The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-03 00:00:00

THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT AT

CHESTER,

CHESTER, MONDAY MORNING.—Since our last report
a strict inquiry has been instituted by Captain Sim-
mons, the Government Inspector-General of Railways,
into the circumstances attending the falling of the
bridge, and the shocking catastrophe that followed. The
gallant officer was assisted by Mr. Robert Stephenson,
the engineer of the Chester and and Holyhead Rail-
way, who planned the bridge ; Captain C. W. A.
Moorsom ; Mr. Lee, the resident engineer ; Mr. W. R.
Collett, M.P., the chairman ; Mr. King, the Secretary ;
Mr. Tyrell, the solicitor ; and several of the directors.
The first objects that came under inspection were the
girder that had given way, and the masonry of the piers
and abutments. The bridge across the river by the
race-course or Roode, its length being about three
hundred feet, supported by two stone piers in the centre
of the stream, and nearly thirty feet in height at low
water. The abutments were built upon piles of great
strength, and the piers were formed on hard blue clay, a
coffer-dam having previously been made. The iron
girders that support the permanent way are ninety-
eight feet long, each consisting of three pieces, having
vertical flanges with bolts at the joists, and otherwise
strongly secured. There are many bridges of a similar
description on the Trent Valley, Blackwall, Great
Western, and other railways.
The masonry was minutely examined, and, from the
observations that fell from Captain Simmons, it is in-
ferred that, in his report to the Board of Trade of the
disaster, he will not attribute the accident to its defec-
tive state, or state that the, girder broke down from any
undulatory motion produced by the passing trains.
The girder that gave way, the outsir e one of the down
line, underwent a strict scrutiny. It was in three parts.
The portion that had rested on the Salteney or Welsn
side of the Dee, was torn from the masonry of the
abutment, and was lying partly in the mud and water,
buried by the falling stones and rails, &c., while about
50 feet of the remainder was still hanging from the
masonry of the pier buttress. The fractures w,-re in the
sound metal, and exhibited no appearances of having
originated from any flaw or defect in the casting. One
of the fractures, it was considered, caused the bridge to
give way, and the other one was produced by the metal
falling on the ground, or some heavy substance striking
it in its descent. In other respects the girder was quite
sound.

Clayton, the driver of the engine attached to the train,
who had so extraordinary an escape, made the same
statement as he did before the Coroner, and persisted in
his original story, that the speed of the train in passing
over the bridge did not exceed 20 miles an hour.
Mr. Robert Stephenson expressed an opinion, not pub-
licly announced, that the train was travelling faster than
had been stated, and that the tender by some means got
off the rails, and on passing over the bridge struck the
girder a lateral blow and fractured it.
This, we believe, was the general opinion amongst
the many engineers and scientific gentlemen who were
present.
The Rev. Arthur Rigg, the Principal of Chester
Training College, has given a totally different opinion
as to the cause of the calamity. lle says there are
three causes for the accident; Ist, the defect in the ma-
sonry; 2d, the peculiar vibration, brought about by ac-
cidental circumstances; the bridge, although not a sus-
pension bridge, was a structure that would vibrate in
three ways—vertically, horizontally, and also with a
slight and almost inappreciable longitudinal motion;
3d, the horizontal vibrations from the centrifugal force
of the train passing over.
Major Thomas Congreve Robe, R.A., stationed at
Chester, believed the accident arose from the breaking
of the girder, and not from the giving way of the ma-
sonry.
The board of directors have come to the conclusion
that no precaution or engineering skill could have
Upon inquiryinfirmary this morning, we were
informed that the condition of
several of the survivors
guar
was dvery
a gai
unfavourable.n st the
at theac d c accident.

It is rumoured that Major. General Wood, C. 8.,
formerly Lieutenant-Colonel of the 85th Light Infantry, or
Major• General Brown, KAI., will succeed the late Lieu-
tenant• General Sir Thomas Pearson, K. C. 11., in the colonelcy
of that regivaent—United Service Gazette.

