The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-03 00:00:00

l'H h SUN, LONDON, §ATURDAY, DECEVIBER 3. lB7O.

THE CALAMITOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT
AT HARROW.
RESUMED INQUEST ON THE BODIES.
The inquest on the bodies of the persons who met their
deaths in the calamitous railway accident on Saturday,
on the London and North-Western line, was resumed
yesterday at the Railway Hotel, Harrow, before
Dr. Diplock, coroner for the western division
of Middlesex. Colonel Hutchinson, inspector of
the Board of Trade, attendel the present
hearing. Thomas Walker, signalman at Harrow station,
in his continued examination, gave evidence as t) the
system of signalling under which he worked. There was
a special signal given when the line was blocked by a
train breaking down. He did not keep a book in his box
recording the time at which 'a train started. The
train of trucks in question arrived at 5.12. and the
special signal was sent to Wembly at .5.13. This
meant line blocked. The reply from Wembly came
in about a second. The express train came in, as far as
he could say, between 5.25 and 5.30. The distance signal
was lighted at four o'clock that night. Up to the arrival
of the goods train the weather had been bright. It be-
came foggy a few minutes past five. It was thick between
eight and ten minutes past five. When the trucks were
standing still he could see the tail lights but very
dimly. They were three red lights. Between the time
of the collision, and his having signalled, he was en-
gaged in shunting a train on the third line, and crying out
for help, the express coming. He had no inquiry from
Wembly about the down lines before the express came.
—The express shut off steam about a hundred yards from
witness's post. He kept fog signals in his box. • Others
were kept at the station. The rule with regard to fog
signals was, that when his distant signal was at danger
they placed signals on the line. He had a copy of the
42nd rule, which required that signals should be placed
on the line every three hundred yards from the point of
danger until protection had been given to the line. The poi-
ter White was sent out to obey this rule before the collision.
Witness was sent out for the same purpose afterwards.
He did not go himself when he could not get the assist-
ance he called for, because he was not allowed to leave his
post.
By the Foreman : He kept the red signal on
because the goods train was coming, and let down the dis-
tance signal for it to come into the station because so
many run by without shunting when it was at
"caution." At the time this accident occurred he had
been ten hours and a half on duty. He
had not left the box during the whole
of that time. The full time he would be on duty was
twelve hours out of the twenty-four. The same on Sun-
days. He had twenty levers to work in his box, besides
three telegraph instruments. Nearly a hundred trains
passed the box in every twelve hours. His wages were
19s. for the seven days. Besides his wages he got his
clothing and a premium of £2 at the end of the year.
By a Juror : Had no other means of knowing that the
express train was coming than by hearing it. He had no
signal whatever.
Thomas White, porter, proved being on the platform
when the goods' train came in. There were three other
porters there before this. Smerdon came to him, and re-
quested him to go for the platelayers. He did
so, and told the foreman platelayer that he
was to come " a fogging." He went back to
the platform and remained there. He could not
see the signal box from the platform. He was speaking
to someone on the platform, and the policeman must have
heard him, as he called. Witness ran to him ; when he
said, " Get some fog signals and rim to stop the five out
express." He ran into the office to the drawer
in which the fog signals were kept. Mr.
Dawson, the clerk, handed out a bundle, from
which witness took four. He ran on the main
down, line, and placed two signals south of the
bridge. As soon as he got through the bridge he
could hear the train coming. He then ran back further
towarcs London and put another signal on ; at the same
time he turned a red light on. He had no time to open
the lead of the last signal, so that it might clip the rail.
When the express passed he did not hear tnis signal go off,
but heard the others. As it passed him he put up the
red light, and the driver of the express saw it, and shut
off steam. After the train passed he heard the noise of
the collision. He saw no platelayers from the time he
went to the foreman up to the time of the occurrence.
From where he was on the platform after the goods train
came in he could not see the tail lights, nor did he see
them from the signal-box on account of the fog.
John Hubbard, breaksman on the goods' train that
broke down, was next examined. He said he left
Willesden at 4.55 p.m. He had to attach the waggons.
Sometimes he fastened two chains, and sometimes one.
The train in question was formed of 44 waggons and a
break van. In some places the waggons were too
far apart to couple two chains. Did not always
fasten two chains when they were not. He did not re-
member the coupling between the seventh and eighth
waggon. The policeman started them. It was very
foggy when they left Wembly cutting. When he passed
the distance signal at Harrow it was red. On passing
this signal the train did not stop. The home signals
were on, with a caution to the driver to shunt.
After passing the policeman's box someone called out that
he had broken loose, and he stopped the train. His part
of the train went about 30 yards beyond the policeman's
signal-box before it stopped. When his part of the train
stopped he could not see the policeman, but had to
run back to the box. The policeman said " Right."
Witness then ran to the side of the train and attached the
two parts. The seventh waggon coupling was broken,
and he attached the coupling of the eighth waggon.
He started the train which was going at the
rate of six or seven miles an hour. He did
not see Smerdon. He heard the express coming, and got
back on the third line. Almost immediately it struck the
goods train. He heard no one say, "Go ahead, go
ahead." No one said anything to him about the express
coming up. When the train broke at Harrow
there were no steps taken to his knowledge
carry out the rule to run back and place detonations
every 300 yards, to the extent of 1,200 yards. He did not
do so because by rule he was under the orders of the fore-
man of the yard,
At this stage of the proceedings the inquiry was ad-
journed until Tuesday.

THE WAR.