The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-06 00:00:00

TILE RAILWAY COLLISION NEAR

MANCHESTER.

The inquest on the bodies of the unfortunate per-
sons killed on the East Lancashire Railway, at
Helmshore, by a collision during the'night of Mon-
day, was commenced yesterday, at the Turners'
Arms Inn, Helmshore, before Mr. Hargreaves, coro-
ner for Blackburn. It appeared that 10 persons
had been killed, and not 11, as stated in our report
yesterday. Before the inquest we were informed
that two other of the passengers were not likely to
survive many hours.
Amongst the gentlemen present were Mr. Fen-
ton, one of the traffic managers; Mr. Shaw, passen-
ger superintendent ; and Mr. Grundy, solicitor to
the company.
The Coroner said it was only his intention to
take evidence at the present meeting with a view to
the identification of the bodies. With regard to
the awful occurrence on which they were called
together, it would require very strict investigation,
in order that they might arrive at a satisfactory con-
clusion ; but the material pant of the evidence it
would be necessary to defer to another day.
The jury then accompanied the coroner to view
the bodies. They afterwards went down the line
to see the place where the collision took place. The
line from the station to this place is on a gradient
of 1 in 78, and is slightly curved through a cutting.
Edward James Taylor said—The deceased,
Richard Heap, wrs a neighbour of mine, at Warp
Mill, near Colne. Deceased was 25 years old, and
left a widow and five children. Deceased and my-
self left Colne together, and went by an excursion
train to Manchester, about 20 minutes after 9 o'clock
on Monday morning. There was an exhibition at
Belle Vue Gardens, Manchester, and we went to
that. I left Manchester on my return about a
quarter-past 11 at night, by the last train. I was
aware there were two excursion trains before us.
Deceased did not go back in the same carriage with
me. We passed the Ramsbottom station safely,
and proceeded upwards of two miles further be•
fore anything happened. I then heard the noise of
a crash, and felt that we had come into collision
with something. I then jumped out of the carriage.
I saw and heard smoke and steam rushing from the
engine, and was afraid to approach it, fearing an
explosion. A great many people were then out of
the train, which had come to a stand, and there was
great confusion and alarm. As soon as possible I
did approach, and found two carriages of a train
that came back upon us broken to pieces, and two
other carriages were thrown upon the •bank-elf the
cutting, and several others in a shattered condition.
Many of the passengers had been thrown out of the
carriages, and were lying about, and many were
lying amongst the wreck of the broken carriages.
The railway servants and passengers assisted those
who could not help themselves. I assisted, and saw
two women and one man drawn out, who were dead.
I saw Richard Heap carried away on a plank, and
went to him, not knowing at the time who it was,
but he told me his name, and he recognised my
voice and called me by my name. I accompanied
him to the inn, and after going to the scene of the
accident several times, was present with him about
5 o'clock, when he expired. He appeared to be
much crushed about the thighs and abdomen. There
was an awful cut on the right thigh, and one lee.
was much twisted. The collision occurred about
half-past 12 o'clock. I do not know how many
carriages there were in my train, but I counted 16
in the part of the train which had come back into