THE HORRIBLE MURDER IN
MARYLEBONE.

(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)
William Crofton Meat, surgeon, Upper Berkeley-
street, Bryanstone- square—At half-past five o'clock this
morning I was called to the back kitchen of the house
No. 40, Adam-street West, and there saw the body of
an aged woman lying on her right side; one of her legs
was bent over her body, and her neck was 13 ing across a
fender. A small rope was passed six times round her
throat, but not tightly. There was a bruise under the
left jaw-bone. The body was quite cold, and the
muscles rigid; the hands were begrimed with ashes, and
the hair of the head was full of dust. A cap was lying
by the side of the deceased, under whose head was a
quantity of clotted blood, which had emanated from the
mouth and nostrils.'

Mr. Rawlinson—ln your opinion, sir, how long-,had
the deceased been dead before you were called in? OW
ness—l should think about eight hours.
Mr. Rawlinson—Can you form any opinion as to how
the death was caused? Witness—l have taken merely
a cursory view, and, so far as that extends, death ensued
from loss of blood. I have not as yet made any exami-
nation further than what I have mentioned.
Mary Anne Porter, wife of a constable of the D divi-
sion, said—l was called to search the prisoner, and I
found a great deal of blood upon her clothing; her bonnet
strings had also marks of blood upon them.
Mr. Rawlinson—Did anything more transpire respect-
i▪
ng the appearances you speak of? Witness—No; but,
in addition to what I have stated, there was blood upon
the prisoner's cloak.
Mr. Itawlinson—Did anything more pass? Witness
--While in the cell a ma❑ came to look at the prisoner,
and she said, " That is a son in-law of the old lady, and
there are some things in the bundles which I have given
the old lady ss. for."
Mr. Mills, 3, George-place, Carnaby-street, St.
James's, said—l am porter to Mr. Barker, 170, Regent-
street, and son-in-law of deceased. I dined with her on
Sunday last, and have not seen her since. The prisoner,
who is a servant out of place, had been lodging with her
11 weeks, and a fortnight ago she received notice to
quit, but she refused to do so. Last Sunday morning
my mother (deceased) told her she was grieved at
nut being able to get rid of her, and the prisoner
had been heard to make an observation to the effect that
she knew that the old lady had some money in a corner
drawer.

Jackson, 29 D, said—Between two and three o'clock
this morning I was called by Battersby, my brother offi-
cer, who told me he suspected there was something
wrong, and he gave the prisoner into my charge, saying
that there was a very serious case inside. I asked the
prisoner what she had been doing, and she replied " No-
thing." I asked her what made her leave the house so
early, but she made no reply, and trembled very much;
at this time Battersby came from the back part of the
house and said, " This is a serious affair; take her to the
station-house." I did so, and we went there in a cab.
I took the bundles with me, and gave them to the in-
spector. On the way to the station the prisoner made
no observation whatever.

Susannah Nisbett—l lodge at 40, Adam-street, on
the first floor. I knew Mrs. Stowell, the deceased, and
saw her yesterday afternoon between three and four
o'clock,

Mr. Rawlinson—Did the prisoner lodge with her ?
Witness—Yes.

Mr. Hawlinson—When did you last see the prisoner ?
Witness—At twenty minutes to nine o'clock I saw her
come out.

Mr. Rawlinson—Did you hear any noise or struggling
in tha house ? Witness—None, sir.

Mr. Rawlinson—llid you ever hear the prisoner
threaten the deceased ? Witness—Yes ; the night be-
fore last I heard her call her an old wretch, and say she
would do for her.

The clothes contained in the bundles before referred
to, and marked " M. 5.," were proved to belong to the
murdered woman.

The prisoner, on being asked what she had to say, and
being duly cautioned by the magistrate, denied all
knowledge of the way in which the old lady came by
her death ; she said she knew nothing whatever about it.
The ►Magistrate remanded her for further examina-
tion, and on her way from the Court, while being re-
moved at one o'clock to the prison van, she was hissed at
and hooted by a large mob who had assembled.

