The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-27 00:00:00

S INT7_ JANUARY 27, 1846 PiIICE

(Swift train of the
GENERAL PASLEY and the GAUGE'South-Eastern Railway Company, as
QUESTION. ' before mentioned.
To THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
In my evidence before the coroner's inquest, at Thet-
.
Sia—l had laid down a rule not to reply to any of
ford,l therefore ascribed the accident party to the im-
the articles in which my opinions or reports are at-
prudence of the engineman in running down a long
tacked, either in the daily or weekly papers, or in those descending gradient of 1 in 200 at the utmost speed that
specially devoted to the subject of railways; nor to enter his engine could command, and partly to the peculiar
into any discussion with persons who propose new in- construction of that engine, which I considered unsafe at
ventions to prevent railway accidents, all of whom t a speed exceeding 45 miles an hour ; a speed that was
deem their own projects infallible, and some of whom perfectly unnecessary oe any part of that line, but espe-
are unreasonable enough to be offended by my returning cially on that portion of it where the accident occurred,
:3 mere acknowledgment of the receipt of their column- between Harlingroad :Station and Thetford, a distance
of only 8 milt s, for traything over which 46 minutes
nications. To enter into a controverey with the former,
or into a correspondence with the latter of the parties were allowed.
alluded to, would waste the whole of my time in inter- I As I inferred, from a question put to me, that the
terminable altercation, leading to no useful result. Con-
jury had an erroneous notion, that the em gine to which
seqeently, when I have been charged with an equal
this accident occurred, as well as those which ran off the
rails on the Eastern Counties line first near Chesterford,
want of prectical knowledge and of science ; when I
and afterwards near Littlebeach, were engines built far
was accused of astounding. ignorance, because I reported
against the use of improper switches, viz., shifting rails the wide gauge, and therefore unsafe for the narrow
gauge, I explained to them that, the width between the
and cross-Jails, to connect with a passenger railway.
tviu?els on the narrow gauge was too small to admit of
which had eau ed the death of two men; when I had
been described as an
infirm,
superannueted person, in- boilers of such large diameter as those of the engines of i
capable of supporting the fatigues necessary the Great Western Railway, which had greater power
for the
than any before used. Mr. Robert Stephenson tried to
efficient execution of my pudic duties ; when I have
been reproached with neglect, because I did not examine get overthis difficulty by increasing the length of his
the levels of every rail and of every chair, before I boilers, since hecould nut increase their diameter beyond
allowed a line to be Opened, or when, after I had re- a certain limit, in hopes that the greater length of the
ported a new railway to be in a safe state, accidents oc- boilers, and consequently of the tubes, would produce an
carred afterwards, through carelessness, or even when additional evaporating surface, and render his long en-
slips occurred afterwards, caused by continued rains and gines superior in power to all the former shore
inundations, to which persons who understand anything boiler engines of the narrow gauge, as well as
of railways know that the best are liable for years after to the engines with boilers of larger diameter
they are opened; when my inspections have been alleged of the Great Western. In this attempt, which at
to be a useless form, and nothing more than a party of the time appeared very promising, I consider that he has
pleasure in a first-class carriage, ending in an entertain- fail, d, as I stated in my evidence before the coroner's
went provided by the Directors, whose invitations on inquest ; for his engines with long boilers are by no
the contrary I have always declined, when I could do so means so powerful as those of the Great Western, nor
without a want of courtesy—l
.have, passed over such do I think that they excel in power ; indeed, from my
misrepresentations -with silent Contempt, sensible that personal observation, I should say that they are inferior
the falshood and absurdity of the whole of them is well in power to other engines made for the narrow gauge,
known to the Directors of the Railway Companies having boilers of moderate length, to which they are
whose lines I have inspected, as well as to their officers certainly much inferior in safety; for I have travelled on
and the persons in their employment, from all of' whom, the engines alluded to, whether having outside or inside
in my official intercourse with them, I have inva- cylinders, at the rate of 50 miles an hour or upwards ;
riably experienced, not merely civility, but respect and and lam of opinion that though certainly inferior to
cordiality, those of the Great Western Railway in power, they are
In respect to the statements made by me when sum- perfectly safe at the utmost speed they are capable of at-
moned
to attend coroners' inquests, held in consequence twining. Indeed, I have been informed by railway
of fatal railway accidents, the case is different. I have officers not personally interested in the battle of the
always hail a great reluctance to appear on such occa- gauges, that one of Messrs. Sharps Brothers' engines
siona for not having been myselfpresent at any of them, with a light express train, travelled over the mole dis-
I could not, of course, say any thing from personal know- tance of 31 miles, between Manchester and Crewe, in 30
ledge as to the facts. Only in the trial at the York As- minutes, which must hare exceeded 60 miles an hour
for great part of the way. But when I rode upon the ,
sizes, on the 15th of last month, of Thomas Wheatley, -
the enginemen, who ran with a pilot engine into the rear same engine afterwards, on the 23d ultimo, from Stock-
of a train which he was sent to assist, which he did on an port towards Crewe, whilst it was drawing a train of
ascending gradient with such violence as to cause the death 47i tons, in a stiff gale, it only accomplished 10 miles in
of Mr. Boteler and another gentleman, I certified, from 13 minutes and 52 seconds, which induced -the narrow
gauge party not to employ it in the trial of power and
speed before the gauge commissioners, as they had at
personal knowledge, that the breaks of the tender at-
tached to that engine, which were asserted by the stoker.
