The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-01 00:00:00

Frightful Accident on the Brighton Railway

A frightful accident took place last night at a
quarter to 10 on the London, Brighton, and South
Coast Railway, near the Caterham Junction. A
train due in London at a quarter to 10 left the
Brighton station at 8. It took up several carriages
from Hastings, and then consisted of from 15 to
20 carriages. Up to a short distance from Cater-
ham J unction nothing occurred to cause alarm. At
that point, however, some waggons laden with
chalk were upon the main line, and the approaching
train came intolcollision with them. The engine
ran over an embankment, which is from 40ft. to
50ft. deep, but, fortunately, the coupling irons gave
way, and it became detached from the rest of the
train, and rolled to the bottom. The first carriage
was left tilted up edgeways on the top of the em-
bankment and remained there. Several others were
thrown off the line, and many of them were much
injured. One first-class carriage was completely
smashed. At first all was confusion. The passen-
gers who were uninjured escaped from the carriages
in which they had been, but had -the greatest diffi-
culty, in consequence of the darkness, in ascertain-
ing what had happened. The groans of persons who
had been injured were heard, but the places where
they were could not be ascertained. Lights, how-
ever, were soon procured from the carriages, and
then it was found that a very serious accident had
happened. Intelligence was at once sent to Cater-
ham to the officers of the company at that station,
and they, with some navvies, soon came upon the
spot. After their arrival the first sight that pre-
sented itself was a well-dressed man, apparently
dying, with his leg under the wheels of a carriage
and his head covered with blood. He was groan-
ing heavily. Loose rails were got and employed as
levers to raise the carriage, and the injured man
was lifted and removed insensible by the officers
of the company. The carriage which had been so
completely broken was examined, and a lady was
found underneath the back, which had fallen in, and
over which lay the whole of the side of the three com-
partments. The slide was first removed, and then a
number of hands assisted in lifted the back. Under
it a voice was heard, but for a long while nothing
could be seen to indicate that any one was there.
Under a confused heap of broken fragments of the
carriage the lady was at length found and extricated.
Mr. Nottage, of Tulse-hill, who was a passenger in
the train, assisted her in getting from the place in
which she had been buried. It was found, much to
the surprise of all, that she was entirely uninjured.
Mr. Nottage assisted her in crossing the line, and
in descending the embankment to a place of safety.
Under a second-class carriage the body of a woman
was found completely
crushed. The engine driver
was buried under the engine, and was also killed on
the spot. A large number of persons were found
wounded and insensible in the carriages, and were
removed to the house of Mrs. Jackson, at a short
distance from the line, where all the beds were given
up for the accommodation of the wounded. It was
stated that the house was quite full, but in the con-
, fusion it could not be ascertained what the number
accommodated was. There were some persons very
seriously wounded, and it is to be feared that many
have received fatal internal injuries. There were no
medical men present, but it was expected they would
soon be on the spot. 'Two ladies, who had received
such serious injuries to the head that they were'
nearly insensible, came on by the train that arrived
. at London-bridge a little after 1 o'clock. There were
several other passengers who had received serious
, contusions, some of whom had to be assisted to their
homes.

Among those who were in the train, and who hare
escaped uninjured were Mr. W. H. Collingridge and
Mrs. Collingridge, Mrs. Sanders, Miss Harding, and
Mr. Lee, of Highbury. Of course there were many
others whose names were not ascertained. A pas-
senger who was in the train states that the chalk
waggons, which were the cause of the accident,
were scattered by the collision in a most extraordi-
nary manner. As already stated, the engine of
the train was severed from the carriages and fell
over the embankment. The first carriage was
thrown off the line and made to overhang the bank.
The second carriage in which he sat was thrown
right across the line and tilted up against the first
one. Ile had just fallen asleep when the collision

took place, and was suddenly awoke by being
thrown down upon the floor of the carriage, and
struck with the fragments. The flooring was rent,
and the partitions broken. He wasthrown violently
backwards and then forwards, receiving only a
slight injury on the cheek. He feared the worst had
not come, and describesthe suspense which followed
in anticipation of a final crash as being most ago-
nising. On attempting to escape he found that the
carriage was locked ; but he luckily had a railway
key, and with it opened the door. He was in the
uptilted part of the carriage, and was obliged, with
his three fellow-passengers, a gentleman and two
ladies, to jump from the step to the edge of the em-
bankment. None of them were seriously injured,
though much alarmed. The carriage following that
described as smashed to pieces, and from which the
lady was extricated, strange to say, had been more
injured than the two carriages before it, and, what
is still more extraordinary, its set of six wheels were
seen on the top of a chalk waggon, more than 100
yards in advance of the spot where the fragments of
the carriage itself were lying. The engine of the
chalk train was uninjured, and not even thrown off
the line. It was employed to bring to London the
passengers who were able to complete their journey.