The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-26 00:00:00

THE LATE FRIGHTFUL RAILWAY
ACCIDENT---THREE MORE DEATHS.

THE INQUEST.
BUIERLEY-HILL, WEDNESDAY.
This day, at noon, Mr.T. M. Phillips, coroner for Wolve-
rhampton, opened an inquiry as to the deaths of the unfor-
tunate persons killed by the fearful railway collision which
took place on the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton

Railway on Monday evening, at the Whimsey Inn, Brierley-

bill, near the scene of the lamentable catastrophe, and sub-
sequently proceeded with it at the Bell Inn, in the same
place, on account of the larger amount of accommodation

afforded at the latter.

As may well be imagined, when the fearful loss of life and
injury to so many as about 90 persons is considered,
the excitement was intense, and the jury room was crowded

by friends and relatives of deceased and injured parties. The

railway company were represented by Mr. King, of the
firm of Collis, Bernard, and King, solicitors, of Stour-
bridge ; Mr. Adcock, the secretary ; Mr. Wilson, engineer ;
and Mr. Wood, from the office of Mr. Sheriff, the genera
manager of the line. Mr. Burbury, of Brierley -hill,
solicitor, appeared to watch the proceedings on behalf of

he relatives of the deceased Francis Wills and Henry

Marshall ; and Mr. Round, solicitor, of Tipton, als )
attended for the family of the Skeldons.
The jury were empannelled to investigate the deaths of

twelve persons—viz., Joseph Pitt, aged 28, single, waggoner
of Princes-end ; Francis Mills, 36, sheet-iron roller,
Princes-end ; Joseph Baker, 28, engine fitter, Princes-end ;
Edward Matthews, 25, puddler, of Wallbrook, near Coseley ;
Mrs. Harley, 40, Stafford-street, Dudley; Benjamin

Skeldon, 52, baker and grocer, of Princes-end ; Mrs. Sarah
Skeldon, his wife, 40 ; Edward Skeldon, aged 17, his son ;
Henry Marshall, 35, boatman, of Worcester ; Richard
Moore, 30, puddler, Princes-end ; Mary Hildrick, 35, Park-
lane, Tipton ; and Henry Western, 33, horse-dealer, Princes-
end.

The Rev. Joseplius Bailey, of.Brierley-hill, was chosen
foreman.

The various bodies having been identified,
Isaac Baldwin was first examined—l am a waggoner. I
was a passenger. The train :left Princes-end a little before
10. It should have left a little before 9. I was in the first

carriage next to the engine. I was thrown forward, as I sat
with my back to the engine. Between Princes-end and
Worcester I was told the coupling chains broke on each
occasion, and a young woman's nose bled in consequence of
the first concussion. I wanted to get out, but the guard
would not let me. The second shock was near the Brettell-

lane station, and the third near the Church-hill station.
I was told the train was started with the breaks down,
which caused the coupling irons to snap. I left Worces-
ter by the train at about half-past six. At Worcester the train
was divided, and an extra engine was put en. I started by
the second train; each train had one engine in front. The
second train started about 10 minutes after the first. The
train on its return went steadily on until it came to the
Brettell-lane station, when the carriage in which I was ran
up against the engine. I called out to the engineman what
is the matter. He replied—" ?lathing, take your seats, it's
all right." The accident then occurred, and I found myself
thrown out of the carriage. When I recovered I saw several
carriages broken to pieces against the engine, and people
lying about in all directions. The first train had got de-
tached from the engine, and the carriages ran down the line
into our train. I assisted Mrs. Hildrick and young Mr.
Skeldon. I pulled the former from under the carriages,
and laid her on the grass. She appeared quite dead and
was badly wounded about the head and legs. Her husband
was also badly wounded.
Coroner—What, in your apinion, was the cause of the
accident?

Witness—ln my opinion the accident was caused by the
neglect of the guards.
By Mr. Burbury—Alr. Skeldon told me the breaks were
down when we were proceeding to Worcester. He was a
passenger, but he rode with the breaksman in the break-van.
I was much hurt by the collision, but did not see how it

