The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-25 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 25, 1858.

FRIGHTFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

TWELVE PERSONS KILLED AND SIN.TY INJURED.
An appalling calamity occurred upon the Oxford, Worces-
ter and Wolverhampton Railway, between Brettel-lane and
Round Oak railway stations OA Monday evening. A special
train was announced to leave Wolverhampton for Worcester
at 0.15, " calling at all stations for the express purpose of
conveying the teachers and children of the various schools
to Worcester and back." The fare from Wolverhampton
and Stourbridge and all intermediate stations to Worcester
and back Ras ls. for adults, and 63. fur children ; from
Bagley, Churchill, Kidderminster, and Worcester it was Bd.
for adults, and 4d. for children ; and Droitwich and Fearnall
Heath, 6d. for adults, and 3d. for children. This extraordi-
nary low rate of charges naturally attracted a large number
of passengers, and by the time the train arrived at its desti-
nation it had been augmented to 45 carriages, computed to
contain nearly 2,000 passengers. The return train was an-
nounced to leave Worcester at 6.15 p.m. Those in charge of
the arrangements determined to divide the train, and instead of
having one monster train propelled by two engines, to have
two trains each drawn by one engine. Accordingly, about
25 minutes after six o'clock, the first train left Worcester
station. It consisted of 29 carriages, closely packed with
passengers; and was followed in a quarter of an hour by
the second train, consisting of 16 carriages. Each train
called at all stations, and all went well with the first until
its arrival at Round Oak, which took place about five
minutes past eight. There, either just before the train arrived
at the station, which is situated on a steep incline, or when
it was put in motion to leave the station, 12 or 13 of the last
carriages became detached from the former part of the train
by the breaking of the couplings of two of the carriages, and
rolled back down the incline towards Brettel-lane with ever-
increasing velocity. The guard who occupied the van at
the extremity of the train applied his break with all the
force of which it was capable, but its power was insufficient
to check the retrograde motion of the carriages, which
soon attained a very high rate of speed. On arriving at
Bug-hole, a little more than half way to Brettel-lane,
they dashed into the second excursion train, which, as
before stated, was despatched from Worcester only fifteen
minutes after the first, and being a lighter train, naturally
gained upon it during the journey. The driver of the
second train, perceived the carriages running back upon
him down the incline, and had nearly succeeded in bringing
his train to a stand at the time of the collision, thus
considerably mitigating the severity of the crash. But as
it was, the consequences were fearful. The guard's van
and the carriage next to it were split into matchwood, and
the second carriage escaped little better. The guard jumped
out just before the collision occurred, and escaped without
injury, but the effect upon the passengers crowded in the
two shattered carriages was dreadful. The scene that
ensued it is impossible to describe. Fragments of the crushed
and broken carriages, mutilated human forms, some still in
death, some writhing in their last agonies, others seriously
but not fatally hurt, shrieking with pain and terror, were
commingled in a general melee, hardly distinguishable
amid the darkness and the dust occasioned by the colli-
sion. The terrified passengers who escaped without serious
injury ran hither and thither in bewilderment, and for a
time none knew what to do. A few of the more self-
possessed, however, speedily bestirred themselves to render
all possible assistance to the unfortunate sufferers, and re-
move them from the wreck that bestrewed the line, and
messengers were despatched for medical and other aid.
It was soon apparent that the loss of life was lamentably
great. Eleven lifeless forms were discovered amongst the
rubbish, in addition to many frightfully mangled and dis-
figured. As speedily as possible the latter were conveyed
on stretchers, furnished by the shivered coaches, to the
various hotels in the neighbourhood; and the next duty
attended to was the removal of the dead in like
manner. Many of those only slightly injured proceeded
onwards by the train, and it is probable that a complete
list of the casualties resulting from this sad affair will
never be obtained. The removal of the wounded was effected
under the superintendence of Mr. Wall, assistant to Mr.
Norris, the company's surgeon, at Brierley Hill, who was
first upon the ground; but other medical men soon arrived,
and took charge of cases at the inns, to which the sufferers I
were conveyed. Amongst these were Dr. Walker, Brierley
Hill, and his assistant ; Mr. W. E. Johnson, surgeon, of
Dudley, and Mr. Horton, his assistant; Mr. Osborne and
Mr. Harding, of Stourb:idge ; Mr. Tomlinson, from Mr.
Freer's ; Mr. Evans, from Mr. Giles's, of Stourbridge, &c.
&c. Information of the occurrence, was instantly tele-
graphed to Worcester, and about half-past nine o'clock Mr.
Sherrill, the general manager, with Mr. Adcock and Mr.
%V. Carder:, and Mr. Everett, surgeons to the company,
arrived by special train from Worcester.
DEAD.
At the Swan Inn.
Edward Matthews, who had lived near the Ivy House,
Coseley. The deceased had a severe wound over the left
eye, had his left leg dreadfully mangled, and the bone
shattered, that must have produced fatal haemorrhage, and
the left leg broken near the ankle.