to have been unserviceable, in palliation of the pri- first intended ; but to transfer the scene of action to
soner's conduct, were, on the contrary, perfectly ser- York, and to use engines of the long boiler pattern.
viceable, they being the first and only pattern that had The peculiar danger in Mr. Robert Stephenson's long
been used on railways for many years, am d being still boiler engines, whether made with outside or inside cy-
linders, is, that, in consequence of their extreme length,
in very general use, though mote powerful ones have
he has placed the axles of all his wheels under the
recently been adopted in making !sew tenders. Here
there could be no misrepresentation or mistake, and my boiler, having the fire-box and dome an overhanging
opinion was not asked for, though if it had been I should weight in the rear, which was never done before, ex-
not, of course, have withheld it, it having been previously cept in the short four-wheeled engines of Mr. Bury's
submitted to Lord Dalhousie, the President of the Board Pattern, on the London and Birmingham Railway, which
I
of Trade, as will appear when the reports of the Rail-
do not consider by any means so good as six 'wheeled
way Department of Government shall be published. In engines; but in travelling upon one of them by an ex-
respect to the report of my proceedings on the press train on the 6th of October last, I found it steady
6th of August last, when I visited time and safe, in consequence of the tender being screwed up
spot where a fatal accident had taken place, close to the engine with buffers and springs, which cone
between the Wendon and Chesterford stations of verts the tw3 as it were into an eight-wheeled engine.
the Eastern Counties Railway, and when afterwards I never travelled an a four-wheeled engine at a very great
giving evidence at the Coroner's inquest held in conse- speed before, but ram informed by locomotive engineers and 1
quence of it at Littlebury, on the 15th of the same mouth enginemen who have, that until this improvement was
where my opinion was pointedly asked, the case was so adopted, they pitched and rolled like a sailing vessel in I
fay different, that the newspaper reports, which included a gale of wind. Probably the same expedient may ren..
not only my evidence but my private remarks in comer- der Mr. Stephenson's long-boiler engines also much
sation, being not entirely, though not very nearly, accue steadier, and consequently safer.
