
metropolis of England and of Scotland. Since the open•
ing day was fixed, the directors have deemed it expe-
dient to defer it for a short period, and we understand
no public demonstration suited to the occasion will take
place until the whole of the magnificent viaducts now in
progress of construction are completed.—Newcastle
Guardian.
MR. BALN'S NEW SYSTEM OF TELEGRAPBIC COM•
eteretecaleoN.—Mr. Bain states that his present improve-
ments have for their first and main object to obviate the
waste of time which now attends the making and break.
ing of contact by means of electro-magnets, and the em-
ployment of needles to indicate the letters of the alphabet,
figures, &c. He describes various arrangements by which
this maybe effected, but they are all nearly similar in their
general features, at least so far as respects their elementary
principles, and the effects produced by them. To give a
distinct and clear view, however, of this specification,
we are forced to depart somewhat from the order in
which the various parts, &c., are described in the
original. Each complete system of arrangements con-
sists, of course, of a transmitting apparatus at one end of
a line, and a recipient apparatus at the other, with a con-
necting wire, or wires, between them. From the descrip-
tion given of Mr. Bain's invention, it will be seen that
the rapidity of communication by it is limited by two cir-
cumstances only—first, the time required to punch out the
holes in the roll of paper of the transmitting apparatus
before c.immitting it to (may we not say ?) the press;
and, second, the number of intermissions of the
electric current which can be effected in any given
time—one intermission being requisite for every letter,
or sign. Now, the time required for the first part of
the process must depend on the number of letters or
signs which it is in the physical power of a clever
hand to punch out in a given time, which can scarcely
exceed, on the average, 100 a minute; but the
passage of the electric fluid is so instantaneous (faster
than lightning) that we make no doubt from 500 to
4,000 intermissions in a minute may be readily effected
en the way proposed by Mr. Bain. Supposing, there-
fore, a communicationo to be once pursued out in paper,
paper t
and thebe committed to the transmitting ap-
paratus, it will require laut a few minutes to convey that
communication toaeydistance, however great, and that,
too, in as complete a state
as letter, dispatch,
circular, or pamphlet, is now any
e
practicability onveyed bodily
in
this by
post.
We foresee the perfect
way of all the leading articles of the Times news-
h thatr
news-
paper, (ex. gr.) being reprinted and republished in
Liverpool, or Edinburgh, simultaneously with their
publication in London ! It would only be necessary,
in order to effect this incomparable desideratum
-there should be placed by the side of each compositor a
:man with a set of punches and a roll of paper, to punch as
last as the other composed, and that when a column was
completed, it should be sent off to the Electric Telegraph
o.Rice, to be transmitted to Liverpool, Glasgow, or Edin-
bu,e;h, there to he rendered from the telegraphic charac-
ters into the ordinary characters of our mother tongue,
reprinted and republished. Has any other plan of elec-
tro-t elegraphic communication yet proposed offered ad-
vauta ges equal to this? We believe not. Suggestions,
point' ug to such a plan, have, we are aware, been thrown
out be fore now; but Mr. Bain has at all events, the un-
questionable merit of being the first to turn to practical
'account a principle which all other able men occupied
with the same subject have practically neglected.—
Mechanics' Magazine.

'THE ITINERARIUM, OR RAILWAY COMPASS.—The
biect of this invention is to insure more punctuality on
rrajwstys. It will at all times show to ;the engineer the
spe edt of the engine, the distance to the next station, and
the position on the line, which will be useful at