Joseph Baker, Prince's-end, puddler—Shocking injuries
to the head and ether parts of the body.
The third dead body here is supposed to be that of a man
named Mills, of Bloomfield. His feet have been cat off and
his head injured.
Mrs. Skeldon (whose brother and son are also dead). The
head of this poor woman was frightfully crushed, and her
legs were much cut. She was also far advanced in preg-
nancy. She comes from Prince's-end.
Mrs. Kildrick, with her head in a yet more mutilated
state than that of Skeldon.
At the Moor-lane Hall Beer-house.
The man Skeldon, from Prince's-end—Died at about
eight on Tuesday morning, after his legs had been ampu-
tated.
• ,At the Cock Inn.
Mrs. Harley, Stafford-street, Dudley—Dreadfully crushed.
The youth Skeldon before referred to—His skull was
forced in from the direction of the forehead.
The third man is yet unidentified.
At this house also lies Samuel Clarke, 18, Caponfields,
who has been so much injured that little hopes are enter-
tained
of his recovery.
At the Whimsey Inn.
Henry Marshall, boatman, from Worcester, leaving wife
and family—lnjuries to body and legs.
Francis Mills, mill furnace-man, married, with a family—
A cut across the head, as if from an axe.
INJURED.
Elizabeth Hyde, a girl 10 or 12 years of age, slightly in-
jured; Charles Turner, of Bloomfield, Tipton, suffering
from injury to the chest, a large scalp wound, and many
cuts about the head, fractured ribs on the left side, and per-
foration and protrusion of the left lung, recovery doubtful ;
Thomas Brett, of Daisy Bank, fractured shoulder, and in-
juries to the head and thigh ; a serious but not fatal case ;
and Edward Jones, of Dudley Port, slight injury to leg;
are all accommodated at the Crown Inn.
Sarah Fisher, of Coseley, slight injury to the chest, is stay-
ing at the Royal Exchange.
Luke Stokes, slight injury 'to leg ; William Skelding,
I%lm:es-cud, iujary to tongue and nose; Eliza Lones,
Prince's-end, a girl, suffering from general concussion, a
slight scalp wound, and general contusion of knee; Thomas
Lones, father of the last-named, slightly injered ; and Mary
Lones, mother of Eliza and wife of Thomas Lones, sustained
a fracture of the collar bone, and injuries of a very serious
nature to the chest and abdomen. All these are accommo-
dated at the Whimsey, at Brettel-lane, where three dead
lie.
Lydia Cox Bloomfield, very extensive scalp wound;
Samuel Clark, concussion of the brain, and extensive injury
to the knee joint, very serious case; and Henry James,
Coseley, slightly injured in the back ; these lie at the Cock
Inn, Moor-lane, where are also three dead, two men and
a woman.
Joseph Webb, compound fracture of the left leg and the
right toe, very serious case, but expected to recover ; Wm.
Kendrick, Prince's-end, fracture of right thigh and left leg,
and injuries to the head, dangerous case, but hope of reco-
very ; William Harley, tailor, Dudley, general concussion, I
not dangerous; and Richard Welsh, scalp wound and in-
ternal injuries of a very serious character, uo hope of reco-
very; lying at the Swan Inn, Moor-lane, where there are
five dead, three men and two women.
Sarah Ann Whitehouse, of Prince's-end, injury to the
arm and leg, not of a very serious character, accommodated
at a house next door to the Swan.
Haden Smith, Coseley, comminuted fracture of the arm,
and injury to the back ; Sarah Bevan, Coseley-street,
Bilston, toe cut off and otherwise injured ; Mrs. Wycher-
ley, sister of Miss Bevan, injury to left leg ; and Benjamin
Sheldon, injury to ankles, necessitating amputation of both
legs, dangerous case; these lie at Moor-lane llouse, kept
by Mr. James Naden.
In addition to the above there were a great number of
persons injured who were conveyed to a distance by their
friends. Others proceeded to Dudley by rail, and were for-
warded to their homes from thence.
Mr. Johnson, of Coseley, who arrived at Dudley station,
appeared so much injured that his recovery was considered
doubtful.
Mr. Mooney put on special trains for the accommodation
of persons residing on the lines of the South Staffordshire
and Stour Valley Railways, who were detained by the acci-
dent until too late for the ordinary trains.
ANOTHEIi ACCOUNT.
As coon as the train, which consisted of 29 eatriages,

arrived at Round Oak, it was discovered that the train had
been divided at a short distance from the station, from
whence it was pushed back at a very slow rate to a point
within 100 yards of the scene of the accident. During this
retrograde movement numerous signal lamps were seen in
front of the backing train. When, however, the fact
was made known that the part of the line at which
the train became disconnected was inclined towards
Kidderminster, and that a train having left Worcester in
15 minutes after the starting of the first, a collision had
taken place, the scene was truly heartrending in the
extreme. A great number of the passengers rushed from
the carriages to endeavour to recognise their children and
friends, but so great was the crush that it was quite im-
possible to do so—the darkness of the hour (between
eight and nine o'clock), and the mist rising, precluding
the possibility of identification. At length, however,
when the three broken carriages, which almost covered
the poor sufferers, bad been removed, and a light had been
procured, the passengers were enabled to recognise their
relatives and friends. The scene at this moment—the
lamentation of relatives and the groans of the sufferers--
conspired to render this one of the most appalling catas-
trophes ever recorded in the long catalogue of railway acci-
dents. The wounded and dead were then carefully taken to
the adjacent inns.