The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-31 00:00:00

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

Early on Wednesday afternoon an accident happened on
the London and North- Western Railway, two miles on the
Blisworth side of the Wolverton-station, which caused an
entire stoppage of the through trains nearly throughout the
night. It appears that oue of Fairbairn's large goods en-
gines was proceeding with two other engines of a similar

- . -
size and character to Wolverton Locomotive Depot, in

order to undergo repair. From some failing in the coupling
chain, the front engine became detached from the engine

behind, and went on some distance before the driver could
bring it up. lie then reversed his engine and proceeded
carefully back in order to take up the " dead" engines._
The line, however, where the mishap occurred, being on an
incline, the engines, impelled by the momentum previously
imparted to them, proceeddd along at a reduced rate, and
came in contact with the " live" engine, which was coming
back to their aid. The three were immediately thrown
across the road, the " dead" engines over the up line, and
the "live" one on the down rails, causing a formidable
blockage to the passing of all through trains. To add to
the mischief the road was torn up, and the two hind en-
gines worked themselves deep into the bank, so rendering
the task of extricating them more difficult. Information
of the accident was instantly communicated to the Wolver-
ton and Roade stations, and • a passenger train, which was
due, was happily stopped. Gangs of labourers were
promptly despatched to the spot, but owing to the ponder-
ous size of the locomotives, and the way they had ploughed
up and worked themselves into the road and bank, coupled
with the very foggy state of the atmosphere, it was- not
until an early hour yesterday that one of the lines could
be got clear, and which was made available for the passage
of up and down trains. The labourers continued their ex-
ertions in endeavouring to raise the two "dead engines,"
and so clear the other line of rails, but at eleven o'clock
yesterday that had not been accomplished. The non-ar-
rival of the usual trains last evening created consideoble
uneasiness at the • Euston-square terminus. The first
through train that arrived was the mail yesterday morning
at six o'clock. The up and down traffic is now proceeding
as usual. The driver and stoker of the " live engine,"
who stuok to their post, are reported to be injured, but not
seriously so. They have been removed to their houses at
Wolverton. --- • •
letrittifBA-kiatriClMEßg. •

The dense fog which prevailed in the metropolis on Wed-
nesday seems to have been very general throughout the coun-
try. Accounts received yesterday at all the railway termini
in London agree in stating that, on no former occasion
have the oldest guards and officers of the respective lines
experienced anything like so complete an obscuration of
the atmosphere. At Winchester and Southampton the
ordinary avocati.ns of business were necessarily suspended,
and all along the south-western coast the fog was exceed-
ingly heavy, extending to Hastings, Folkestone, and Dover.
From the north similar accounts have been received, and
Rugby and Banbury sem to have been especially affected
by it. A great many accidents have taken place in various
parts of the country, and perhaps none more remarkable
than one which occurred about two miles north of Wolver-
ton, on the London and North- Western Railway, by which
the whole traffic of that great artery of locomotion was alto-
gether stopped for about twelve hours, and the delivery of
the northern mails in London delayed until nearly noon
yesterday.

The accident happened in the following extraordinary
manner :7-About half-past three o'clock on Wednesday
afternoon, a goods train, consisting of about 25 trucks and
two damaged engines, propelled by one of the company's
most powerful locomotives, was approaching Wolverton
station, when the engine suddenly became uncoupled, and
ran forward down the Ashton Bank, where there h a grA-
dient of lin 330 for more than a mile. At the time this
happened the driver could not see the length of his own
engine owing to the fog, but the course he adopted on
finding himself break away was to run down the bank at
a good speed, and what he supposed to be a sufficient dis-
tance beyond, to enable the train to come to a stand. He
then returned quietly, intending to re-attach his engine.
Unfortunately, however, the train had not stopped, and
the fog preventing the driver from observing its approach,
the coming train and the returning engine came into vio-
lent collision at a point of the road closely adjoining the
village of Hanslope. The effect was perfectly frightful.
All three engines were driven together in one inextricable
mass, and then fell over, blocking up both lines of rails,
and, with several of the leading trucks, creating a debris
which effectually prevented all traffic either up or down
the line for several hours. As soon as the guard of the
train had recovered from the shock of the collision, he
obtained the assistance of some labourers who had been

t down
having first pu and stoker from beneath the wreck,
ttracted to the spot, and set about extricating the driver
fog signals, and despatched messengers both to Wolver-
ton and Roads stations to stop all coming trains.
The
• •
driver was found not much hurt—his principal injuries
arising from scalds about the chests and arms
; but
the stoker was seriously injured. Both were conveyed
as speedily as possible to a small farm-house in n
the
village of Hanslope, where they shortly afterwards
re-
ceived medical assistance from Mr. Rogers, of
surgeon,
Wolverton, under whose care they remain.
Wolverton,
Before assistance of any kind arrived from.
the up and down trains began to accumulate. north a
south of the accident, the difficulties of combating with
d
which was much increased, owing to its having occurred
in the midst of a deep embankment, where it was impos-
sible to topple over any portion of the wreck, the situation
s
rendering it imperative to get everything afresh upon it
wheels, and drag it away, or attempt the Herculean task
of raising it up a steep embankment some 35 or 40 feet
high. For some time after the accident, and. until Mr.
M'Connell and Mr. Parker, the chief officer, had arrived
from Wolverton, absolutely nothing was done, The men
present were zealously anxious to do all they could, but
the magnitude of the wreck paralysed their energies ; and
until a directing head had laid down a plan, it would have
been useless to attempt to clear the line; The jfirst up
train following that to which the accident had occurred
was the third-class from Liverpool, consisting
of a large
number of carriages, as usual, fully occupied. They had
left Liverpool at 7.45 a.m., and weie due in London at
6.30 p.m. This was followed by a goods train, and then
came the noonday train from Manchester, and so on train
after train until the up rails, for a distance of several
miles, were entirely occupied by passenger-laden
carriages.
A corresponding stoppage of the down trains occurred. ,
The 2 p.m., 4 p.m.a
' and 5 p m, express from London all
reached the spot before much progwess had been made in
clearing the line. On Mr. M'Conell's arrival he deter-
mined that the down line should b e
first cleared, and after
a host of workmenhad been engaged for several hours, the
down rails were so far restored as to allow trains to pass
over them slowly, and in this manner the traffic of the
afternoon and evening from London was forwarded to
the north. The passengers for the south we re not so for-
tunate—the great accumulation of trains ova upon an-
other rendering it impossible to carry on both up and
down traffic over a single line at the same time with any,
degree of safety, and it was not until an early hour yester-
day morning that the first of the up-';;rains passed through
Wolverton for London.
It will be ppidily imagined that among such an enor-
mous congregation of passengers, detained through the
whole of a Most inclement night in. a Battalion where it
was utterly impossible to obtain refreshme It of any kind,
grumblers Were sot wanting. There were 50.41 e who urged