rate, led to attacks upon me not only for what I said, In respect to the question put to me by the coroner,
but also fur what I did not say. Still it did nut appear whether shutting off the steam suddenly at high
worth while for me to take any notice of those articles. speed could cause the carriages to run against
In the case, however, of my evidence on the late coro- the engine with such violence as to knock it off
ner's inquest at Thetford, on the 13th instant, it has the rails, I explained that a Iceornotive engine being
been so inaccurately reported in yours and in the other considerably heavier than the tender, and at least double
morning pipers of the day following—not only opinions, the weight of any of the carriages of a railway
but even facts having been misstated—taat I owe it to train, and the whole moving, of course, with equal velo-
my own character to correct the errors into which the city whilst connected, I thought that the act of suddenly
reporters have fallen, as it is not fair to assume that a shutting off the steam from the engine could not possibly
person said what he did not say, and gave opinions which cause the carriages to press upon it, because having
he never entertained, and then to attack such statements much greater momentum it would retain its speed longer;
and opinions as if they had been really his. I seldom read and if the connexion between the engine and tender, and
the numerous papers on railway subjects, having better the carriages of a train were cast off immediately after
opportunities of judging of points connected with my shutting off the steam, the engine would leave the car-
ownriages behind, and travel to a greater distance than any
official duties than the editors or correspondents of
those papers are able to afford ; but the editor of one 'of them before it stopped. If shutting off the steam
of them usually sends me the articles that he writes suddenly could have any effect, as I found by trial that
against me, and, on receiving his last number, I it had not, accidents like that near Thetford ought to
found, after perusing af w lines of it, that he grounded occur every day ; for it is a common practice with en-
an attack on me upon the erroneous passages in the &men, on preparing to stop, to shut off their steam
newspaper report of my evidence at Thetford and at all at once ; as I observed that the driver of one of
Littlebury, on which I laid aside his paper, as I have Messrs. Stotherd and Slaughter's engines did, the same
done on former occasions, without reading any more of evening that .I returned from Thetford, when I took the
it, for such attacks are to me a matter of perfect indif- opportunity of travelling some stages on that engine ;
but this he did of his own accord, and not by my desire, ference. After this I foun 1 that one of your eorres-
dondents, who signs himself " 5.," has written as your reporter stated through mistake. The experi-
a letter, published in }our paper of the 15th inst., headed ment, however, can easily be tried on a descending gra-
" General Paisley on Railway Accidents,"in which, under client. Let an engine with its tender, drawing a train of
an erroneous impression that lam a partizan of the coal vaggons, be set in motion. lam ready to go
broad gauge, he controverts my supposed opinions, with Mr. Bidder on any of the narrow gauge engines,
but with more temper and moderation than my other except those of the long• boiler pattern, at full speed,
assailants. If he h d known my real sentiments, he down an incline, and to shut off the steam suddenly,
a
might have saved him-elf the trouble, not of writing and to cast off the train immediately afterwards by dis-
the letter to you, in which ho discusses the subject engaging a pin, as is done by the auxiliary engines of
of long and short boilers, but of mixing up my heavy down-trains of the London and Birmingham Rail-
name with it, as far as the gauges are concerned. My way Company, near their Camden-town station, several
;times every day, and I will prove to him that the effect
opinion on that question has always been, that thenarrow
gauge is to narrow, and the broad gauge much wider is null. Should he have doubts as to the safety of the
,
than was absolutely necessary ; and, therefore, I recom- experiment, he may ride in a carriage in the rear, whilst
mended in March, 1843, that a gauge or 5 feet 3 inches I stand on the engine, in as much confidence of the
should be established for all railways in Ireland, in pre- safety of my position as he can heap of his own. But I
ference either to the narrow gauge of the English rail- shall not argue the point with him in writing. He has
ways (4 feet 13i inches), adopted on the Dublin and given his opinion, and I have given mine; and his time
Kingstown railway, or to the broad gauge of the may be better employed than in paper warfare, which
Ulster Railway (6 feet 2 inches), which, though ten can prove nothing.
incites narrower than that of the Great Western Having always had occasion to approve of the railway
Railway, I considered wider than was absolutely works actually designed and executed by Mr. Bidder,
necessary, My opinions on this head have not though nominally under Mr. Robert Stephenson, as en-
been altered since, and on being examined by Lieu- gineer-in-chief, in which he has displayed equal skill and
tenant-Colonel Sir Frederick Smith, Mr. Airy, Astro- judgment, and especially in his iron swing-bridge over
nomer-Royal, and Professor Barlow, the Commissioners the river Wensum, near Norwich, which does him very
appointed to inquire into.the gauge of railways on the great credit, it was a matter of regret to me, that I could
18th ult., before the accident on the Norfolk Railway not conscientiously do otherwise than entirely dissent
occurred, I stated that the extent of Railway lines in from Mr. Bidder's opinion in respect to the cause of the
England would certainly be doubled, and might probably accident on the Norfolk Railway.
