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

LONPL!'lst FRIDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 31, 1856.

THE FOG OF -WEBII4.k§pAZ,.

• .SERIOtS ACCIDENT -014:ilLE XIONDOII.•AND
NORTH-WESTEELN4I4IEIVAY.
• Yesterday much painful excitement was evinced amongst
%IA passengers by the
,TiondOzi and Nerth-Western Bait!
Way,throligh-a being pribtlely reported that a fearful ac:
Cident; ptttedded with ,the loss of two lives, the victims
being dTivei and a sto4r,. had taken place on the line the
preeediegAvening, or early that morning, at Wolverton,
dwr#4o*deUue fog; which favp acconnl,exeseived,aPPear!
to have. envelpf.the Whole country. weever, upon: an
inquirYbeinenittde,it was satisfactorily learnt that
although
Wednesday
460:sienettrwhag, tyest ort
erifonsuaenaeteidle;t had happened of
it was unattended
with loss of life. From what"esn'be gleaned, it seemstiltul
a luggage-train, to which had been 'attached two
engines (uot working), intended to be left for' repairs
at Wolverton, was proceeding up towards the latter
-station, when within two or three milet (the engine
drawing the train became unlinked,. and slipped
,off: the
Hui embedding itself in the adjoining embankment.; The
consequence was that, the luggage-vans become` clogged',
and a scene of general confusion ensued on the two enkines
which were in the rear coming with all,their might among
the upset waggons. Immediately, through the accident
having taken place in along cutting, the rails were com-
pletely blocked by the debris and shattered carriages, and a
telegraphic message was instantly despatched to Wolvei-
ton, apprising them there of the disaster. As promptly as
possible telegraphic communications were forwardecrfrom
Wolverton to the stations up and down the line warning
approaching trains not to advance, and a large body of
4botirers were at once sent on, to the ac.ene. of Vie
'occunettseata clear the rail* . •povio
„elapsed, of course, before this could be-sseeomplished,When
on removing the engines it was found that they were much
damaged. The lines were cleared, the rails having been
perfectly tested. The trains which had been delayed were
allowed to proceed on cautiously, the latter precaution
being taken as seven or eight trains were standing on
various parts of the up and down lines. No other accident,
happily, took place, and the working of the line continued
uninterrupted throughout yesterday. With respect to the
driver and stoker who were alleged to have been killed by
the frightful occurrence, the reporter learnt that the driver
only sustained same slight scalds, and that the stoker
escaped unhurt

'that euipty tiaint 'should be barOughkiatvW olvertaii, and
.that-the Pl44lgera Cdight to 'betranefezred; but this was
and
*possible, inasmupil, as the r.4a: wilt* tepa up and dis-
sttterebhpeadsviedbyeesttjohnfed'auoz4eteolelisadsiboaannuicrforsentavr nineabeiLlyrrii:paiiisnuasiirterenattufirgash:tal:iineg,
the
over so
great a .distanee, would have bean attended with imminent
risk to life and limb. The more daring passengers out of
some of the trains found their way .tb. Wolvertoa, where
the whole supply of edibles and liquids was spoedily con-
sumed., Expresses were sent to Newport Pagnell and Sto-
-tiey StratfOrd, and other places. to obtain provisions, but
naanY Pamellgeteaailed id even getting a- piece of bread,
and a biscuit or a quarter of a pork pio is described by
thecoards :ns having been-. worth a king's ransom, to such
state of hungergwere many persons redufed.
Another wkward circumstance in cannection with the
daratidery tfowllasovglediralheaft toneeZiinthy,-thterik'seeollistrallio;occ.whuierrhe. dimwmeere-
the last to be relieved. Each succeeding train added to the
existing block, and When at last Itr.-Beaft>rd, chief officer
of the company's police in the district, who was in attend.
ance alniostjAuhediately after the accisleae, And remained
actively.oegnged. under Mr. M'Connelly.flie whole night,
gave the' word eor up traffic to be. ,resumed, such was
• the elate of the trains that to adapt a Scriptural metaphor,
" The first was actually last and the bat'
pool mail leaving that place at 10.30 p.m.
da Wednes y
night being the first to shunt on to
rails—o
ver
which lei rai Or
whiCh single lineiit is much to the .:redlt • e company's
AFst," the Liver-
pool
piloted,
officiars to declare, all the delayed , •
..iithterou:hatil.aniinantoe: streafiiiogt,,itwi.Ethnoitaut co:
ib ooufsai:bnegelne
casnelty.
Map be interesting .to
ittt kto a like nx tent) .4-
-note the variation' " dinary periods whandua
and the actual arrival of the principal up trains affected by
the accident :