CHARGE of MURDER at BRISTOL.
BRISTOL, JUNE I.—This morning the news was spread
throughout the neighbourhood of Limekiln-lane, in this
city, that the wife of a mechanic named Skinner had
been murdered by her husband, who had thrown her
out of a third story window, and dashed her brains out.
Skinner, it appears, is a nailer, living with his wife and
two small children at No. 4, Limekiln-lane. Yesterday,
not being well, the husband lay down in bed during the
greater part of the day. He and his family occupied
an upper room in the house, the third window from the
street. At half past seven o'clock last evening the wife's
brother called in to see them, and noticing that the
hearth-brush lay broken, asked the husband how it was
done, to which he replied, " I broke it on Sally, beating
her yesterday." The brother made some remarks, upon
which the husband ordered the brother out of the room,
but the wife begged him not to go, as her husband would
murder her if he did. A struggle ensued, in the course
of which they all three fell on the bed, the husband
striking the wife, The husband then got up and ran to
a shelf, from which he took a table knife, which he held
in a threatening manner, and drove the brother out
down two or three of the stairs, after which he returned
into the room, and almost immediately a crash was heard,
and persons in the street saw the wife falling from the
window into the street. The neighbourhood being a
crowded one, every assistance was rendered, but the
poor woman shortly died without having i spoken, her
skull having been severely fractured. The husband was
immediately taken into custody, but alleged that his wife
had fallen out of the window herself. To this, however,
it is replied that a young man who was passing near the
house at the moment, and who saw the body falling, on
looking up, noticed the window closed immediately after
the body fell, which, if true, renders it more probable
that she was thrown out.

A Coroner's inquest will ill be held this evening, when,
no doubt, the true facts of the case will como out.

MURDER AT KIDDERMINSTER.
KIDDERMINSTER, WEDNESDAY MORNING.—Last even-
ing Mr. R. Docker, coroner for this district of Worces-
tershire, commenced an inquiry into the cause of the
death of Phillpotts, who was killed by a brazier named
Lloyd, on Sunday morning last. It appears that the
deceased and his fellow-workmen had been drinking till
a late hour on Saturday night, as also had the murderer,
Lloyd. Soon after midnight the parties proceeded home-
wards, Lloyd and his friends forming one party, and
Phillpotts and his friends another. They met at a street
called Lion-hill, when they quarrelled and fought for
a short time ; but Lloyd's party being in the minority
sought refuge in the house of one of them—a brazier,
ria.med- Lcrekley--,and the door- vvii§ cl'Os'ed upon Phill-
potts and his friends. Some taunting expression, how.
ever, was used towards Phillpotts, on which he attempted
to follow Lloyd into the house, and had got half way
through the door when Lloyd rushed from a back room
to the door with a knife in his hand, which he drew
across Phillpotts' throat, cutting the windpipe completely
through. Phillpotts immediately cried out and fell back
into the street deluged with his own blood. Persons who
had witnessed the affray from their bed-room windows,
on rushing to the.spot, found Phillpotts as already de-
scribed and apparently quito dead. Lloyd was then
taken into custody, and the knife was found in the room
where he had been sitting.
The following is a summary of the principal points in
the evidence given on the inquest:—
Thomas Elves, weaver, of Kidderminster,, knew the
deceased, and saw him quarrelling with Lloyd and
others at the Lion-hill between ono and two o'clock on
Sunday morning. They were walking side by side, and
Lloyd said to Phillpotts, " If you go on following me I'll
give you Brummagem." He said several times to Phill-
potts,rf " I'll give you that as shall stick to you it youohlliunwptts were ome."Otherpersons accompanying -Lloyd and
wrangling together, when witness left
them and went home. _ _