be trebled, in the course of some years, and therefore -I
Having now explained my evidence in a clearer
thought that both the present wide gauge of the Great manner than was done in the report made in the morn•
Western Railway, and its extension. and branches, as ing papers of the 14th instant, before alluded to, I must
well as the narrow guage of the other railways in Great notice some errors as to fact in that report; after having
Britain, ought to be abolished, and the 5 feet 3 inches corrected which, the remainder of it will be quite accu•
gauge adopted instead, rate. In the first place, I did not say that the flanges of
Messrs. Stotherd and Slaughter's engines were deficient
The tri ds between the broad and narrow gauges in depth; on the contrary, they had the usual depth of
made under the inspection of the Gauge Commissioners, 1 •
, 9
lg inch, which
by means of experimental passenger trains and goods they were set nearly at right angles to the tread of the
trains, loaded with equal weights, had not then taken wheel, contrary to the rule followed in all other locomo-
place ; but previously to my being examined by the five engines that I have seen, which is to round off that
Gauge Commissioners, I had been required, in the angle nearly in the form of a quadrant. Though similar
course of my duty, to give an opinion whether the to Mr. Robert Stephenson's last pattern in other respects,
speed of Vie express trains then running on various the fire-box did not projeet entirely in the rear as a dead
railways might not be dangerous to the public safety. weight, but had its centre placed over the axle of the
As I knew from long experience that the oscillation hind wheels, which rendered it necessary to raise the
of a railway carriage was no proof of danger, and its top
of the boiler about nine inches higher, and conse-
steadiness not always a proof of safety, I therefore in-
quently, though better balanced on their wheels, they
vestigated this subject by travelling on the locomotive had thdisaevantage of being more top-heavy than Mr.
engines of all the express trains in England, which Stephenson's pattern. The present locomotive engineer
affords the only just criterion of safety or of danger; of the Eastern Counties Railway assured me that they
and I found that not only the engines of the Great had not only been all provided with new wheels of the
Western, but those of the narrow gauge lines, such as usual form, but that they were much improved since two
the South-Western, the Brighton, Grand Junction, Mid- of them ran oil the rails and overset, the first with ex-
land Counties, and other Railway Companies, whether cessive speed down an incline and along a curve, which
constructed according to the designs and specifications terminated fatally; the second on a level and traight
of their own locomotive engieeerss, with outside or ofthe
portion line, and at very moderate speed, so that
inside ca Enders, or from the designs of Messrs. Sharp ns o person was injured. If these engines had been an
Brothers, Hawthorn, Fairbairn, and other skilful loco- exact copy of Mr. Stephenson's pattern, the last-men-
motive engine-makers, as well as the new pattern engine edaccidentwould not have taken
of Mr. Botimer, were all steady, especially the last, and tinned
..
In mentioning the gauge Commissioners, there were
consequently all safe ; but when I tried the White Horse also
several inaccuracies in your reporter's account of
of Kent, one of Mr. Robert Stephenson's last patented .d •
September last, I consequence of which I was obliged to
my. evience, in .
long- boiler engines, on the 18th of
write. to them. to explain, lest they should consider me
found that it rolled like a ship at sea when pushed to a wanting in courtesy towards them. In the first place,
an hour between
velocity of about 45 miles London and
South-Eastern being independent of the Board of Trade, they gave no
Tunbridge, on the. Sontßailway,r. and this
opinion, as implied in the newspaper account, and sent
increased in
uneasy motion havingportion to the
if an attempt no report to the Board, of the accident that occurred to
speed, I came to a conclusion,,_ . were made an experimental train on the Great North of England
1
with such engines to rival t lespeed of the Great • • by a long-boiler engine run-
Railway on the Ist inst.,
trains, that they would run off the rails for though they
Western express
nine off the rails and being overset;
and ()versa. I have expressed this opinion since to the 6 • • • it I re-
afterwards inquired into at York, in presence, p
Noble President, and to my colleagues, the other officers that Company, the de..
t of the Board of same, of Mr. Close, Secretary of
of the Railway Department Trade, and •
?ofthe evidences who came before them on that
have met with on positions
to railway otticers whom I
been duty, not • transmitted officially by that gentleman,
who have
,Pupils of Mr. occasion were
of the accident, as required by Act
excepting gentlemen
together with a report .
are employed on •
Robert Stephenson, or who
of which he is either the engineer-in-chief or the con-
last week, I found that instead of being an exact copy of
salting engineer. I have also stated rho sane opinion ' Mr. Robert Stephenson's long-boiler pattern, as I had
in charge of locomotiveengines of this period of the inquest, it differed from it
to enginemen
supposed at the .