Due Oct. 29. Arrd. Oct. 30,
Liverpool, 3d class 6.30 p.m.
Midland, fast train
Manchester, Ist and 2d class 7.30 p.m.
Birmingham, Ist and 2d class 8.30 p.m. 10.42 a.m.
Liverpool, express 9.30 p.m...... 9.29 a.m.
Manchester, Ist and 2d class 10.5 p.m.
Scotch, express

The Liverpool and Scotch mails due respectively at Ens-
ton at 4.30 a.m. and 5.15 yesterday morning, although the
last affected by the block, were, as already stated, the first
to shunt, and they both arrived within a few minutes of
each other, between seven and eight o'clock yesterday
morning.

Ono result of the accident was that the telegraph com-
munication was entirely destroyed, several of the posts
having been knocked down, and a considerable extent of
the wires broken. It was some time after midnight before
the communication *as restored.

The ordinary traffic was resumed yesterday shortly after
noon, but the up line was not restored, and for a few hours
the trains will be piloted over the down line.

coroner
att fr
c e
CORONER'S INQUESTS ON THE SOUTH-
WESTERN RAIL WAY SUFFERERS.
East Surrey,
ehveeindi ntgw,
oMI
lengthened inquiries, .
gWrnen.Carter,the
Dog and Fox Tavern, Wimbledon, on the one h
body of Win.
_Yeomans, aged 39, a porter, employed on the Wimble-
don station ; the other was held at the Plough Tavern,
Battersea, on the body of Thomas Watkins, aged 45, a
gate-keeper at the Plough-lane crossing, who were dread-
fully mutilated and killed during the dense fog which
prevailed on Wednesday last.
Respecting the latter case, John Oakley said that he
resided at No. 23, Ford's-buildings, New-rcad, Batter.
sea, and knew the deceased, who was employed at the
Plough-lane crossing. The line was about 24 or 25 feet
wide, and on Wednesday night it was so foggy that he
could not see across the line. On Wednesday evening,
having been sent on an errand, he approached the gates
when he beard the noise of a train approaching. He said
to deceased, " Well, neighbour, this is very bad wea-
ther for your business, and I am afraid we shall hear of
several accidents." He iu reply said, " I am afraid we
shall," when he crossed over the line with his lamp in
hand to signal the approaching train. Witness saw him
step upon the down line to let him (witness) through.
There was not time enough for him to get out of the
way, and the consequence was that the engine struck
him, knocked him down, and the whole of the train
passed over the middle of his body and killed him.
By the Coroner—lt was impossible to see from the
gates 25 yards over the line, and he thought no driver
could see from the engine. The deceased allowed one
train to pass and then got confused ; .when in stepping
on the down line, not more at first than six yards from
the engine, he was hurled down. Owing to the density
-cf•the -fog- —wad: imPositibls to iseit=.4he lights of the
• angitiev,tel-tkhe.occeavuoW9olr place, was
not a stopping station, .bat a pa.... 0 t the main line.
He has seen the trains meet at that particular spot
but he could net tell the times, ge heard the whistli:
sounded of the up-train, but the noise it made
drowned the other one. He did not think deceased
intended to commit suicide.
Thos. Hewitt esid he was a guard in the employment
of the London and South-Western Railway. On Wed-
nesday evening he left the Waterloo-road terminus at
five minutes atter 4 o'clock. Upon reaching the Wallas-
worth station his attention was called to the deceased's
cap, which was en the buffer-plates of the engine. The
train was stopped at Vauxhall, and after leaving there
came on at the rate of 12 miles an hour until arriving
at the Falcon junction, when he was stopped by a fog
signal, which exploded like a gun or pistol. After pro-
ceeding about 400 yards further on the line the accident
took place. The driver of the engine had, however, pre-
viously sounded his whistle from the junction to the gate.
By the Corner---It was impossible to see six yards be-
yond the gates ; but there was nothing to indicate after
leaving the junction that anything was wrong. Looking
at the state of the weather, he thought every precaution
bad been used to prevent such a deplorable occurrence.
Both whistles sounded alike, there was no difference in
the keys. The driver first told him that he thought
they bad passed over some subtance.
By Mr. Godson—There is a great difference in the
