The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-23 00:00:00

ANOTHER EYE-WITNESS.

- -
Some further details are given by another witness of the
calamity. He says : " The goods waggons were
smashed into fragments, and, from the effects of the
broken axle and subsequent concussion, scattered about
the up line, upon the hedge, and into the fields
beyond. The passenger cars next the engine
were by the momentum driven one over the other, and
piled in masses of mere firewood, high in the air.
Every carriage of the train had the windows
and doors broken—not one of the twenty-two escaped.
At the time your correspondent left, 12 orl4 persons were
found dead or in a critical condition, while from 100 to 200
of the passengers were injured. The groans of the wounded
and dying rang through the air, and in the dim light of
morning the passengers ran to and fro, some bleeding and
bruised, as if distracted by the awful transactions of the
last few minutes. Scores were wandering about, some
of whom had been driven violently against the car-
riages, others cut with flying fragments of glass or splin-
ters of broken doors and car sides. Under the frag-
ments near the engine several lay dead, while • one lady,
whom it is understood was only lightly hurt, was fixed
among the wreck of a carriage which had mounted above
two others. The driver was killed, one side of his head
being literally smashed in. The fireman lay against the
firebox, his leg being torn off. One woman pleaded
piteously with the surgeons that they would amputate
O her
legs, which were transfixed by tbe broken timbers.
sight might have moved the stoutest to tears. A baby,
about six months old, *as picked up from among the
wreck, its arm and face lacerated, its mother was buried
beneath the carriages. Great praise is due to the officials
of the Great Northern Railway, who with the greatest
promptitude, aided by willing helpers, did all they could
to alleviate the miseries of the poor unfortunates."

NARROW ESCAPE OF A PASSENGER.
The following account has been given of the painful
position of one of the travellers by the unfortunate excur-
sion train. Mr. C. A. Wilson, music-seller, of Leeds
was seated in a compartment with one lady and
four gentlemen. He first felt a bump, saw the
lamp shake, felt the train off the line, and the
next instant found himself almost buried, he knew not
where. Recovering breath and collecting his faculties, he
discovered that he was tightly held by a heavy weight of
timber pressing on his ankle and hip. Overhead and
around him were broken planks and splinters. A good
deal of this he managed to clear away, but he was quite
unable to extricate his leg. On all sides he heard the
cries of the wounded. He could give no help ;
but, with manly fortitude, he refrained from calling
for assistance until others in greater danger than
himself were relieved. The circumstances were trying,
because, as Mr. Wilson found, while his ankle
was fast held, one knee was bent on the chest of
.a
gentleman below him—one who had sat in the same car-
riage, a friend whom he knew, and who not unnaturally
urged him very earnestly to "sing out." Groping about
as far as his outstretched hands could reach, Mr. Wilson
felt and saw the arms of a lady. Withdrawing his hands
he found them stained with blood. The lady was Mrs.
Robinson, who had sat in the next seat of the carriage,
and was here crushed to death. For two hours did he
and his friend below remain firmly held in the grip of the
heavy timber pressing on them. When at length the
workmen got to them, Mr. Wilson directed their opera-
tions, and, after danger from misapplied leverage and
an accidental and probably well-meant blow on the
head from a crowbar, he and the man beneath were libe-
rated. Mr. Wilson's ankle was believed to be broken,
but it is happily whole, though bruised and sprained.