Fanny Lockley, wife of cis Loctkoleir,oibdrtahzeietar,.
stated that about half-past one o'clock
itonuti:ginSputneddatyo mfoollronw-
was
morn-
ing her husband came home, accompanied bybLultowyditnaensds
Joseph Ilill. There were ten. or a dozen persons
wrangling in the street at the time, and her husband
theShandtro,
attempted
his
yst
husband
acai
fnttdeor
atncompanionshde
closeihrarrival
fprerpi
iveedenaol rdopesrd.h betp,oho
ti
the
trying
ht u
se
however,,
in the door way, and at that moment Lloyd came for-
ward towards Phillpotts, and both raised their hands as
if to strike each other, but witness did not see any
weapon in their hands. Phillpotts struggled hard to
),get into the house, but witness held the door fast, and
not a word was said by either party. Each struck at
the other at the same moment, and immediately
afterwards Phillpotts leaped back from the door with
an exclamation as if he was hurt, and witness imme-
diately shut the door, and saw no more of him, Lloyd
returning into the back part of the house. An alarm
was given in the street shortly afterwards that Phillpotts
was killed. Witness did not believe it, and refused ad-
mission to any one until the police arrived, when her
husband opened the door. Lloyd was immediately taken
into custody. He denied that he had used a knife. The
knife, however, was found near him, the blade being
covered with fresh blood. [The knife was produced
and handed to the jury. It was a common pocket
knife, but the blade (about five inches long) was
sharp and pointed. It still bore the marks of blood
upon it.] The witness went on to SON that she heard,
Lloyd use the words " Brummagem,' or " Birming-
ham " several times, but she did not know what was
meant. There was no light in her husband's house at
this time.
Francis Lockley, husband of the last witness, de-
posed, that while on his way home on Sunday morning,
in company with Lloyd and others, he met Phillpotts,
who appeared to have been waiting for them with two
companions named Haycock and Pardoe. A little
fighting took place, but the parties soon got separated,
tts attempted to follow,
and witness with Lloyd proceeded towards his (Lock•
ley's) house, followed by Phillpotts and his friends. At
his door ha had a little sparring with Pardoe, but they
Lloyd and witness
werewent sienptaoratthede
hbyouJse. Joseph Hill, and

:old then came the rencontre already described in the
evidence of Mrs. Lockley. The witness did not see the
actual collision between Phillpotts and Lloyd at the
door ; but heard the disturbance which took place out
or doors, and it appeared to him as though some of the
party were urging Phillpotts to follow them. After the
collison, when his wife had shut the door, and returned
into the house, she showed witness that her hand had
been cut, and witness said to Lloyd, " You have
not been using a knife, have you ?" to which Lloyd
replied in the negative. Lloyd had lodged in wit-
ness's house for nearly two months, during which time
he had been very quiet in his demeanour. Witness ad-
mitted that he was rather " fresh." They had all been
drinking. _ _

Mr. W. Nixon, a baker, residing in Lion-street, Kid •
derminster, who witnessed the affray from his bed-room.
deposed that he was awakened between one and two
o'clock on Sunday morning by a noise in the street. On
looking through the window he saw Joseph Hill en-
deavouring to prevent the parties, who appeared quar-
relling, from fighting. Hill, Lockley, and Lloyd, went
into Lockley's house, and on something being said about
" Brummagem," Phillpotts stepped forward from the
rest of the people in the street and attempted to push
open Lockley's door; but he immediately rushed back
into the street with his throat cut in a dreadful manner.
lie cried out loudly, and after running a little way fell
down in the street. Witness dressed himself imme-
diately, and found the unfortunate man lying in a pool
of blood. He attempted to raise him, but he appeared
quite dead. There was a severe cut under the ear, from
which the blood gushed forth profusely, and the door
was sprinkled with it. Witness, on gaining admittance
into Lockley's house, saw the knife produced, which
Lloyd denied to be his. Mrs. Lockley, however, identi-
fied it, having borrowed it of him repeatedly.
There are other witnesses to be examined, but it is
nut expected that their evidence will produce any new
facts. It is expected that at the close of the inquiry,
which cannot be concluded till a late hour to-night, the
jury will return a verdict of " Wilful murder" against
Lloyd, who is in the custody of the police. The prisoner
appears fully sensible of the awful position in which his
impetuosity has placed him.

