The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-11 00:00:00

FEARFUL RAILWAY CATA.STROPIIE.

The New Yen; Tribune reports a terrible railway
calamity which recently occurred on the Long Island
Railway. The regular 10.30 a.m. passenger train for
Northport left Hunter's Point in time, with a train of
three cars, two passenger cars, one baggage and smoking
car, drawn by the locomotive " Thurlow Weed,"
and carrying about 100 persons, between twenty and
thirty of them being in the rear car. When a mile and a
half beyond Jamaica, at about fifteen minutes past eleven,
a sudden jar was felt, followed by a crash like the sound of
a cannon, and the startled conductor stopped the train as
speedily as possible. The engine and baggage-car were
unharmed. The hind truck of the second car was off the track,
but no one in it was injured, and the car itself sustained
very little damage. But the third car was thrown from
the track by the broken rail to which the catastrophe is
attributed, and the forward truck was in some unaccount-
able way broken off, and tipped up in such a manner as
to lodge between the track and the floor above it. Instead
of being stopped by this obstacle the car rushed on, and
the iron wheels tore through the floor, breaking it to
splinters and ripping the seats from their fastenings, and
finally knocking ofi the hind truck, dropping the car on
the track. If the coupling had only broken at
this instant the accident would not have been
SO terrible, but the link held with fatal tenacity, and
for at least fifty yards further the bottomless cage
bounded along, grinding the miserable passengers beneath
its cruel edges, and strewing the horrible mass of blood-
stained rubbish and writhing humanity along the track, so
that when it finally stopped it was entirely empty, only
excepting one wretched woman, who lay half under it.
Four men, one woman, and an infant were killed.almost
instantly. Thirteen persons were also more or less severely
injured—one or two, it is thought, fatally.

LAW AX]) POLICE

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itiaLwAy LtractAor..-In the Court of Queen's Bench,
on Monday, a discussion of some importance to railway
travellers was raised on a County Court appeal. The
queztion was whether a rocking-horse, 44 inches long,
and weighing 781 h., could be considered as the
personal luggage of a railway traveller. An animated
debate ensued, and Justice Hanncn said that the defini-
tion of luggage in the dictionary was, "anythingcuntbrous
and difficult to carry," which definition applied here. The
counsel for the company said he had known cases in
which passengers had insisted on carrying a barrel of beer
or a sack of potatoes. Numerous cases were put in the
course of the argument ; the case of a gentleman carrying
home a salmon or a barrel of oysters for dinner, or a.
hamper of wine for his cellar, or a case of booksfor reading
in the train, and so forth. Mr. Justice Hannen suggested
that the-rule night, perhaps, be laid down thus—that the
passenger was entitled to have anything which passengers
usually or generally required fur their personal
use or accommodation on a journey, which would
include a bath or bathing-tin, but exclude a rocking-
horse or cradle. The court gave judgment for the
company, though they were not prepared to hold that
luggage must be strictly limited to articles of personal use.
They thought, however, that it might be held to apply to
all articles usually carried by passengers, a definition
which excluded the rocking-horse.
PI3I3LICANS AND IDE rOLICE.—On Monday the land-
lord of a public-house at Cheshuut, llerts, was summoned
for -knowingly harbouring the police. It was stated
that a ccnstable on duty in the neighbourhood went
into the defendant's house a few minutes before eleven
at night, and called for a pint of beer, which Ile
drank, and left the house. The constable admitted that
he had done so, but said he was not more than five minutes
in the house, a statement that was confirmed by wit-
nesses. The chairman doubted whether a licensed
victualler had any right to serve a constable on duty, but
the solicitor for the defendant argued that the constable
might have to explain his conduct to the authorities at
Scotland-yard, and that the licensed victualler could
not refuse to serve any person that might present himself.
After some discussion, the chairman said the point was a
knotty one, and the bench dismissed the case.

HIRING A PIANO. —On Monday, in the second Court of
Queen's Bench, an action was brought by Cramer and Co.,
Regent-street, to recover the value of a piano from
Mr. Mott. in February of last year, a gentleman
named Wynne came to lodge with defendant, and brought
with him a piano, which he had hired of the plaintiff
on the three years' system. Last November Wynne
made default in his payment for the piano, ant
some time after the plaintiff sent to the defendant's house
for the piano. He refused to part with it until the rent
was paid. The defendants shortly after sold the instru-
ment to recover their rent. The jury returned a verdict
for the defendant.

REPORTERS AND BOARDS OF GUARDIANS.—At
the last meeting of the Newport (Wales) Board of Guar-
dians, Colonel Lyne moved a resolution to the effect that
the representatives of the press be admitted to the meet-
ings of the hoard. This was opposed by several speakers.
One—the Rev. Chancellor Williams—" considered it
would be detrimental to the interests of the board if the
press were admitted ;" another gentleman felt assured that
if the board passed the motion Lord Tredegar would
resign his seat as president. This threat was warmly taken
up by those members who were in favour of reporters being
admitted, it being contended that it had nothing to do
with the real queition at issue. Ultimately the motion
was carried by the narrow majority of one. Through a
technicality, a second division was called for, when the
motion was again carried by the same majority.

We, Pall Nall Gazette, are infomed that wi'hin
the past few days the Director-General of the Army Mecteal
Department has addresad a communication to the vari-
ous medical officers in charge of distrie s and invaiding
depots calling for an official statement of any cgt,es of
"cupping" that have come under their Lotic.'. If the
Secretary of State is really anxious to get at the truth,'
would it not Le as well to call fo: independent testimony on
the subject from o:deers and men ? It is hardly to be ex-
pected that the medical officers who have lent themselves to
this disgraceful practice will come forward to confess-it.
From what we hear ran,wers a: e being Loccuetel to the of
finial interrogatories of a vague, evasive kind, in!ended to
m:Jead.

Mr. James:Mellor, epirit rectifier, of Hunter street,
Liverpool, was summoned before the borough magistrates
on Saturd►y, charged by tbe Excise authorit:es with having
on his premises 81gallons of spirits in excess of the quantity
debited to him. It appeared fron► the statement 4Y Alr.
Tyndall, who prosecuted, that the defendant had paid the
penality on four previous occasions to the Excise, who now
thought it high time that the matter sliotll bu brought
before the public. 'The explanation was that the ex-
cess was accidental and: undiscovered, and that varia-
tions in the . quantity of stock were ucavoilall.,
they being frequently against the distiller,' Rho neve' time-
less was required to pay duty on the larger quantity. The
bunch, having no lower to mitigate the penalty, fined Mr.
Mellor £B4, being 20s. per gallon for every gallon in excess,
the spirit-t being also forft ited to the Crown.