The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-19 00:00:00

THE WEATHER.

After the heavy fall of snow which took place
yesterday morning, the biting, northerly wind almost
departed, leaving the temperature much milder, al-
though the thermometer at the Receiving-house re-
gistered 25 deg. daring the nighs and up to 9 o'clock
yesterday morning. After that hour it gradually
rose, until at noon it had reached 331, but again
gradually decreased, and at 9 o'clock at night it
stood at 31, or 1 deg. below freezing point, with a
slight wind from the north-west. The following is
the report from the various parks : —On the Serpen-
tine the ice is in good condition, being from three
and a half to four inches in thickness. There were

10,000 persons on it during the day, without any
casualty having occurred. Last night at 9 o'clock
there were about 2,000 persons on the ice, either
skating, walking, or sliding, with a bright and clear
moon. The banks were crowded with people. On
the Round-pond, Kensington, the ice is also in good
condition—three and a half inches thick. About
6,000 persons were on it during the day, without
any casualty. On the Long-water the ice is sound,
and of the same thickness as above. About 7,000
persons were on it during the day and no casualties.
In St. Jaines's-park the ice in many parts is dan-
gerous. Upwards of 7,000 persons were on it dur-
ing the day. There were 15 immersion; and 11
persons badly cut from falls. These cases were all
attended by Dr. M'Cann. About 8 o'clock in the
afternoon Robert Trowbridge, a private in the Scots

Fusilier Guards, had a severe fall, resulting in con-

cussion of the brain ; and about the same time John

Sheppard, 23, Burnham-street, Plaistow, fell while
sliding, and fractured his knee-joint.
The navigation of the Thames was partially
opened for lighters towed by steamtugs.
The traffic to Dover was resumed on Thursday
night on the South-Eastern Railway. The traffic
between Canterbury and Ramsgate on the South-
Eastern is entirely suspended on account of the

snow ; and on the same line yesterday the snow was
lying nearly six feet deep between the Saltwood
tunnel and Shorncliffe. The trains from Dover
arrived safely, however, at Cannon-street yesterday
morning, though a little behind time. The snow on

the Kentish coast has been very heavy, and the pas-

sage from Faversham to Ramsgate on the London,
Chatham, and Dover line is completely blocked.

The company have, however, obtained the sanction
of the War-office to allow all available men from

the garrison at Chatham to assist in removing the
snow. A train which left Ludgate-hill on Wednes-

day night now lies buried in the snow between
Bekesbourn and Adisham, and a luggage train, con-
sisting of the engine and 42 trucks, is in the same
predicament on the Ramsgate branch. 'I he telegraph
wires between Faversham, Herne Bay, Margate,
Broadstairs, and Ramsgate are broken down, and
all communication stopped. The traffic on the Great
Eastern Railway, interrupted on Thursday by very
heavy accumulations of snow on many parts of the
line, was reopened almost everywhere yesterday,
and the main line trains ran with tolerable punc-
tuality.
By far the heaviest fall of snow yet experienced
in the North Riding of Yorkshire occurred on
Thursday night, and the roads are all more or less
impassable. The work of cutting out the imprisoned
railway trains in the Specton cutting, which had to
be left on account of the exhaustion of the men, has
been undone, and yesterday morning the line which
had been cleared was again blocked up. There are
drifts quite 10ft. thick in places, and the goods train
which first stuck fast is quite snowed over, only the