since travelled, construction, on which I have
.n avelled, but lin two points; first, in having been made with inside cyli n-
never had occasion, as mentioned in the newspaper re- ders, in order to do away with the oscillation generalty,
port, to tell these men that
downy ud•ere actually in but 9I
think erroneously, ascribed to outside cylinders;
danger, for they never wentes?ending gra- and, secondly, in having an oval boiler in order to obtain
about
clients at a greater speed than _
the thirty miles an greater sectional area than the narrow gauge admits of
hour ; and they never exceeded..sPed of 45 miles
1 when the cylindrical form is used. Neither of these
an hour on level portions of railway, whilst I was I alterations can be considered an improvement,
present. Hence I did not think e dangerous both produce the unfavourable effect ofrendering it
character of these engines would ever be practically necessary to raise the boiler Higher than '
in Mr. Stephen-
proved, because both on the Eastern Coui • Ales and Nor- '
son s pattern. It was also erroneously stated by your
folk Rail ways, where they were most used, the time reporter, that the gauge Commissioners were in a train
between the stopping stations of the swiftest trains was from Bristol to Gloucester, upon '
the engine of which I
so regulated, that there was no necessity for exceeding I travelled with Mr. 111`C I ri
onne ,locomotive superintendent
•
that speed, excepting on the old wt•ll-con solidated por- lof the Bristol and Birmin h Rlg am ai wa, erroneous
tian between London and Bishop s Stortford, which I I styled Mr. M'Connel, when I first tried the of
have travelled over at. 45 miles an hour on an engine of ' shutting off the steam in going t full speed.
experiment
Moreover,
the construction alluded to, but even at that speed it ' when I tried the same experiment a second time, by
oscillated a great deal ; when dila!' hed, it became permission of Mr. Brunel, on the engine of an ex eri-
steady. My former opinion of Mr. Robert
Stephenson's ; mental goods' train, on the Great Western Railway,P • in
new long boiler engines was favourable, for when I first l which the Commissioners were travelling from Paddin ).-
e
travelled on them on the 12th of April, 1844, whilst in- ton to ad it t cot, hed a load of 205 tone only, instead of
i h Radw• •
specting the Yarmouth and Norwtce • ay, it was at 2,000 tons, as stated in
mm rate not exceeding from 30 to 35 miles nn hour, at , I shall here
observe, though it made no part
which they are steady and safe ; nor did I discover any '
of
my evidence before the coroner's inquest at
objection to them on the Grevesend and Rochester Rail- Thetfor,l, with
which
the question of the gauges
way, where they are always used at moderate speed, had Ne.'y little to do, that I have drawn an he-
until I travelled op the White Horse of Kent with a- ference from the performances of the experimental

trains of both ; namely, that the narrow gauge has
failed in the most important points of railway travel.
ling, as it has not room between the wheels for a boiler
of sufficient power to obtain that speed, combined with
safety, which the travelling public have a right to ex-
pec•t, and which the express trains of the Great Western
Railway Company have proved to ba perfectly prae.
ticable. This is another argument for abolishing the
narrow gauge and adopting 5 feet 3 inches, as the
standard gauge of all our railways, us that will admit of
a boiler of more than four fret in diameter, which is the
maximum dimensio❑ hitherto adopt, d fur the engines of
the Great Western Railway.
To conclude, I have no doubt that the reporters fur
the London morning papers would have given my evi-
dence with perfect accuracy, if the coroner had examined
me in the usual manner, by taking down what I said,
and reading it over again, and asking me whether it was
orrt et. Bat he did not follow this mode, only asking a
w questions, to which I not only replied, but
stated .my reasons in full, I, st there should be any
zniseoneeption of my opinions. In so doing 1 spoke
too rapidly for any person, however well educated and
intelligent, to report accurately, unless he were en
engineer, who understood the details of locomotive en-
gines and of railway constructions. After my evidence
elused, the coroner read evar a brief abstract of it, that
he had made, which I signed, and for which lam re-
sponsible, but not for the matter eontaired in the news-
paper reports. Before I quitted the Town-hall, two
reporters, brothers, introduced then-ielres to me, and
asked me to correct their notes, to which I agreed,
being anxious that my statements and opinions should
be accurately reported in a matter of so much delicacy
and importance. One of them accordingly called on me
afterwards at the Bell Inn, and read over such parts of
his own notes on my evidence as he considered doubtful,
which I corrected wherever he had mistaken my mean- •
ing. If he had read over the whole to me, as I sug- •
gested, it would have been more satisfactory, for in that I
ease no possible mistake could have been made ; but he
assured me that he was confident it was all right, which ,
I could not help doubting, as he seemed to have taken
hasty notes of the heads of my evidence, trusting to
memory for putting in into form afterwards, in which, if
he had been more successful, I would not have troubled
you with this long letter, which I shall be very much
obliged to you to insert in your columns.—l have the
honour to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,
C. W. PASLEY, Major-General, &c.
London, Jan. 19.