The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-30 00:00:00

THE LATE FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

The collision which took place at the junction of the
Harrowgate and Church Fenton and the York and North
Midland Railways (sow united with other lines, as the
North-Eastern Railway) on Saturlay morning last was
more extensive than was reported in the accounts first
published. Two persons were killed, seven were seri-
ously wounded, and 10 or 12 suffered other, but less
severe, injuries. The following are lists of the killed,
wounded, and injured :
KILLED.

Mr. Godfrey Braim (previously announced as Braham),
landlord of the Railway Hotel, Tadcaster, and a well-
known carrier between that town and the city of York.
Mr. John Copeland, farm bailiff to Messrs. Grimston,
Clifford-cum-Boston, near Thorparch.
SERIOUSLY WOUNDED.
Mr. Waterhouse, jun., timber merchant, Tadcaster—
very serious internal injuries, leaving but faint hopes of
his recovery.
Mrs. Braim, wife of the above named Godfrey Braim
—head severely cut and concussion of the brain.
Mr. Joseph Simpson, Spofforth-park, near Wetherby
three ribs fractured.
Mr. John Outhwaite, farmer, Coulthorpe, near We-
therby—two ribs fractured.
Mr. Jackson, tallow chandler, Tadcaster—leg frac-
ured and arm ruised.
Mr. Heptonstall, farmer, Thorparch—arm fractured.
Mr. Rechardson, Brambam—arm fractured.
Those less seriously injured include Mr. T. Hannaro,
of North Deighton ; Mr. W. Rimmington, of inginan-
thorpe (leg sprained) ; Mr. J. Cooper, jun., of North
Deighton, who, with Mr. John Outhwaite and Mrs.
Braim, was in the same carriage as those killed ; Mr.
Nicholson, constable, of Tadcaster ; Mr. Thomas Ro-
binson, farmer, Wingate-hill; Mr. Potter, farmer, Hazle-
wood ; Mr. Hill, farmer, Hazlewood, and his son ; Mr.
Bradley, postmaster, Tadcaster ; Mr. Scholefield, but-
cher, Tadcaster ; Mr. W. Townsley, brick merchant,
Tadcaster (chin nearly cut of) ; Mr. Blaydes, agricultu-
ral implement maker, Tadcaster ; and Mr. Houseman,
farmer, Tadcaster.
It appears that the passenger train, which, it will be
remembered, was a special one, on its return from an
agricultural show at Market Weighton to Tadcaster,
Wetherby, &c., was detained at the Church Fenton sta-
tion not only to discharge passengers, but to leave a horse-
box, and that it was owing to the train's detention to
leave this horsebox that it had not cleared the line be-
fore the arrival of the goods train from York.
Mr. M. Pearson, of Selby, the coroner for the dis-
trict, has opened an inquest to inquire into the circum-
stances of the accident. The following witnesses have
already been examined, but the inquest stands adjourned
until this day (Wednesday) :
George Jamieson stated that he was the engine-driver
of the excursion train which left Market Weighton about
9.55 p.m. on Friday. There was a large number of pas-
sengers-400 or 500. The train was on the way to
Wetherby. It arrived at Church Fenton about 12
o'clock, as near as he could tell. They had to stop at
the Church Fenton station to discharge passengers and
to leave a horsebox. They had to shunt the train back,
and to cross on to the main line, so as to leave the
horsebox at Fenton-station. They had got the horsebox
detached before the accident happened, and the passen-
ger train was recrossing the main line when the collision
occurred. A. luggage train from York, which was on
its proper line, ran into the passenger train, and came in
contact with some of the carriages, but he did not know
which, as he had to call the station-ma-ter, and then
start off to York immediately for assistance. There
were signals at every station ; and whenever a train was
shunting or stopping at a station signals ought to be
exhibited—a red light. When he was approaching the
station the proper signal light for him was exhibited.
That would not be a signal for the train approaching from
York. When he came to the station, before the acci-
dent, he asked the man having care of the signals if the
lights were put on at the -York or north end of the sta-
tion. He said they were not on, and he (witness) sent
him to put them on. This was eight or ten minutes be-
fore the accident occurred. There was nothing to be
seen or heard at that time approaching from York. As
soon as he told the signalman, he ran to the distant signal
handles to put on the lights, but he could not see them.
The distant signals were 400 or 500 yards to the north ef
the station. There was a signal at the station, and after
the accident he saw it exhibited. The passenger train was
across the main line a little longer than it ought to have
been in consequence of a gentleman saying there was a
horsebox for Ulleskelf in the train, and the guard conse-
quently had to examine the carriages. When he (wit-
ness) got to the place where the distant signal was it was
turned on, but the lamp was not lighted, or it had gone
out. If the signalman bad turned on the distant signal
when he sent him, and it bad been lighted, the guard
and driver of the goods train must have seen it, and
there woul I have been suffloient time to stop the train
before it reached the station. He was not on the engine
when the collision occurred, but near the horseboxes.
The fireman had charge of the engine then.
By the Foreman of the Jury—lt wag not customary
for him (a itness) to leave the engine, but his only de-
sire in this instance was to get off as quickly as possible.
The eignalinau only could turn the signal, but he foul 1
not light the lamp without getting up to it. I, was his'
duty to light the lamp before it became dark. The Fig-
nal light hal either burnt out or blown out.
By Mr. Glitch, who attended for the company—The
signalman, James Spiney, would not know that the pas-
