The Sun.
London, England, 1870-11-28 00:00:00

FEARFUL RAILWAY CATASTROPHE.
The catalogue of terrible aceidents on the
London and North-Western Railway, which com-
menced with the appalling calamity at Abergele,
received , a sad addition on Saturday evening.. The
Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham express
train, which leaves Euston at five p.m., when just
past llarrow station ran into some empty goods
trucks, causing a collision which in a moment en-
cumbered the line with the ddbris of smashed truck,
eiigines, carriages, and with the bodies of killed and
we forded passengers. The train consisted of nineteen
e rriages, drawn by two powerful engines with ten-
ders.' It left punctually at its appointed time, and
after passing Willesden Junction had got up
full speed when the smash occurred. The scene
of the accident is about three nundred yards
beyond Harrow station, where the line is level,
and perfectly straight; so that but for the dense
frg which prevailed there would have been no diffi-
culty iu seeing an obstruction on the line in time
enough to avoid a collision.. The empty trucks were
,mashed into splinters, and were burnt as a means
Loth of clearing the line and of giving light to enable
the relays of workmen to pursue their labours during
the night. The leading engine of the express strewed
the line as mere fragments of metal, while the
second was overturned upon its side, and, though
hopelessly damaged, retained sufficient coherence
to work its pistons for a few seconds, the steam
blowing off, and the huge driving - wheels
revolving with terrible energy, and tearing
up the earth, sleepers, and rails where
it was lying. Even the passengers who were so
fortunate as to occupy seats in the carriages at the
rsar of the train describe the shock as most alarm-
ing. People who were sitting facing the engine
were thrown violently forward, coming into damag-
ing collision with the occupants of the opposite
seats. Tha stoppage was immediate, all who were
not too seriously injured at once descended and
made their way to the front. At first all that could
be seen through the fog was an immense pile of
Splintered wood, beneath which the second
eng:ne was frantically struggling. When
lights were procured the bodies of several
of the unfortunate passengers were seen
jammed amid the wreck. In what had been the
first carriage the boa), of a gentleman was seen who
had been crushed to death by pressure across the
middle. In the remains of the second carriage were
the bodies of two other gentlemen, one of whom ap-
peard to have been forced upwards through the
roof, and to be suspended by the neck and
shoulders; while the ,other was crushed into
a shape which indicated that his death must
have been instantaneous. Portions of female gar
merits were seen in a position which left no doubt
that a lady had also lost her life. One gentleman
was lying with his foot fixed in a wheel, and appa-
rently otherwise unhurt, though his quiescence
afterwards turned out to be the tranquillity of death.
It was not until after some hours' labour that the
full extent of the calamity was found to be
the loss of seven lives. The more. serious
injuries appear to be wounds and contusions of
the legs and feet, caused by the seats of the front
carriages being crushed together, and, fortunately,
none of these are likely to prove fatal. Alter
four hours' labour, a sufficient clearance was
effected to enable the traffic to be conducted
with some unavoidable delay, by means of
the up goods' line. But such was the
mass of debris, and so serious the damage to the
permanent way that it was not until yes-
terday afternoon that the passenger lines
were again ready for traffic. It was ascer-
tained last evening that the persons killed were Mr.
Jordan, of Cheadle, Hulme, Manchester ; Mr. George
Bell, of Bolton; a la ly, supposed to be Mrs. Bell;
Mr. Smith, of the firm of Fishur, Soria, and Smith,
Tib-lane, Manchester; and Mr. J. W. Jeffreys,
Manchester; Mr. Rowley, Manchester (this gentle-
man was alive when extricated, but died shortly after
being removed to the hotel at Harrow); and James
Shelvey, the driver of the first engine. The two guards
of the train, Latham and Gsmusell, are very much
injured, though their lives are nut despaired of. Four
of the more seriously injured, consisting of Mr. and
Mrs. Lamb, M. Adolf Bourjau, and the guard Gem-
mel', are lying at the Euston-square Hotel. Two or.
throe are said to be at Harrow ; and the rest well
able to boar removal to their own hotels or
residences on arriving in town

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
The Army and Navy Gazette says :—There is not the
slightest truth in the statement that several of her
Majesty's ships have left England for foreign stations
short-handed.—The Russians assert that they possess a
breechloading rifle which is far superior in all re-
spects as a military weapon to our Martini-Henry.
We understand that our authorities have been
made acquainted with this fact from informa-
tion which has reached them from St. Petersburg.—
Rear-Admiral Ommanney, C. 8., will shortly embark on
board her Majesty's ship Urgent at Portsmouth, and pro-
ceed to the coast of Spain to view the approaching
eclipse.—Lieutenant-General Sir Patrick Grant, G.C.8.,
G.C.M. G., does not resign the Governorship and com-
mand of Malta consequent upon his promotion.—
Owing to the arrangements made by the Quarter-
master General's Department for the quartering of
the Ist battalion 15th and 84th Regiments in Ireland
upon their arrival home from Bermuda and Nova Scotia,
the 34th Regiment at Shorncliffe and 2nd battalion sth
Fusiliers at Glasgow will not be called upon to cross the
St. George's Channel during the present winter, as was
anticipated. The 97th Regiment and depot companies of
the 76th Regiment will be sent to Ireland, and will be re-
placed at Dover by the Ist battalion and depot companies
2nd battalion 25th Regiment, now occupying the
Anglesey Barracks, Portsmouth.