The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-11 00:00:00

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PRICF 4d.
STAMPED sd.

receive an address from the inspecting officer, Lieut.
Colonel Colville, who observed that it was his duty
to speak his mind to them in the most unreserved
manner, and he should do so. lie saw before him
a body of men whose soldier-like appearance was
very satisfactory, and who had performed some
of the movements as well as could reasonably
be expected. He was bound to say, however,
that the whole of the movements had not been
carried out in such an efficient manner as
he could have wished, and this was more espe-
cially the case with regard to the battalion evolu-
tions. lie had been informed by their commandant,
Colonel Thorold, that some of the battalion meet-
ings had not been attended by more than 150 men,
and they certainly could not expect to learn the
details and practice of battalion drill if they did not
attend in larger numbers. Whilst engaged in
the operations of that evening he found at one time
they became much confused, although he was glad
which would result in the loss of
'
hotiasokfreihnflies fingers, and he believed that would
place had the man been perfectly
to see that they soon recovered themselves again.
One young man had met with an accident by dis-
nocchononatervogheriransaNtg-Nenvt with his drill. It was probable that
many of them who were workmen found it difficult
to attend all the drills ; but it was of great impor-
tance that they should become efficient in this re-
spect. The Ist Kent was a capital battalion, and
the remarks he had made ;were intended for its
benefit. He hoped that if he saw them next year he
should find a marked improvement with regard to
the matters he had referred to.
The battalion then fired a salute, and marched air
the gdund in companies.

It: WS PA PER

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.74
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I

WELWYN, Sunday Inine.l
The Great Northern has hitherto been regarded
as one of the best-managed railway systems in the
kingdom, but at the present moment that system is
almost entirely blocked by a disaster the magnitude
as well as the character of which is entirely with-
out precedent in the history of accidents in this coun-
try, and can only find its parallel in calamities
which may sometimes have been heard of on the
other side of the Atlantic.

44,/

That three heavily laden trains of merchandise
should dash into each other in the middle of a tunnel
almost simultaneously little more than 20 miles from
London ; that such trains should have become
ignited by the fire from the furnaces of their over-
thrown and shattered engines, and that the tunnel,
which is more than half a mile in length, should be
converted into one huge furnace and its air shafts
into a species 6f. burning crater is a calamity so
astounding as to be almost incredible were it not
that it is undeniably true.
The scene of this extraordinary occurrence is the
Welwyn Tunnel, 5 miles beyond Hatfield, between
Welwyn Junction and Stevenage, and the narrative
of the circumstances collected on the spot is this :
Shortly before 11 o'clock a train of goods'
" empties" started on Saturday night from the
King's-cross goods'station for Hitchin. On reach-
ing the centre of the Welwyn Tunnel, either from.
the bursting of a tube, or some other cause, the
engine broke down, and the train was brought to a
stand. In this emergency it would have been the
duty of Ray, the guard, who was in the brake in
the rear of the train, to have gone back out of the
tunnel, and given the stopping signal. This pre-
caution, from a cause not explained, and which, in
all probability, never will be explained, as Ray,
with his companion was subsequently found in the
brake van dead, it is quite clear they did not
take. This occurred about 12 30 a.m. ou this
(Sunday) morning, and had scarcely taken place
when the down Midland goods train, the
dri
ver
noof
signthael
ofendgainngeer oofn
twhrehiLchondhoand
side,
ran into the tunnel and dashed into the rear of the
already broken down train of empties. The violence
of the shock was such as to throw the Midland en-
gine and the heavy train of goods which it was
drawing, and which, among other merchandise, was
known to contain several waggons laden with casks
of oil and other materials of a combustible charac-
ter, over on to the up line, piling them one upon
the other in heaps reaching to the crown of the arch,
and completely blocking the tunnel. Whether from
consternation or from neglect, no signal of the mis-
hapgiveu
Stevenage,
to the
andsignalman
in alinaetr
etdhieb
lnyosrht
ohretr ns
peancdo
toawrdsas
of time the Scotch meat train can; up, bringing up
the dead meat from the north for the supply of the
Monday's Newgate-market, with other goods.
This, which was a Great Northern train, entered the
tunnel, and dashed into the ruins of the already
capsized Midland goods. In a few moments it was
discovered that the engine of the Great Northern
train had turned over, and that the goods and wag-
gons of the Midland train had become ignited from
the burning coal and cinders of the engine furnaces
scattered about. Singular to relate, both drivers
and firemen of all the engines had escaped either un-
hurt or with but slight injuries, and having signalled
to the nearest stations, both up and down, what had
happened, time first step taken was to look after the
guard of the Northern train of empties, Ray, who
was found in the midst of the ruins of his brake,
frightfully crushed and quite dead, and with him
another man, a fireman in the employ of the Metro-
politan Railway, whom it appears he was conveying
surreptitiously down the line to his home, who, al-
though not quite dead, was in a dying condition
and was not expected to survive many hours. The
guard of the Northern up-train, Lacey, was also
found lying on the line near his brake, most severely
injured about the head. He was in the first instance
removed to Welwyn, but subsequently was taken to
town and placed under the care of Mr. J. T. Kirk-
wood, of the Euston-road, surgeon to the Great
Northern and Midland Companies. Lacey, although
suffering from a severe scalp wound and other head
injuries, it is hoped, may recover. Information of
the occurrence was at once telegraphed to Mr. S.
Clarke, the general manager of the line, who resides
at Hatfield, and also to the authorities on the
northern side ; at Knebworth large bodies of men
emplOy.l to got nnf Mint wnagnne tht-7
but the suffocating character of the smoke and the
heat of the fire from the ignited ruins of the car-
riages and merchandise prevented their efforts being
very effective, with the exception of the Scotch
train. Further telegrams having been forwarded
to London, about two o'clock this morning Mr.
Superintendent Williams, with a gang of some 200
men, reached the scene of the disaster. By this
time, however, it was known that there were 36
carriages or trucks, 13 of which belonged to the
down Midland, all in a blaze. The repeated explo-
sions rendered any attempt, even if the heat and
smoke had not prevented it, to enter the tunnel
abortive. From the air shaft smoke. and at inter-
vals flame, although some 50 or 60 feet in height
from the roadway to the summit of the shaft, to-
gether with sounds resembling the roaring of a
mighty cataract or river, indicated the character
of the conflagration that was raging underneath.
The authorities having taken counsel, in the absence
of water and inability to approach the scat of con-
flagration, it was deemed advisable to let it expend
I itself, and be prepared with aid to enter the tunnel
and clear the line of the ruins so soon as it should
have done so. The fire continued to rage through-
out the whole of the day, and it was not until 6 p.m.
that it had become sufficiently reduced to enable any
one to enter the tunnel. At this time a body of men
arrived, under command of Mr. SuperintendentWil-
Hams, with the Hatfield engine, lent to the company
by the Marquis of Salisbury ; and a supply of water
having been obtained the engine was set to work, but
the ruins were still burning. Hundreds of navvies
have arrived, and it is hoped during the night to get
the line clear. In the meantime the whole of the
traffic has been carried on along the Hertfordbrancb,
via Royston and Hitchin, and the Cambridge branch
of the Great Eastern Railway. It is a fortunate
circumstance that the Great Northern Railway
traffic on Sundays is trivial as compared with that
on week days, otherwise it is doubtful if the Great
Eastern could have taken it as well as the Midland,
which is also stopped.