senger train bad to shunt until it reached the station,
and when they began to shunt was the time when he
ought to have put on the lights.
George Whincup, the guard of the luggage train,
stated that the train left. York about 23 minutes past 22
It was composed of 50 carriages, Borne loaded and SOUN!
empty. They did not stop at Church Fenton. They
were running at the rate of 30 miles an hour that morn-
ing, which was about their usual speed. They passed
junctions at a speed of about 12 wiles an hour. He was
in the guar l's van. They did not consider Church Fen
ton a, jenction. There was no light exhibited at the dis-
tant signal ; it was quite out. The red part, or stop
board, was properly on. That signal being without a light
Nvouhl not be sufficient to cause the driver to stop. The
station signal ceuld be seen from Ulleskelf by night. He
saw only the white station light, or the "all right" sig-
nal, as he approached the station ; and, even with the
red day eieual turned on, the engine-driver would take
no notice of it, except that he would sound his
whistle, but would not slacken his speed. When the
collision occurred the shock was very great ; it broke
the window and threw him to the bottom of the van.
He was also thrown out of the van. Their train imme-
diately stopped, the resistance was so great. He did not
approach the place where the deceased were laid, as the
fireman of the passenger train told him the engine might
blow up. He should always expett the distant red sig-
nal to be lighted at night if a passenger train were in the
station. If it bad been turned on and lighted that night
it would have been the duty of the driver of the luggage
train to stop.
Benjamin Long, the guard of the passenger train,
stated that the train arrived at Church Fenton about a
quarter past 12 o'clock on Saturday morning. They were
about a quarter of an hour in th& shunting, and during
that time some portion of the passenger train was across
the main line. The carriage in which the two men were
who were killed was broken to pieces. Three or four car-
riages—one of them a thini the other a second class—
were destroyed. He saw the deceased when they were
found. One was laid on his back and the other on his
face. Brains was alive, butcould not 'peak. Coupland
was quite dead when he found him. Carriages were laid
upon them. There were several others much hurt. Braim
lived about an hour after he was taken out. Two medi
cal men, Mr. Scott and Mr. Lewis, arrived just before
his death. When the train arrived at Church Fenton
there were not more than 40 or 50 passengers. He heard
no complaint of the want of signal lighte, nor any ex-
planation from the driver of the goods train as to what
had caused them to run into the passenger train. The
main line was clear during half the quarter of an hour
that the passenger train was shunting. He could not
say whether the engine of the goods train whistled
before the collision occurred. He did not see the
goods train until it ran into the passenger train.
By the Foreman--They were obliged to leave a
portion of the train on the main line when they were
shunting, but there were proper 'signals to be given.
He expected the signals were on, and that all was
safe. If they had not seen the signalman, they would
certainly have run to the signals, or Sees they were on.
By Mr. Gutch —They wore three or four minutes lock_
ag for the horsebox, and the train was upon the main
line a portion of that time.
Stephen Wallace, engine-driver of the goods train,
stated that the light in the distant signal was out when
the goods train passed. The signal to stop was not
turned on ; that he observed. When not turned on the
red signal was turned to the west. He was sure it wag
so when they passed. The train came into Church Fen-
ton station at a speed of 30 miles an hour. From Ullee-
kelf to Church Fenton he saw the Fenton white light all
the way. The only thing he could see to cause him to
shut off the steam was the eight of the goods waggons a
short di-tance before him. Before the eneine fell over
he was thrown off. He saw Coupland lying dead among
the fragments of the carriages. If he had seen the dan-
ger signal on at the distant signals he would have stopped
the goods train before it entered Church Fenton station.
By the Foreman—There was no light at the distant
signal indicating danger. If the man had been at the
signal handle the signal might have been put on after he
passed and before the guard of their train passed. The
night was not light ; they could not see any obstruction
more than 50 yards from them.
By a Juror—lt would have required 300 or 400 yards
for him to stop the train, running with such a load and
at such a speed. The night watchman told bins that the
danger signal was on before be came up to the station,
but it was not. It was not a very common circumstance
for a danger signal to be blown out. The night was not
windy.

ANOTHER ACCIDENT.
On Saturday evening an accident happened at the
Church Fenton station to one of the servants of the
North-Eastern Company who collected the tickets from
the passengers of a train. After be had collected the
tickets he incautiously stepped down while the train was
in motion, and his font WWI c3.uf.),-ht by a wheel and
dreadfully crushed. He was removed to the County
Hospital at York, where it was found necessary to am-
. I
putate the fore part of his foot.

FATE OF A BURGLAR.—EarIy on Friday morning last
the house of Capt. Smith, at Goole, was, in the absence'
of the family, broken into by a burglar. Two of Mr.
Smith's neighbours, however, detected the robber at his
felonious work, and endeavoured to secure him, but he
ran away, pursued by the two men, and, Seeing no
means of eseap,, he jumped into the river Don. Be.
fore the two own could rescue him ho sank, and Was
drowned,