The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-16 00:00:00

LONDON,

THE FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT
AT- BICESTER.

CONCLUSION OP THE INQUEST.
The inquest on the bodies of the five persons killed
on Saturday week, in consequence of this accident,
was yesterday resumed and concluded. The principal
evidence taken yesterday was that of the station-
master, Mr. Bruin, who said that he was in the habit
of stopping trains when he considered it requisite, that
he considered the straight line to be the main line,
and that he had admitted excursion trains to go
through the straight line for the safety and conve-
nience of the passengers.
The CORONER summed up at great length.
After deliberating for almost an hour and a half, the
foreman of the jury announced their verdict to be—
That the deceased died from accidental causes ;
and stated that the jury desired him to append spe-
cial observations to that verdict, which be then read

as follow :
" The jury consider that in closing their investi-
gations as to the cause of the melancholy catastrophe
which has been attended with such fatal results, they
are called upon, as well in regard to the distressed
feelings of the relatives of the deceased es of those
unfortunate sufferers who have survived the accident,
and also in justice to the public at large, to record
some special observations with reference to the events
preceding the occurrence, and attendant upon it, but
further with reference to the future traffic of the
Bucks Railway.
" The jury find that the railway upon which the
lamentable event occurred is a branch line from the
London and North-Western Railway, diverting at
Bletchley to Oxford through Bicester, and that from
Steeple Claydon to Oxford is a single line only.
" The jury find that the train to which the acci-
dent occurred was not only an excursion train adver-
tised by public notice for passengers to leave London
on Saturday and to return on the following Monday,
but it also formed a return excursion train for pas-
sengers who had left Oxford for London on the pre-
vious Monday, as well as for those who had left Ox-
ford and Bicester on the previous Tuesday.
" The jury find that the notices to the public of
these excursion trains were imperfectly and vaguely
drawn, for while the company's officers at Bicester
construed them to mean that the Saturday's excur-
sion train from London to Oxford was to call at
Bicester, the officers at Bletchley construed them to
mean that they should not stop at Bletchley but go
through to Oxford; and the jury consider that both
of those constructions might be fairly adopted with-.
out the imputation of any neglect of duty on their
part as arising from such cause.
" The jury find that the company's servants at
Bicester were prepared for the train to stop there for
the Bicester passengers to alight, but that the engine-
man in charge of the train acted upon the belief that
he was to go through to Oxford without stopping at
Bicester, and that such a misunderstanding had a
tendency to produce confusion in the arrangements,
and required more than ordinary vigilance to be
paid to the points and signals; and the jury consider
that there was a want of adequate instruction to the
guards from their superior officers as to the stoppages
of the train to be consistent with the public safety.
"The jury find that, although there is much dis-
crepancy in the evidence adduced before them as to
the speed at which the train was travelling when it
reached the junction point at Bicester, yet the en-
gineman admits that he was going at a greater speed
than he would have done had he known that he was
to stop at Bicester. It appears, therefore, that in the
absence of a clear understanding among the officers as
to stopping at Bicester or not, the only guides they
had to direct them were the signals provided by the
company with directions for their use. That in the
present case the signal-man had used the necessary
signal and caution at the auxiliary signal post, and of
danger and stop at the points. That the engineman
and guards had observed the caution signal at the
auxiliary post, and had slackened speed accordingly ;
but that the driver and his guards were misled by
some optical illusion as to the white light or Go on'
signal, at the principal signal post at the station.
"The jury find that the white light was not turned
towards the approaching train, yet they see no reason
to doubt that the engineman and guards were, from
some unexplained cause, misled by the appearance of
a real or reflected light, which they believed to have
been the white light signal for Go on;' and that,
being deluded by this supposed white light, they did
not observe the danger signal at the points until they
had approached so near to them as to be unable to
stop or to reverse the engine.
" The jury find that if the points bad been fairly
open for the train to pass down either the straight
line or the siding, and had been in perfect condition
at the time, it is more than probable that the train
would have passed to the station.
" The jury find that there was nothing observed by
the pointsuian at the time the train reached him to
indicate any defect whatever in the points; but they
find, also, that after the train had passed the points-
man, and before any other train had gone over the
points, it was discovered that the tie-rod, which is
shown to have been partially broken before, and
which connects the two point-rails, had been broken
asunder near to the screw and nut, and that the heel-
chair was also broken, and the point-rail attached to

