The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-05 00:00:00

SINGULAR SUCCESSION of ACCI-
DENTS on the NORTH-WE3TER.S RAILWAY.

On Saturday /astaseries of accidents, causing deten-
sions of various trains, and, in one instance at least,
attended with most serious consequences, both in per-
sonal iujuries and in the destruction of carriage', &C.,
occurred on this line, between the Stafford station and
the station at Chelford ; and from the cause being in
each instance a similar one, they seem to point to the
imperative necessity for prompt measures being taken to
prevent a recurrence of such disasters in future. The
train which left London at 8 30 A.M. on Saturday,
.
quitted Birmingham at one o'clock, on route to
Manchester ; and a few miles north of Stafford found
the rails blocked up in consequence of a luggage train
having run into a ballast train. Fortunately the fog.,
which had been very dense, had cleared away shortly
before, otherwise the down train would have run into
the stationary luggage train. The guard of the down
train was sent back to prevent a collision between that
train and the down mail train, which leaves Birming-
ham at 1 45 P.M., and which, in fact, did arrive in
less than a quarter of an hour afterwards. Both
passenger trains returned to Stafford ; and there was
a loss of two hours before the line was declared to
be clear, so that they could proceed towards Man-
chester. About ten miles further on, that is, about
half way between the Norton-bridge and the Whitmore
stations, the two passenger trains found their progress
a second time arrested, another luggage train having
got off the line. Here a further detention, ensued of
about two helms and a half, and during this blocking of
the rails no fewer than six trains—four from Birming-
ham, and two from Manchester—were stopped by the
accident. Once more in motion, the two down trains,
which usually are joined at Crewe, and proceed thence
as one train to Manchester, left Crowo as one train at
about half-past eight, instead of 3 40 P.m., the appointed
time, and reached the Chelford station soon after nine.
Amongst the passengers by the train from London were
Mr. Robert Hyde Greg and his daughter, in one of the
first-class carriages, and one of his sons and a servant
were in his private carriage, which was placed on a
truck, and the two carriage horses were in a horse-box.
Mr. Greg and Miss Greg got out, Chelford being the
nearest station to Nercliffe ; and Mr. Greg directed a
porter to unfasten the horse-box and his carriage. Just
as he had done so, and within a minute and a half of the
train stopping, Mr. Greg perceived a down luggage
train approaching at some speed. He had no time to
get his son and servant out of the carriage, and in-
deed, fearing the results of the concussion, which
he saw was inevitable, be had scarcely time to
withdraw his daughter back from the edge of
the platform, when the luggage train ran with tre-
mendous force into the horse-box, which was at the rear
of the passenger train. The horse-box was smashed. to
pieces, the flooring or bottom of it being torn assunder
,and crushed. The horses were thrown out one on each
side ; but though one was a good deal bruised, and the
other cut, yet neither seems to hare received material
permanent injury. Indeed, as soon as they veers re-
leased, they gallopped away, affrighted, into jhe neigh-
bouring field. Mr. Gregg's carrisge was thrown upwards
into the air ; all the glass in it broken ; and his son and
servant, who were both inside at the time, were a good
deal bruised, and their faces cut with the broken glass.
The concussion was so great, that the passenger train,
though standing still at the time, was propelled forward
about fifty yards. Many of the passengers received
severe contusions and bruises, and one gentleman, we
understand, had is arm broken. Mr. Cooke, of Old-
ham, received a severe fracture of the ribs ; but is doing
well, and has been enabled to proceed to his home. Mr.
Lawrie, a commission agent from London, west most
severely injured, having three of his ribs on the left
side fractured, besides numerous contusions and other
wounds. He is now lying at the Queen's Hotel,
Alderley, and although much hurt, is better than
might have been anticipated, and is daily attended
by Dr. J. G. Harrison, the medical officer of the com-
pany for this immediate district. Mr. Hill, a teacher of
music from London, who came down for the purpose of
being married on the following day, is suffering from
several severe contusions of the right arm and wrist,
which he is scarcely able to move. He remains at the
Queen's Hotel, at Alderley, where he is also visited by
Dr. Harrison. The parties hurt appear to have been
chiefly those in second-class carriages. Ultimately, we
believe, the conjoint train reached Manchester about
eleven at night, instead of ten minutes before five ; and
of course the mails were delayed six hours between Bir-
mingham and Manchester by the series of casualties we
have described. In every instance, we believe, the acci-
dents were tracible to the culpable carelessness of the
driver of a luggage train ; and to the same cause many
of the recent accidents on various lines are justly attri-
butable. We understand that an inferior class of men
are employed as luggage train-drivers. We think this is
a practice which should be examined into and abolished;
for no man who does not exercise due circumspection
and caution ought to be allowed to guide any train
upon a railway. We understand, that, to some extent,
the cause of the accident has been investigated by Mr.
Woodhouse, the resident engineer, Mr. Latham, Dr.
Harrison, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. Malam, officers
connected with the company ; and we believe the extent
of the damage has been nearly ascertained, but the in-
quiry has been postponed to a future day.—Manchester
Guardian.

