The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-03 00:00:00

FEARFUL COLLISION ON 111.1 E
EASTERN COUNTIAS RAILIVAL

A very serious collision, involving injury to a
large number of passengers and the loss of con-
siderable property, took place on Sunday evening
near the Tilbury Junction of the Colchester section
of the Eastern Counties Railway. The junction is
about half a mile on the Ilford side of the Forest-
gate station,. and connects the Tilbury branch with
the Colchester line of the Eastern Counties. It is
protected by the usual semaphore and disc signals.
Since the opening of the Bow and Barking
branch the passengers from Tilbury for Bishops-
gate have, to alight at Barking and take a fresh
train. This was the case with the train which left
Tilbury at 6 30 on Sunday evening and was due
at Barking at 7 10. It was rather behind its time,
which necessarily made the train for Bishopsgato
late in leaving. .It proceeds(' at its usual
rate on to the junction, when a train which
proved to be the Norwich and Colchester, and
due in London at 7-50, was heard coming up.
[he Tilbury train kept on its course round the junc-
tion, and the foremost carriages, had passed on to
the main Colchester line when. the engine attached
to the Norwich train struck in a stantiug direction
the side of the last of the Tilbury carriages. The
shock is described to have been of a most frightful
character. Most providentially there was not a soul
in the last carriage. It was literally shivered to
atoms. The next carriage, which was full of pas-
sengers, was thrown off the metals and dragged
sideways along the permanent way until it came in
contact with a telegraph poet, which snapped the
coupling, and it turned over on to the embankment.
The remainder of the Tilbury train escaped injury.
It had acquired considerable speed, but for which
it is almost impossible to oonjecture the extent of
mischief that would have followed. The engine of
the Norwich train, after coming into collision with
the Tilbury carriage, sprung round and shot across
the permanent way over the down line of rails,
and partly buried itself in the opposite embank-
ment, the driver and stoker holding on. The tender
got disconnected from the engine, and was thrown
across the permanent way, and the break van,
which was next to thatvder, was thrown off the
rails, and was hurled aleat to the abutment of the
bridge, where it was turned up on its end and
crashed in a second-class carriage, which was next
to it. The passengers in this train describe the con-
cussion to have been most severe. Many of them
were much bruised and shaken ; indeed, the whole
of them, we were informed, were more or less hurt.
The crash was heard a mile from the spot, and the
scene was alarming. It was a considerable period
before the full extent of the mischief could be
gleaned. After a brief examination of the wreck
and the injured passengers, the guards took hu-
mediate steps to prevent the approach of the up
and down trains, and to obtain all the medical aid
the neighbourhood could afford. The whole of the
passengers alighted, and took up a position on the
embankment, the darkness and severity of the
night and the wind blowing hard with rain adding
much to their discomfort and alarm. It is stated
that direct means . were talsen to communi-
cate with the officials at the Stratford Station,
in order to obtain the speedy removal of the pas-
sengers from the scene of the accident. The autho-
rities assert that a special train was despatched to
the spot in three-quarters of an hour after being
apprised of the collision, but the passengers declared
that, after waiting a much longer period than that,
and not obtaining any satisfactory inibrmation from
the guard as to when assistance would be afforded
them, a large portion made their way over ploughed
fields and hedges oti to Stratford, where they gut
medical relief. Owing to the state of the road the
Norwich train could not be sent through. Ttee
passengers were subsequently transferred to a special
train and brought on to town.
On inquiring at the Bishcpsgate station we were
informed that the directois intend to investigate
the circumstances attending the accident in the
course of the day, when. it will be decided as to
what.steps shall be taken. From what has trans-
pired it would appear that the accident. resulted
from some omission on the part of the company's
servants. There are signals at the junction, and
we understand that the signalman put on the danger
signal to stop the Tilbury train coining through the
junction, and signalleicl the Norwich and Colchester
to come on. It is but just to remark that the
banks of the cuttings precluded the drivers seeing
the approach of each other's trains until they had
arrived within a few yards of the points. Both
trains were travelling at the allowed speed, and
the driver of the Tilbury asserts, it is said, that the
danger signal was not put on until he was close on
to the points, and perceiving his danger, the Nor-
wich train being close up to him, he put on full
speed in the hope of getting his train clear of the
junction before the Norwich train came up. The
latter, also, seeing the Tilbury train crossing on to
the up-line, immediately shut off the steam, and
appiied the breaks, but the next moment or so the
collision took place. The company have been
applied to for a list of the injured passengers, but
it appears as yet no returns have been made. The
usual information of the accident has been forwarded
to the Railway Department of the Board of Trade,
preparatory to a Government inspector being ap-
pointed to investigate the matter.