collision with us. The carriages appeared full, but
not over-crowded. The carriage I travelled in was
four or five from the engine. In our train I only
perceived one carriage that was injured—the one
next the engine and tender. The engine and boiler
did not appear much injured, but they were covered
so much with fragments of broken carriages that I
could not see them well enough to speak to parti-
culars. It appeared to me from what I saw that
our train was going 10 or 15 miles per hour. The
train seemed to be goins, cautiously up the incline
before the collision, and supposed it was because
there was another train before us. Of the 16 car-
riages we ran into, there were five broken, and the
passengers in those carriages were some of them those
of whom I have spoken. I knew amongst the other
passengers killed, John Blythe. Mr. Shaw, the
general superintendent of the line, gave me autho-
rity to get whatever assistance I could for the
wounded ; and the railway porters and servants did
all they could to aid them.
By a juror—ln getting the dead and wounded
from the carriages I noticed that there was a break
to one of the carriages ' • either the third or fourth
of those we ran into. We had to move that car-
riage, and after we removed it 3 feet back, I then
directed the break to be screwed down. Whether
it was screwed down before I did not know.
Thomas Corbridge identified the body of Starkie
Harrison, tailor, aged 21, living with his parents at
Barrowford.
Henry Duckworth identified his father, aranel
beger
Duckworth, who was 50 years of age, and a in the
in a cotton mill. The witness said he Fad from
train at time of the accident ; is father.
and
al
Manchester in the same carriage wits did not see
There was a train behind them, about three times
one before. They only Hp ore.
eiwshor. When they
between Manchester and H
got to the Helmshore station, the front part of the
latterbegan to run
train stopped, but the la part
age was going back, he
back. Finding his cararridanger, and jumped out.
began to think there wficfairereina g
There the train.e or from the end of
He was in the twerehird
sixteen carriages
which broke He did not see the
collision in consequence of
the curve, but he heard
the crash. —e went down to see what had hap-
, pened, and be found that the carriages had come
with a t •
in contact
His father
rain coming in the contrary
direction.h iather was buried amongst the car-
riages, but. e did net see him until he was taken
out and placed on a board. He then assisted in
taking the dead body to the Turners' Arms.
In reply to a Juryman, the witness said his c
riage was about 100 yards from the station when
it commenced
runningback. His father had left
a widow
andeleven children, nine of whom were
under age.
James Hartley, a dyer, of Bugle-street, Accring-
ton, said John Hartley was his brother. He was
21 years of age, and worked as a labourer in a
dyehouse.
John Blythe, a weaver, of Garden Vale, near
Colne, said Thomas Blythe was his son. He was
in his 24th year, unmarried, and lived with his
father, He was a weaver. He went to Manches-
ter unknown to him.
William Lofthouse, of Huncoat, spinner, said that
the deceased, Thomas Lofthouse, was his father.
He was a spinner, and was 64 years old. He was
a widower, and had left nine children. He went
to Manchester on Sunday morning to visit a son
at Stoekport, and took his cheap trip ticket with
him. The witness heard of his death on Tuesday
morning as he was going to his work.
Mary Chew, wife of a letter carrier at Hasling-
den, identified Mary Hayes, who was her niece,