HIGHTuN's ELECTRIC TELE-
GRAPH.
(From the Railway Register.)
An improvement in elk etrie telegraphs has lately been
patented by Mr. Ifighton, of Rugby, and purchased by
the Electric Telegraph Company (tt.e present proprie-
tors of Cooke and Wheatstone's patents), which is likely
to prove of considerable importance in telegraphic com-
munication.

The improvement consists mainly in the substitution
of a slip of metallic leaf, with a magnet placed near it,
for the old coil of wire and magnetic needles. 'The ad-
vantages gained by this change are many and great:—
First, in cheapness.—A couple of coils and needles,
such as are at present used, cost 201 ; whereas the cor-
responding apparatus on the new plan does not cost more
than 205., a difference of 1,900 per cent.

Secondly, in delicacy.—With the new apparatus, a
battery of a single cell will work throu;sh 100 miles of
wire. This gives it many collateral advantages. For
instance, it may be employed with great advantage in
derived circuits. Thus dividing the current into two or
more parts, the same news may be transmitted direct
from Liverpool to London, while, at the very same time,
the same fluid is travelling through two derived cir-
cuits, and conveying the same information through
Bristol on the one side, and Cambridge and York on
the other.

Thirdly—The greater rapidity of motion. Gold leaf
being almost without weight, and consequently without
momentum, immediately after the Eignat is made, the
leaf drops dead down without any oscillation or swing.
ing, which always takes place, more ur less, in the
needles.

Fourthly.—By a slight change in the construction of
the keys or handles whieh serve as commutators, double,
or even treble the number of signals may be made with
each slip of gold leaf, to what can be made with the
needles. With a needle, in consequence of its oscilla-
tion, only one power of electricity can be employed,
whereas with the gold leaf, two or three different powers
may be employed, deflecting the gold leaf to a less or
greater extent, and consequently multiplying, in a cor-
responding ratio, the number of signals given.
Fifthly.—lhe portability. One of the gold leaf ap-
paratuses may be carried about in the pocket, and be
applied to use for any temporary purpose, at any point
of the country, in the course of a minute or two.
Sixthly.—ln consequence of the cheap and simple
nature of the apparatus, a large reserve may be always
kept ready fur use at each station, so that if one appa-
ratus be damaged by lightning, or other cause, another
may be substituted for it in a few seconds.
Seventhly—The slightness of the resistance offered to
the electric current. The resistance of each of the coils
at present used is equivalent to about six miles of wire,
whereas that of a slip 0: gold leaf is not equal to more
than a few hundred yards. This will enable the same
battery at each station to communicate with many more
stations at the same time that can be possibly dune at
present.
Having these advantages, it must soon entirely super-
sede the old needle telegraph, and will probably be, for
the present, the form of telegraph used tilt oughout the
world, till it, in its turn, is superseded by some new in-
vention. Now that the form of telegraph is reduced to
such simplicity, it will probably be used fur communica-
tion, not only to great distances, but between the dif-
ferent parts of the same public buildings, &c. We con-
siderit a very important step in the history of telegra-
phic communication. We hear that the same gentle-
man is employed in making further experiments, which
we hope will be attended with as favourable results.

EXTENSION OF TILE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH FROM
THE SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY TERMINUS TO TUE
STRAND.— On Monday last a number of men commenced
the extension of the telegraph from the terminus of the
South-Western Railway, Nine Elms, to the central sta.
tion of the company, Nu. 345, Strand, opposite Waterloo
Bridge. The work was begun by opening the ground
in the goods department of the terminus to the depth of
about 18 inches, and laying down three-inch cast iron
pipes, coated inside and out with hot pitch. In these
pipes are introduced two half-inch leaden tubes or pipes,
also tarred outside, through which four copper wires,
covered with cotton, and waterproofed, pass, conveying
the electric power. The course taken by the telegraph
is along Nine Elms-lane, the Wandsworth-road, across
to Vauxhall-gardens ; thence traversing Kennington-
lane and road, Oakley-street, and the Waterloo-road ;
passing beneath the pavement of Waterloo-bridge, on
the west side, up Wellington-street, and so across the
Strand to the central station. The work has only pro-
ceeded as yet a short distance up the Wandsworth road.
The lead tubing which contains the wires are from 100
to 250 yards each in length, and the joints are soldered
together. After each joint is made, it is proved by a
battery and very ingenious detector, which in3ta.ntly in-
s_i.ice e
ates whether the connexion is sound or not. When
n
ifrom xtensiou
At the
a message may be received
thanGosport a minute. The existing telegraph is, of course, not
sst present interfered with.
TIIE SMALL DEBTS AcT.—ln the list of districts
proposed to be constituted for
the purposes of this Act,
which we published Yesterday, an omission occurs of the
districts numbered from an 46 inclusively. These
t
are the metropolitan districts,
of which we understand
etSurrey. The
in
that six arc to be in Middlesex,
w
latter two comprise the whole of the metropolis
the Thames, and its immediate neighbourhood
south of°°(l
u'
ing Greenwich and Woolwich. ,The other six co, clud-
re.
spectively of Westminster, two divisions of the
)famlets, and three other districts, formed by subdiat
vid-
ing all the metropolitan portion of the district now
within the jurisdiction of the County Court of Mid-
dlesex. The city of London is not within the scope of
She Act.