REWARDS FOR SAVING LIFE AT SEA.

The undermentioned rewards for saving life at sea
have recently been awarded by her Majesty's Go-
vernment and the Board of Trade:—

To Captain Hormel, of the French ship Lusitano,
a telescope, bearing a suitable inscription, for the
kindness and attention shown to the master and
crew of the Birkenhead, of Liverpool, which they
abandoned at sea on the 23d N0v.,1859, after being
11 days on board in a most perilous state. To Cap-
tain Guerin, of the French chassemaree Louis, of
Caen, a silver medal, for the personal injuries re-
ceived, and forthe kindness and humanity displayed
towards the master and crew of the Jenifer, of Pad-
stow, which was disabled off the Longships, and
abandoned waterlogged on 16th Nov., 1858. To
Captain T. L. Pignorel, of the French brig Labo-
rieux, of Binie, a telescope, bearing a suitable in •
scription, in acknowledgment of his kindness and
humanity to the master and crew of the barque Bea-
trice of Sunderland, whom he rescued from the
waterlogged vessel on the 18th September, 1859.
To Captain Lepricur, of Granville, of the French
schooner Mathilde, a telescope, for rescuing the
master and crew of the Norden, of Shields, which
vessel was dismasted in a hurricane on the 31st
October, who, after being exposed for four days ou
board the water-logged vessel without food, were
received on board the Mathilde, and treated with
the greatest kindness and attention. To Captain
Gustav W. Nielson, of the American ship Felicia,
of New Orleans, a telescope, in acknowledgment of
his humanity and kindness to the master mad crew
of the water•logged brig Penelope, of Newcastle,
on the 6th of November last# and the sum of £lO
to be divided among the seamen who manned the
boat, and by their exertions succeeded in saving the
lives of the shipwrecked crew. To Captain G.
Battista Denegri, of the Sardinian brig San Nicolo,
a telescope, in recognition of his kindness to the
master and crew of the barque Heart of Oak, of
Dartmouth, on the 14th of November last. To

!apt. L. H. Beattie, of the American barque Aurelia,
a gold watch for his services in rescuing the crew
of the brig Fero, of New Brunswick, on the 29th of
September last, whom he treated with the greatest
kindness for 39 days, when he landed them at Bus
ton (United Stites). To Captain Prins, of the
Hamburg ship Steinwarder, a telescope, in acknow-
lodgement of his humane services to the crew and
passengers of the ship Vision, of Glasgow, dis-
covered waterlogged off Cape .11.orn on the 21st
November, 1858, whom he landed at Talcahuano on
the 22d of the same month. To Captain William
Barton, of the Melanie, of Coringa, a sextant ; and
to:Mr. Thompson, second officer, a telescope ; for
rescuing from the hands of the Malays, at Polo
Brasso; an island at the N.E. end of Sumatra, the
master, his wife, and crew, belonging to the Sir
Charles Napier, of Sunderland (together with their
property), which vessel foundered at sea in June
last. To Henry Fryman, chief boatman, a bronze
medal and £5 ; and to Alexander WAllister and
George Sparks, boatmen ; William Melmore,
master mariner; Thomas Johnstone and William
Dunnigan, the sum of £5 each, as a recognition of
their gallantry and services rendered to the Ardent,
when in distress off Maryport, on 16th November
last.

THE FIRE IN SIIOREDITCII.—This fire, probably
tho most extensive that has occurred at the east end of Lon-
don for many years, was not entirely extinguished until yes-
terday morning, and the property destroyed has unfortu-
nately pr.,ved, owing to the Mine the fire smouldered, far
greater than was anticipated when our first report was
written. Many tons weight of
,tobacco and foreign cigars,
together with the costly machinery, have been either entirely
destroyed by the action of the flames or spoilt by the water
which dropped from the enginei, which as it fall through
the floors was at boiling beat. Great as the loss has been,
it is gratifying to know that the insurance-offices inte-
rested in the fire will be able to settle the claims much
socnor than was expected, as all the books, documents,
dock warrants, and Excise papers, together with a large
amount of bank notes and coin, were extricated this morn-
ing, having been placed in a proof reliance iron safe. This
safe was five feet high, with double folding- doors, a-41
although the knobs of the doors were fused, everything
inside the same remained uninjured. Mr. Foster, manager
to the Messrs. Rills, unlocked the safe, and had the valu-
able contents removed 'to Davis's banking-house, where
they remain in proper care. The three persons saved by
Eilbeck, the Royal Society's escape conductor, in their
nightclothes. suffered exceedingly, owing to the cold of the
morning. The walls still continue to fall, and the police
have been compelled to barricade each end of New lan-
yard to protect the populace from danger.