THE FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE
SOUTH COAST RAILWAY.
NUTBOURNE, JUNE 2.—This morning Mr. J. L. Ellis,
coroner for West Sussex, held an inquest at the Bell and
Anchor Inn, on the body of Gregory, the driver of the
engine which ran off the line on Monday. Mr. Sher-
wood and Mr. Powell (of Chichester), and Mr. Smart
(of Emsworth), solicitors, were in attendance to cross-
examine the witnesses, in consequence of some rumours
that the engine in question was unfit for service. Having
viewed the spot and the body of the deceased, the fol-
lowing evidence was adduced:—
William Careless, a railway guard living at Havant,
deposed—l was guard to a train which left Brighton at
ten minutes past four o'clock on Monday. Deceased
was the driver. Ido not know his name. Henry Peel
was the stoker. The train consisted of a luggage box
and six passenger carriages. I was on the last carriage.
When passing through Doctor's Copse, Nutbourne, I
was standing up and looking forward, when I saw the
engine strike off the metals suddenly. The next I saw
of the engine she was in the ditch. Directly I lost sight
of the carriage I jumped off. I tried to get up but could
not. I tried again, and succeeded. I was hurt. The
first thing I saw was the stoker; he was lying to the left
of the metals, the side opposite to that on which the engine
had gone off. One of his arms (the left) was cut off as
if a wheel had gone over it. He was also bleeding from
the head. He was lying within six or seven yards of
the last carriage. I then went forward and saw the en-
gine in the ditch. The irons connecting the engine and
tender had broken, and the tender and luggage-box had
just gone off the rails, and likewise the front wheels of
the first passenger carriage. I was going to the en-
gine, and I saw deceased under the carriage, but I saw
he was quite dead, and did not stop. I went on to see
if any passengers were hurt. None of them were in-
jured. We then got up Peel and placed him on some
boards, having done which we took out the body of de-
ceased. I saw that one of his legs was cut off, and he
was very much cut about the head. I cannot give any
notion of the cause of the engine going off. A stone on
the rails would not throw it off. We were not going
fast. The deceased had been down the line before,
though not, I believe, as a driver. The driver drove
from Brighton. An engineer rode on the engine from
Chichester to Bosham. His name is Kirtley. The en-
gine had no particular quality of character. The speed
was from 25 to 30 miles an hour. The engine had six
wheels, the front and back having flanges, but not the
middle pair. I have been in the company's service five
years. The engine is sometimes; used on the London
line for passengers. I never heard a driver named
" Dick" speak against the engine. 1 never heard it re-
marked that the flanges of the wheel were worn. The
driver and stoker were perfectly sober. If a stone were
on the rail it would be knocked off by the iron protector
which goes in front.
Mr. Thomas Kirtley, of Brighton, locomotive engi-
neer to the London, Brighton, and South Coast Rail-
way, deposed—l joined the train in question at Chi-
chester. The deceased had been in the employ of the
company about a fortnight, as a driver. He had been a
driver on the Midland Railway for a very considerable
time—more than twelve months. They were exceed-
ingly unwilling to part with him. I rode on the engine
as far as Bosham, when I left the engine and entered
a carriage. The deceased was an excellent engineman.
I am inspector of the engines, and every engine has been
overhauled under my care within the present year.
This engine was selected for this line on account of its
being a particularly, easy and level line.
The Foreman—Can you give any reason for the acci-
dent? Witness—l don't like to answer the question.
The Government will send down an inspector, and I
would rather not answer the question now.
The Foreman thought the company had been rather
too premature in taking the engine to pieces before the
jury had inspected it.
Witness—lt was taken to pieces in order to get to the
boiler, and put it to rights. It is the custom of railway
companies to do so.
Mr. Sherwood—Yes, to clear off the appearance of
the accident. I hope the coroner will insist on the wit-
ness answering the question put to him by the foreman.
CORONER—Do you think the accident was caused by
any obstruction on the line ? Witness—lt is clear there
could be no obstruction, as the " protector" would knock
cff anything larger than an inch high.
Then how do you account for the accident? Acci-
dents of a similar character have happened on other
lines. Engines have left the lines of the Eastern Coun-
ties, Royston, Torrington, and the York and Newcatle.
Foreman—But they were accounted for? No.
Mr. Sherwood—ls there any reason why you should
reserve from the jury what you would state to the Go-
vernment inspector? Witness—l will give you all the
facts.
Mr. Sherwood—You are a scientific Man, and we want
your opinion. , Jt.
Witness—My own impression is that the engine left
the line from an oscillation to which that class of engines
is subject.
Mr. Smart—You mean Stephenson's? Witness—This
is a patent engine by Stephenson. Three axles went
under the boiler.
Mr. Smart—What is the particular thing which causes
the particular oscillation ?—There are two causes. The
cylinders are placed outside, which always gives an ad
ditional oscillation. The next is that there is an over-
hanging weight at both ends, which causes a kind of
undulating motion.
Mr. Sherwood—Then you think those engines are
not so safe as others?—They run on almost every lino
in the country.
Do you consider them so safe, air? The answer is
" Yes or "No."
Mr. Smart—Balancing the advantages with the disad-
vantages, are they so safe as engines of other construc-
tion? Witness—l think there is some objection to be
raised, but I wish it to be understood that I do not con-
sider it an unsafe engine. The Newcastle and Darling-
ton have no others.
Mr. Powell—ls Stephenson the engineer of that line?
—He was the consulting engineer.
And had an interest in the matter?—lthink so.
F oreman—Are these the same engines that are used
on the London line?—Not since I have been here. I find
them on this particular line, and thought them par-
ticularly suitable to it. We had only four engines or
that class.
Foreman—And they are down here?—They are down
here.

