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

ACCIDENTS ON RAILWAYS.

The report of the select committee appointed " to inquire
into the causes of accidents on railways, and into the
possibility of removing any such causes by further legis-
lation," was issued yesterday, together with the minutes of
evidence on which it is founded. The committee consisted
of Mr. Bentinck (chairman), Lord Alfred Paget, Lord
Adolphus Vane Tempest, and Messrs. Lowe, Crossley, W.
Hodgson, Blackburn, Hume, F. Scott, Kendall, and Jack-
son. They sat 11 days, and examined, 'among other wit-
nesses, Mr. S. Clarke, Mr. Joseph Locke, M.P., Capt.
Huish, Mr. M'Connell, and Mr. Beattie. As their reoort
relates to a subject of great public interest, we give it in
extenso:—

"That your committee has heard much evidence upon
the subject-matter of inquiry brought before it ; that the
evidence has been chiefly given by officers of the Board of
Trade, by eminent engineers, and by directors and other offi-
cials of railway companies.
" That it appears to your committee from that evidence
that the causes of accidents on railways may be classified
under the three following heads :—lnattention of servants ;
defective material, either in the works or rolling stock; ex-
cessive speed.
" That it appears to your committee that the strict per-
sonal supervision which alone can check the carelessness of
the men employed on the lines, and detect the insufficiency
of the material used on them, can best be obtained by the
attention of the companies themselves, and that the very
serious losses they incur by any accident ought to render it
sufficiently their interest to !pay minute attention to these
points; but cases having occurred when these questions
have been neglected by railway companies, your committee
is of opinion that the Board of Trade should be invested with
the fullest powers to iavec,tigate, and report to Parliament,
upon any accidents which may occur on railways.
" That your committee is of opinion that a rate of speed,
considerably in excess of what is considered safe, in the
opinion of the great majority of the witnesses examined, is
sometimes attained on many of the lines.
" That the evidence taken further tends to show that such
excessive speed has arisen, not so much from the average
speed required as advertised by the railway time-tables as
from the want of strict punctuality in the time of the de-
parture and arrival of trains from each station, which leads
to an excess of speed for the purpose of endeavouring to
make up time lost.
"That your committee, impressed with the many diffi-
culties and complications connected with this part of the
subject, and also with the inexpediency of relieving railway
companies from the responsibility which now devolves on
them, is not prepared to recommend any direct legislative
interference by the house upon the question of the extreme
speed at which railway trains may be permitted to travel.
But ycur committee is of opinion that the perfect regularity
in the time of the departure from and arrival at each station
by the trains, which would appear to be a material element
of safety in railway travelling, may be attained by legislative
interference, to the extent of enacting, that, except under
exceptional circumstances, the public should have some
means of obtaining prompt and cheap redress in the recovery
of penalties in every case of want of punctuality in the
departure and arrival of trains at every station, thereby
rendering it imperative upon railway companies not to
advertise a rate of travelling which they cannot always
maintain with undeviating punctuality.
"That your committee is of opinion that it should be
made imperative on railway companies to advertise a suffi-
cient time beforehand the exact hour of departure and ar-
rival of trains at each station.
"That ysur committee is also of opinion that it should be
imperative on every railway company to establish a means
of communication between guards and engine-drivers.
"That your committee has received much evidence with
reference to the advisability of enforcing a system of tele-
graphic communication, and the utility of enacting that
trains should not be despatched without having ascertained
by such communication that the line was clear.
"That your committee is not prepared to define the dis-
tance at which such telegraphic stations should be placed,
but it is of opinion that a recourse to this system would be
a most effective means for the prevention of railway acci-
dents, the largest proportion of which arise from collisions.
" That with respect to day and night signals, breaks, and
ether precautions, your committee is of opinion, from the
evidence which it has beard, that such details are better left
to the management of the railway boards.
" That your committee is therefore of opinion that it is
incumbent on the Board of Trade to apply to Parliament
for such further powers as may enable that department to
carry out the above recommendations, which in the opinion
of your committee would tend greatly to diminish the num-
ber of railway accidents."