top of the engine funnel being visible. The pass?n-
gers by the imprisoned trains have been got out, and
have returned either to Scarborough or Driflield, and
some of them who wished to be at Scarborough, and
had to go round by Mahon, were about 30 hours on
the journey, one whole night being spent iu the snow.
Yesterday a telegram stated that the line was ob-
structed from Seamier Junction to Filey. Gangs of
mcn were at work at the Sedmer end and at the Brid-
lington end of the obstructed line; but as snow con-
tinued to fall, and was so light that the least wind
drifted it, it was not expected the traffic even on a
single line could be resumed yesterday. Fortunately
the Malton and Driffield line is open, though on the
Mahon slope of the `Voids a great fall of snow has
occurred. The trains get through, however, with
two powerful goods engines attached. The Hull
traffic is all worked the Malton way. The line be-
tween Malton and Scarborough is in places greatly
drifted, but trains, though late, get through with
two engines attached. The Whitby line yet con-
tinues open, but the snow is so deep that the car-
riage steps cut through it. On the Thirsk line
there is also a great amount of snow. The great
snow fall is seriously impeding the coal traffic, and
supplies are very short. On the moors the snow is
stated to be some feet thick.
A collision occurred on the Blyth and Tyne Rail-
way on Thursday afternoon, near the Backworth
station, through the line being so much blocked up
by drifted snow. The drifts had been heavy during
Wenesday night and Thursday, and as there is a
heavy coal traffic on this railway great efforts were
made to got it clear and keep the traffic open. Not-
withstanding the best efforts of the manager, the
trains could not be got to Tynemouth before the
afternoon, and one of the up-trains ran off the line
between Whitley and Earscion, blocking up that part
of the road, and the up-train passengers had to be
transferred to a train on the down line. The pas-
sengers by the 1 30 p.m. train from Tynemouth were
thus transferred, and were run up to the Backworth
station, the engine pu3hing them up from the rear.
At the Backworth station the Tynemouth branch
joins the main line. The engine was detached from
behind and ran on to the main line to be put in
front of the train, and to bring it on its proper line
of rails. While this was being done the train, hav-
ing got a push, ran down the line of rails between
Tynemouth, and could not be stopped. The car-
riages were met by an engine which was sweeping
the line of snow, which ran into it, smashing up the
hindmost carriage, and severely injuring several of
the passengers. Mr. Donaldson, the engineer to
Backworth Colliery, was taken out of the broken
carriage which was knocked off the rails. lie was
quite insensible, and blood was pouring from a
number of wounds in his face and head. One
of his eyes was much injured, and his
left leg was out of joint. He is in a
most critical condition. Mr. Nicholson, farmer,
Monkseaton, had some of his ribs broken ; and Mr.
Hall, of Cairnside, another farmer, was badly hurt,
having bad his legs jammed between the seats of the
carriage. Other persons were hurt, but not seriously.
The snow was lying deep in the county of Northum-
berland yesterday, and there had been another fall
during the night.

The Scotsman of yesterday says of the storm in
Scotland :—" The snow continues seriously to inter-
fere with railway traffic over the country. All the
through trains from the south were detained yester-
day again considerably past their time. The express
from Carlisle at 6.28 a.m., and due at the Waverley-
bridge station at 9.38, did not arrive till 10.51,
being a detention of an hour and 13 minutes. The
express from London by the east coast route, due in
Edinburgh at 8.30, was 31 minutes late. The fast
train from Carlisle to Edinburgh, leaving at 2.16
a.m., and due at 5.40, was 20 minutes late. The
train from York was 29 minutes behind time. The
train from Perth by the Scottish Central line, due
here at 9.45, arrived punctually. In consequence
of a fresh fall of snow the Aberdeen line has been
again blocked up. We are informed that in the
Vale of Yarrow the snow is lying to a depth of
8 feet. In Inverness, we learn from the Courier,
tha streets are partially blocked up, and to vehicles
almost impassable."
The following appears in the Dundee Courier of
Thursday :—" A train which left Peterhead on Sa-
turday at 12.20 arrived at Ellon about 40 minutes
late ; but about 3 o'clock, when about a mile on this
side of Udny, it got fast in a snow drift. Some 30
men were put on to try and clear the way, but very
little progress wag made. The engine was detached
from the train and went ahead to make way for its
Passago, but when a short distance from ti ew Machar
it got into a heavy drift and stuck fast. The passen-
gers, about 30 in number, remained in the carriages
for a time, hoping the engine would return or another
would be telegraphed for; but after several hours,
there being no signs of help, most of them repaired

to a small housa at a crossing and got their toes
warmed by turns during the succeeding night ;
while some of them remained in the carriages and
' roughed' it as best they might, without either light
or heat. We have been informed by some of the
passengers that had it not been for the kindness
and hospitality of the woman in charge of the cross-
ing, who supplied the ladies with tea, some of them
might have perished in the carriages with cold.
They were constantly in the hope that an engine
would soon be sent to take them on, and were, on
the one hand, afraid to go back to Udny lest they
should lose their fare, and on the other to go to
New Machar, which was not far distant, lest they
should be met unawares by the returning engine.
It would appear that, although word had reached
the passengers that the engine was sticking among
the snow, no one told them that they would not be
relieved till morning, or advised them where to seek
shelter over the night."