The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-10 00:00:00

ling of which broke at Helmshore. I was in the
compartment text to the coupling. If we had
stopped at Helmshore before the snap it was as much
as could be said. The snap took place, as I thought,
when the carriages rebounded in stopping. There
are a coupling and two chains between each car-
riage, and I heard only one snap. I heard something
striking the sleepers, like a chain, as we 'rolled back.
As we went back lour of those with me got out, but
I did not, thinking the train was going so fast as to
be dangerous to attempt it, and soon afterwards we
came to a sudden stop. I heard no noise or whistle
to that time, nor did I hear any trash. One man
who was left in the carriage with me was thrown
against the side of the window with the sudden
stoppage, and got a blow, which gave him a black
eye and cut the side of his head. When I got to the
place where the carriages were broken I saw two
broken ones on the bank, and one broken all to bits
on the rail.. I saw several persons carried away, but
did not know any of thew. • When the carriages
broke loose, if there had been a guard at the break,
it would have been stopped before it got five yards
away._

By Mr. Grundy—llthink any one guard would
have stopped the carriages going back if he
had screwed down his break at once. I believe
the carriage was a blue one, and the lining was a
dark blue. The rebound which broke us loose
shook me more than the collision did when we
came against the train fol,owing us. I could not
say whether it was a chain or a coupling that snapped.
Supposing the guard at the back of the train, in
approaching the station, had put on the break, and
had then let the break fly back ready to start again,
it would have led to 'the carriage rolling back and
the shock which cau.sed the snap of the coupling.
A little before 2 o'clock the jury adjourned to see
the Birkenhead Company's carriages and the broken
shackle which belonged to it, and to dine.
When the jury re-assembled at 3 o'clock the wit-
nesses Ashworth and Grindrod stated that the first
class carriage in which they travelled was not
among those the ktry had examined at the station.
Grindrod said the middle compartment of the car-
riage in which he travelled had no window or sash
on the left side of the middle compartment. It was
a first class, and not a composite, calculatedto carry
six in each compartment.
At the request of the jury, all witnesses intended
to be called belonging to the railway company were
desired to leave the court, except Mr. Shaw.
Mr. Cooper, stationmaster at Salford, sworn—l
remember the three excursion trains on Monday -
last, in connexion with an exhibition at the Belle-
vue-gardens. The first of them in returning left
at 10 minutes before 11, and had 14 carriages, one
engine, and two guards. It was going to Colne.
The second train had 31 carriages, two engines,
two guards, and left at 10 minutes past 11, being
an interval of 20 minutes. That was also going to
Colne. We had an ordinary train next, going to
Bury only, before the third excursion went, and
that left at 21 minutes past 11 o'clock. The third
excursion train to Colne consisted of 24 carriages
and two engines. There were two guards. It left
at 31 minutes past 11. We have a porter named
Jai. Borke, and I asked him if all the couplings and
chains were right, and he said they were. It is
Borke's special duty to do it, and there is a porter
at the Salford station besides. It is a printed rule
of the company, also, that the guards shall see to
the couplings and chains. I cautioned all the drivers
before they went to proceed cautiously. There would
be 2,500 or 2,600 passengers in the three trains.
The driver of the first was Wm. Rough ; Thomas
Seddon and Wm. Landless were the drivers of the
second ; Samuel Ramsbottom and George Simpson
were the drivers of the third. The second train
NN as composed of a smaller class of carriages, and
those used in the ordinary traffic. In the second
train there were about seven of the Birkenhead
Company's carriages of 10 borrowed on the Friday
previously. In the first place these were sent to
Bury empty, to the company's workshops, and were
there examined.
By Mr. Leresche—There is no particular rule as
to the apportionment of guards to a train accoriing
to the carriages. I have nothing to do with that.
-Mr. Shaw, the outdoor superintendent, appoints
the number of guards and officers for each train.
Mr. Shaw had given me instructions on that day to
send out two guards to each train, but the carriages
in each train were the same as had brought the.pas-
sengers in the morning. It is true that the carriages
were without lights. We do not find lights for
excursion trains. The caution was not a special one
because the train was a long one. We often send
longer trains than that, but I always caution the
drivers under such circumstances. The guards were
regular guards of passenger trains or luggage trains,
and were competent persons. We always send the
most experienced guards on such occasions. One
of the guards may, without my knowledge, have
called a porter in to assist him unknown to me. It
does not seem that it would have been safer to
divide the second train in two. It would have
caused there to be more trains than desirable.
There were three breaks,—one in front, one about
the middle, and the third in the last carriage but
three. They were not break-vans, but passenger
carriages with breaks, worked from the outside.
There was one of the breaks not under the care of
a guard. That is frequently so.
By Mr. Baldwin—l have no book in my office
containing the number of carriages in each train,
but the guards make a note of it, which would be
sent to Accrington.
By the Coroner—There were about 500 people
n the first train, and 1,000 in each of the others.
By Mr. Grundy—The second and third trains
would be of about equal weight, the third being of
larger and heavier carriages. Mr. Shaw, the su-
perintendent, and Mr. Goodier, the inspector, at-
tended specially to see these three trains off. I
never saw excursion trains with lights inside. They
had all the proper side and tail lights. The curve
would hide the second from the third when the ac-
cident occurred. 'Break-vans are not used for ex•
cursion trains, because the passengers do not carry
luggage; but carriages with breaks are as efficient
as vans with breaks. From my experience I should
say the train of 31 carriages was perfectly safe as
to size and weight, and two guards would be suffi-
cient for such a train. It is an advantage When
there are two guards only to have extra breaks, be-
cause a guard can work several breaks on an incline.
It was now 6 o'clock, and Mr. Leresche said as
the Court had been engaged from 9 o'clock in the
morning he hoped the coroner would adjourn.
The Coroner said the jury wished to sit later, in
order to get through the inquiry before Tuesday's
Manchester market.
Mr. Leresche said if by sitting late there was a
prospect of finishing the inquiry 011 Monday he
would not object ; but there was no prospect of
that, and there were many gentlement present from
a distance to whom a late sitting on a Saturday
would be a great inconvenience.
The jury manifested great. impatience at the in-
terruption, and one of them (Mr. Whittaker) said
none of the jury had to go to a distance, and there
was no occasion to adjourn.
Mr. Leresche said he had no wish to press his
own personal convenience, but this was a grave
inquiry, and he could not discharge his conscience,
however the jury might be satisfied of their powers
of endurance, if they went further. Re did not
think everything should be sacrificed to their inte-
rest in the Manchester market.
The Coroner then decided to adjourn the court
till Monday, notwithstanding the reluctance of the
jury, which had not been expressed in a very cour-
teous manner.
There have been no deaths since the morning of
the accident, and the doctors express a belief that
the whole of the wounded will recover.