sound of the whistles belonging to the goods trains ; but
no variation in the whistles of the passenger trains.
Had the weather been clear he had no doubt the accident
could have been prevented. Every gatekeeper and
porter is supplied with time-tables, which made known
at what moment a train was due.
The learned Coroner having summed up, the Jury
returned a verdict of Accidental Death.
The first case lasted a considerable time, at which
Mr. Godson, the superintendent of the goods depart-
ment, attended to watch the inquiry. The following
will be found to be a brief summary of the evidence :
Win. Porter said that he knew the deceased, who was
a porter and not a signal-man. Wednesday morning it
was so dark on account of the fog that it was impossible
for any one to see across or down the line for 20 yards.
Two trains were due in the morning at one time ; one an
express, the other a passenger regular stoppage train.
Witness was employed to signal the trains, but eould not
always do so on account of their not arriving at the
proper time. It was the usual practice to extend the
right arm as the signal, but when the up-line was not
clear it was the invariable practice to put up a danger
signal. As far as he knew the up-line was quite clear.
The up train having passed along, the down train was
started, and he then, for the first time, found that the
deceased was missing. He then had some misapprehen-
P sions about him, more especially as the deceased came
out of the porter's house just before the up train passed..
He called out "Bill," but got no answer. He then
thought he could see something on the line, and he went
upon the platform on the down side on the middle of the
up-road, in the four feet way. Ilse found that his feet
were towards Waterloo and his head towards the sta;,-
tion. Ho called to the head porter, when they found the
hands and feet of the deceased cut to pieces, and he was
quite dead. He was of opinion that the deceased lost his
life by stepping
behind the train instead of going, as was
his duty, in front of it. 0 wing to the dense state of the
atmosphere, and the steam beating down, there was a
greater degree of darkness than previously. All the trains
whistle on passing the station, and even on approaching
it. No confusion is created by the whistling. The deceased
had been employed at the same station several months,
and had been supplied with a book of instructions and
time tables. His duty was to look to the trains stopping
at the station. It was quite likely the deceased did not
know that the express train was due.
By the Coroner—He thought the deceased came outtoo
late to get in front of the train, and in consequence the
other one coming up it caught the deceased and knocked
him down. He had been employed at the station quite
long enough to know that the express was due. The
express came from Southampton, and did not stop at that
station, and the other was a Hampton•court train. Wit-
ness ran about 900 yards to put the signals on. There
was no necessity for the deceased to put up the signal for
that train.
Charles Hatchard, the chief porter, at the station,
haying confirmed the testimony of the previous witness,
added that he saw deceased on duty on the previous
day, and he ought to have been present on the arrival of
any up or down train, lie was perfectly sober, but had
been unwell for some time, and complained of pains in
the head.
Mr. Godson, in answer to the Coroner, said that if it
had not been for the density of the fog he believed the
poor fellow would be at the present time alive.
The jury having consulted, they returned a verdict of
gc Accidental death," and added that no blame was attri-
butable to any of the company's officers.

COURT OF COMMON COUNCIL.—At the court held
of Boston bad presented to the Corporation
books were ordered to be added to the
yesterday the Lord Mayor informed the court that the
°lltwo beautiful volumes relating to the City of
ti
The
Coßf oo
Londonrs pt
oo
or a.
Guildhall library.
...Sir J. Key presented a very long
list of perions applying for the freedom of the city. The
report of the claim committee recommending the repeal
of so much of the acts of Common Council as relates to
the nomination by the Lord Mayor of persons to serve
the office of sherd was brought up by Mr, Wood, The
report was agreed 0,

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.