it bent.
"The jury find that these injuries to the tie-rod,
the chair, and point-rail were occasioned at the mo-
mentary transit of the engine or tender over the points
by coming in contact with the tie of the point-rail,
but whether they were so occasioned by sand, gravel,
or any other material, having prevented the points
falling into their proper position, or whether by any
indecision on the part of the pointsman as to which
line of rail he was to send the train down by, or whe-
ther by any slip of the handle of the points-lever, or
by any other cause, yet the jury find that from some
such cause the engine went over the points on to the
straight line, while the rest of the train took the siding,
and resulted in that awful loss of life, serious injury
to persons, and great destruction of property, which is
now so painfully deplored.
" That while the jury. find that there was not that
measure of culpability in the conduct of any of the
company's servants as to warrant the finding of an
adverse verdict against any of them, yet they feel
that it is due to the public safety that some greater
means of protection to life and property than now
exists should be resorted to by the company, and that
in the monopoly which railways have achieved in
travelling the lives of. passengers should not be jeo-
pardised at the shrine of interest and dividends.
" The jury find that a single line of railway neces-
sarily involves more danger to passengers than a
double one, by reason of the trains having to pass over
junction points in the one case which would not be
required in the other. They also find that trains are
occasionally delayed at the stations to prevent collision
with other trains, and hence that the enginemen
on duty are superinduced to travel at a greater speed
than is consistent with safety on a single line of
railway, in order to observe the times appointed for
their arrival at stations. These, and other matters of
more minute detail, impose upon the company's ser-
vants a degree of watchfulness and care on a single
line of railway almost superhuman ; and that the
pointsman, in the discharge of his duties, is liable,
from a mere accidental slip or fall, or from a want of
nerve or that presence of mind which is so essential in
cases of difficulty and danger, to be the innocent or
accidental cause of destruction to life and property.
"The jury, therefore, earnestly urge upon the
directors of the company, as they value human life
and deplore the sacrifice of it, that they will cause a
second line of rails to be laid down without delay, as
a means of preventing the recurrence of such a dire
calamity as that which has now formed the subject
of their very anxious inquiry and most painful de-
liberation."
The CORONER expressed his concurrence in the
view taken by th jury, and thought the country at
large would bee grateful to them for what they
had done.
Mr. Wagstaffe stated that the verdict would be laid
before the directors, from whom it might be expected
to receive the most careful consideration.
The CORONER suggested the following addition to
the recommendations of the jury
"The jury suggest, that until the line of railway
is made double every train should stop at the Bicester
station."
Mr. Wagstaffe assured the coroner and jury that
attention would be paid to the suggestion without
rendering it necessary to add it to the recommenda-
tion made by the jury. He begged to produce two
general orders which bad been issued by the company ;
one a circular to guards and breaksmen ; another a
notice to enginemen, and especially to those working
the Buckinghamshire line, enjoining great caution,
and also attention to the 34th rule, respecting the
speed of trains when running through stations.
The clause suggested by the coroner was then
added to the recommendations of the jury ; and the
separate verdicts required in the different cases having
been taken, the proceedings terminated.

IRON STEAM-BOATS FOR THE MAIL SERVICE.--T
Government some time ago passed an order probibiting iron
steam•vessels from being used in the service of the Crown in
the conveyance of mails by sea. A paragraph has appeared
in some of the papers, stating that this resolution had been
rescinded. We believe there is no foundation for such a
statement, and we make this announcement lest any of the
mail contractors should be induced to build iron boats for the
service, and thus incur considerable expense in the erection
of steamers which they will not afterwards be allowed to use
in the conveyance of the mails. The rule which prohibits
iron steamers from being used in the mail service remains in
full force.—Liverpool Mercury.
EDINBURGH, PERTH, AND DUNDEE RAILWAY.---
In order to pay off the arrears of calls on the company's
shares on the Sterling and Dunfermline Railway, the:diredors
propose to raise a loan on the security of the shares.
OXFORD, WORCESTER, AND WOLVENHAMPTON
RAILIN-AY •
—The directors of the Great Western have, it is
understood, declined to accede to the proposed guarantee of
3 per cent.