Mr. Powell—You think this the easiest line for bad
engines?—No, Ido not. We have two more of those
engines ; one on the London line and one on the
Hastings.
Mr. Sherwood—Passengers' trains ?—No, goods.
Foreman—Then Stephenson's engines are not fa-
vourites of yours?—l do not say that.
Mr. Smart—May I ask whether, when you left the
engine for the train, you had any fellow. traveller?—Yes,'
my wife and a lady. The speed was from 33 to 35 miles
an hour. That is not a fast pace. Stephenson's en-
gines are 2001. or 3001. more expensive than the others.
After leaving Bosham I heard a rumbling noise, and in
a few seconds the train was brought up. I never heard
that engine-drivers refused to drive this engine. In my
experience there has been no accident of this kind on this
line.
Mr. Smart—Alter this occurrence, is it in your opinion
safe to use these engines?—They are daily used on many
lines without accident.
But you think there is more danger in them than
others?—There is more oscillation, but I cannot say it
aounts tositive danger. The further you place the
weight from the centre, the more the undulation and the
oscillation.
John Cox, gatekeeper at the Broadroad station, near
the spot, had several times observed that particular en-
gine "sway" more than the rest. The other three
lengines of the same make did not "sway quite so much.
Thomas Scott, keeper of Ireland's gate, the next gate
I to Broadroad, and on the other side of the site of the
accident, saw the accident. The engine gave a kind of
leap, and it appeared to him as if something gave way
behind. The steam was shut off before the accident.
Robert Peel, brother to the stoker, who was wounded,
stated that he had been five years engaged—three years
as a stoker, and two as an engine-driver, on the York
and North Midland line. He had been in the employ of
this company a fortnight, and had driven the engine