Thomas Mason, Burnley, bruised leg.
Robert Medley, Comm, contused face and chest.
James Knowles, Enfield, deep wound below the eye.
Darcey Stewart, Enfield, scalp wound.
Benjamin Clegg, contused face and neck.
James Cooper, and his sister, Burley, both bruised legs.
John Walmsley, Accrington, contused foot.
Richard Watson, Helmshore, extensive cut in the face.
Mary Moody, Burnley, generally contused.
Henry Whittaker, Burnley, bruised legs and head.
James Hoyle, Haslingden, fractured thigh.
Wife of John Hartley, Haslingden, contused face and
ank'e ; daughter, contused knee and forehead.
Abraham Whittaker, Haslingden, contused face and
scalp wound; wife, contused back and other injuries.
Wife of Isaac Nuttall, Haslingden, contused leg.
Edward Barnes, Haslingden, laceration of the leg.
Work Walworth, contused ankles.

GA RIB LANDING IN OALAB.RIA.

We have been favoured with the following ex-
tract of a letter from an officer 'commanding one
of Garibaldi's ships. It is dated-from th,e Coast of
Calabria, August 26:
" I write to you from the coast of Naples, where
I have preceded my comrades by a few days (seve-
ral of whom are coming by land and others by
steamer), to conduct 51 officers and about 120 Nea-
politan prisoners. I was fortunate enough to be of
great assistance at the landing in Calabria, in the
following manner. Arrived at Taormina, after hav-
ing left Palermo with 400 men and having gone all
round Sicily in order to deceive the cruisers, I took
on board 800 more, together with Garibaldi, and on
the 18th, at 10h. 20m. p.m., I left Taormina, in
company with the Transatlantic Company's steamer
Torino, which had upwards of 300 men on board,
and at 2 a.m. of the 19th I dropped anchor near
Mileto, between the Capo dell' Armi and the Cape
of Spartivento. This would have been a most for-
tunate affair had not the Torino unluckily run a-
ground, and notwithstanding our most strenuous
efforts for six hours to get her off, I was compelled,
seeing nothing could be accomplished, acid owing
to want of coals, to abandon her. It wtts a very
good thing that I did leave her, as half-an-hour
afterwards I fell in with two Neapolitan frigates,
the Fulminante and the Palermo, and had I re-
mained it is probable I should have mot with the
same treatment as the Torino, viz., eta of being
cannonaded and burnt. A million and a half gone
to the devil. Never mind. Let Italy
lx3come a free
and united country, and she will pay I‘ll. As for
myself, I was pulled up by the two fr. igates, who
came to my flank and asked me sever 1 questions,
which I answered in the
little while, they retired,
usual way of don't
understand.' After
and
I entered quite safely into Messina. 'On the 21st,
a
house, with several
being at the light of our steamers,
we were heavily cannonaded by the forts of Scylla,
Cavallo, and Pizzo, as well as by the first class
screw frigate the Lorbone and the Tan credi. I, as
usual, though very much exposed, was not touched,
but a spent ball struck the Aberdeen, an, a another cut
a rope of the Ferret. The
night of the 21st we em-
barked as ma
ny people as we could, and smiled without
lights from the coast of Sicily, and twenty minutes
after we
all dropped anchor off that of Galabria, ex-
cept the Veloce which ran ashore. Geniaral Sirtori
sent to me to aid in getting her off again, but I an-
swered him that I could not render him such assist-
ance, as I was embarrassed with the 1.00 men I had.
on board, and consequently could not; execute the
required manoeuvre. I then occupied myself with
the disembarkation, which was accomplished in lea
than two hours, with my boats alone. Afterwards
I turned the stern of my vessel to that of the Veloce,
and she having provided two cables, I in a short
time succeeded in getting her off, and then returned
to the lighthouse, where I embarked about 1,000
more men, whom I landed safely the next evening
in Calabria. Yesterday morning I sailed. with 800
more, and arrived at Bagnara at noon, where I
landed them, and there received the order to take
the prisoners to Naples, from whence I now write
you. I shall return to Palermo, so please address
I there, giving all news."
-- .-4-.Ters"

The Austrian Gazette states that the Gin -
....
recut hits discovered the existence of a revolutienarY
mittee rat Verona. A certain number of persons /010.17,es
arrested:, and their papers seized. The Vienna jur:7-0001
it to be understood that those papers throw a veg.„,cnt,
light o• a the conduct of a neighbouring Gover—
dently meaning that of Piedmont. trail, whilst
Fit: EAK OF MEMORY.—A British
rip at the Battle,
.giving orders on the quarter deck of hiese
of the Nile, was struck on the head 'go,for home, and re-
diately became senseless. He was shPot, and imme-
hero .15 months he
moved to Greenwich Hospital, woe was then trephined;
evinced' no sign of intelligence• dolt being performed eon-
and firinaediately upon tbegimodiately began busying
- -;lerstho prev The clockwork of
scions] a 4 as returned, and A:arried out that he had given
it had stopped, upon. being set
himself to see the o
during the battle 15 nitbeat
the brain, unaware to the exact minute at which it had
going again, Pclngen
in thnai--- see of the Sleeping revivals of a lost intelligence
al-
left of f. TheseniSudraraatic effect the effect of
most rival
advent' in the r kiss, the inmates Beauty, where at
the m 910 d a
_ bad gone to sleep for a hundred years trans..
hold, w . •
• their old attitudes, leapt suddenly into life and
fixed Liz though they
motiolso as . had only for a nxement slept....
, i Ono a Vok.