occurred.
The Foreman—You said they would not let you get out.
Were the doors of the carriage you were in locked?
Witness—The doors were locked on the side where pas-
sengers usually get in, but they were not locked on the
other side, as I got out when the train stopped at Droit-
wich. The guards and porters would not let us get out at
other stations.
William Skeldon sworn—l am a plate-roller. I was in
the train. The guard was in his break, and the carriages
being so crowded I went into the break with him. Shortly
after we started the guard asked if any one had any matches
or tobacco. He got my brother, who was 17 years of age,
and ❑ow dead, to work the break for him, he being also in
the break-van. I gave the guard some tobacco and he lighted
his pipe. He appeared to be quite sober. It was when we wet e
between Dudley and Stourbridge that my brother worked the
break under the direction of the guard, who was smoking.
Near Brettell-lane I felt a very severe shock, and the guard
said a coupling; chain had broke. The shock was then so
severe it threw me off my seat. When we got to Brettell-
lane the guard took out a fresh coupling chain. A litile
further on there was another shock, and the guard said it
was a second coupling chain had broken. lie took another
chain, and went to the top of the train, but brought it back
again, saying, " I can do without it." We reached Wor-
cester at 12.25. There were 45 carriages and two engines
pact of the way. 2,000 persons were in the train before it
was divided. I don't know why it was divided. The first
of the divided train left Worcester at 6.20, and the
second train in which I was left about a quarter
cf an hour after. Our train went on steadily up to
between Brettell-lane and the Round Oak station. There was
then a severe and sudden shock, and I was thrown violevAly
forward against the opposite side of the carriage, and was
much injured. I got out of the carriage, and first saw the
funnel and the bilffers of the engine knocked off and lying
on the line. The steam was off the engine, and I asked the
engineer what was the matter; and he replied, " What the
d-1 do you want here? Go back to your carriage ; there is
nothing serious the matter. We gild) be off in a few
moments." I then went on further with a man named
Benj, Lawes, and saw the smashed carriages of the first
train, and the first person I saw was the same guard
in whose break van I had ridden in the morning. I did
not speak to him, but I knew in a moment that it
was the same train in which my father, mother, and brother
were in. I was unable to find either of them fir two or
three hours, and heard then that my father was lying at Mr.
Noden's, the Moor-lane House. My father, when I went
there, was alive. His legs were broken, and both feet were
cut off. Ills legs were amputated, and he died in about 20
minutes after. My mother and brother were amongst the
dead.

By the Jury—At the time of the accident there was no
light in the carriage I was in, nor do I think there were
lights in any of them.
By Mr. Burbury—My brother, who worked the breaks,
knew nothing about railway matters. He was never so
far on a railway before in his life. My brother was in no way
intimate with the guard I have spoken of. When we arrived
at the Worcester station in the morning I and my brother
and the others who were in the guard's van got out. The
officials could have seen us leave the guard's van. I heard no
complaint made at the Worcester station that parties had
ridden in the guard's van. I saw the first part of the
train leave the Worcester station. The guard invited me
and Benjamin Lawes to ride in the break back again, and
I declined. Ten or 12 persons got into the break. The
guard asked us openly at the Worcester station to get
into the break. The second train left about 10 minutes
or a quarter of an hour after the first. There are
about eight stations between Worcester and Brett..ll-
-
lane. Our train stopped at about three or four stations.
Our train stopped at the Stourbridge and Brettell-lava
stations. We stepped at the Brettell-lane station about five

minutes.
By the Coroner—There were a great number of young
people and scholars who went by the train, but there were
no other people denied from going by it.
Monday
even-
jut
in
gFrancisgHoientgliehroidmge•e—frolmawm
eliyerio BrOnle
from the Round Oak as I got to Moor-lane, near the Vine Inn,
carriages coming down the incline I saw a tr.ain
oar cd
sta-
tion. There was no engine that I observed with them. I ran
on to the railway bridge, and the carriages passed under it.
There were no lights in the carriages. As the carriages
passed I saw another train coming on the same line from
the direction of Stourbridge. I immediately after heard a
loud crash and shrieking. When I first saw the two trains
there was a distance between them of between 300 or 400
yar •
ds When the smash took place I ran down and saw
seven or eight dead bodies lying under the two or
three first carriages, which I had seen coming down the
ncline from the Round Oak station. I helped to get the
bodies out. The carriages were smashed to pieces.
Adonizebeck Gordon said—l am a watchman at a colliery
close to the scene of the accident. On Monday evening I
was on the bank by the side of the railway near the bridge,
by Biettell•lane. I heard the whistle of an engine,
and saw a train coming in the direction from Worcester.
In about a quarter of an hour I saw the same train coming
back again without an engine. Almost immediately I
heard the whistle of another engine coming with a second
train from the direction of Worcester, and I saw both trains
meet with a frightful crash. I saw several carriages
smashed, and the people lying about dead and wounded.
By Mr. King—l saw the carriages from Round Oak be-
fore I saw the train coming from Stourbridge.
The Rev. Edwin Cressweil examined—I am a clereyman,
and reside at Cuffon Field, Sedgley. I was a passenger by the
excursion train. I had with me a party of nearly 200 children,
teachers, and their friends. I should think the train con-
sisted of nearly 50 carriages, principally second and third
class. There were two engines to the train when at Bilston,
and they conveyed the train to Worcester. I believe I saw
two guards to the train. I heard no complaint of there being
a want of engine power, or too many passengers. On