The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-30 00:00:00

drew the wire tight enough to release the vertical
arm, the signal must have acted.
By a Juror—ls it possible to pull it too far ?
Witness—No.
Captain Tyler—l suppose you mean unless you
break it ?
Witness—Exactly.
Captain Tyler—Do you have the signals oiled ?
Witness—Very seldom.
Captain Tyler—Are they oiled by any one ?
Witness—When they require doing anything to,
I generally take them to pieces and clean them
with greasy wipings, as we find if they are oiled
too freely the dust collects in them.
By a Juryman—l have heard the distance signal
would not act, but I do not know it of my own
knowledge. lithe signal had acted on the Sun-
day morning the Brighton excursion would have
stopped ; when the man had received the message
that the Brighton had gone through, he would have
set it all right. In that case the Brighton ordinary
would have gone clear.
By a Juryman—Was the non-acting of the signal
the cause of the accident ?
The Coroner—l think you must shape that ques-
tion somewhat differently.
The Juror—l will not press it. (To the witness)
—lf the distance signal had acted and had shown
danger, the Brighton ordinary would have stopped
before it got to the tunnel ?
Witness—Certainly.
By a Juryman—Would an engine-driver look out
for a small red or danger flag after he had passed a
distance-signal that sowed " All right ?
Witness—An engine-driver is always on the look
out near any part of the line where there are sig-
nals usually exhibited.
By Mr. Evans—l have charge of all the signals,
and do all the work. All the station-masters or sig-
nal-men are supposed to look after the well working
of the signals. There is no other regular inspection.
By Mr. Penfold—The wire to this signal is under-
ground, and therefore not liable to expansion. The
last complaint I heard was, I think, in February,
and I have never known the signal out of order since
then. I cannot explain why the signal acted on
Sunday morning last, when tried by Mr. Craven,
without ringing the bell.
By Captain Tyler—l think the wire is buried
sufficiently to prevent so much expansion in a dis-
tance of 300 yards as to interfere with the regular
action of the signal and bell.
By. Mr. Reed—lf the weather is cold or frosty,
the signals are all looked at, and most of them have
my personal inspection. lam sure there is not one
signal on the line which I have not inspected in the
course of the year.
By Mr. Faithfull—lt is the duty of the engine-
driver and the guard to notice the signals, and if
they see anything wrong to report it at the next
station they come to. When a man is sent by
me anywhere I always tell him to notice the
signals. If the enginemen and guards notice
the signals as they ought, and as I have reason to
believe they do, that is a practical inspection of the
signals. I consider I can inspect their working
better if I am on an engine travelling on the line
than if lam walking. I went down to the scene of
the accident on Sunday morning, and I set the
signal " on," and set it " off," from the man's box,
and did not experience any difficulty in doing either.
It was in good working order, and there was nothing
to lead me to suppose that it would not act when a
train passed.
By the Coroner—Why did you make the inspec-
tion on Sunday morning ?
Witness—Mr. Hawkins, the traffic manager,
wished me to do so,
James Hackman—l live at 21, Kingsbury-road,
and am an engine-driver in the employ of the Lon-
don, Brighton, and South Coast Railway Company.
I drove the Portsmouth excursion engine on Sunday
morning last. I have been in the company's service
ten years. I left the Brighton station at 8.28 by
watch, which was right by the clock at the station,
on the platform. There were 16 carriages, but I
cannot describe them further than that there was a
break-van next to the tender. When we approached
the Clayton-tunnel, after passing the distance-
signal, I did not look back to see if it worked. I
had passed, and looked forward. I did not think
it my duty to look back. We always look out a-
head. The distance signal was all right as we
approached. Ido not know exactly what time it
was when we entered Clayton tunnel, which we
should pass through in about three minutes. I met
with no obstruction on the way. In entering it I
saw the signalman at his post, he had a white flag.
During the time I have been a driver I never noticed
the distance signal fail to act on the trains passing
over the line.
By the Coroner—lf on entering the Clayton
tunnel you had seen the signalman wave a red flag
after you had passed the distance signal, which had
stood at " all right," what should you consider it
your duty to do ?
Witness—Stop as soon as I could.
Coroner—Do you mean to stop in the tunnel ?
Witness—Yes, wherever I might be, whether in
the tunnel or not.
Coroner—Has such a case ever occurred to you ?
Witness—No, Sir.
Coroner—ln going from Brighton to Clayton
tunnel, did you at any tiaie in the transit see or
hear anything of the train which followed you ?
Witness—No, sir.
Coroner—During your experience as an engine-
driver, have you known a train overtaking you if
they have started five minutes after ?
Witness—Only when we have stayed at a station,
and then they stand at the distance signal.
Coroner—Have you never had a break down ?
Witness—Oh yes ; several, but have never had a
train so close as that.
By Capt. Tyler—When I went into the Clayton
tunnel, I saw the signal-man at the south end ; he
showed a white flag. I saw the signal-man at the
other end of the tunnel, and he had a white flag too.
Capt. Tyler—Did you see the signal- man ?
Witness—Yes.
Capt. Tyler—Have you ever driven the excursion
train before ?
Witness—Yes.
Capt. Tyler—Every Sunday ?
Witness—Every other Sunday.
Capt. Tyler—Do you follow each other quickly?
Witness—l cannot say how much so. •
Capt. Tyler—Have you ever seen more than one
train at the mouth of the tunnel at one time ?
Witness—No, I never have.
By a Juryman—Have you ever started at the end
of five minutes after another train ?
Witness—l think not.
Juryman—Have you ever come in sight of a train
at the mouth of the Clayton tunnel ?
Witness—No.
Juryman—How long does it take to pull up ?
Witness—l should say about five or six minutes
on such a morning as it was on Sunday last.
Juryman—lf the red flag had been waved between
the mouth of the tunnel and the distance signal,
what should you have done ?
Witness—l should have pulled up.
Juryman—lf you had stopped in the tunnel,
what should you have done ?
Witness—l should have stopped still, and sent
the guard back.
Juryman—How long have you been in the ser-
vice of the company ?
Witness—Three or four years.
Juryman--How many times have you passed
with the distance signal, showing safety, and after-
wards seen the red flag waved ?
Witness—Never, that I know of.
Juryman—Wheonr you passed the distance signal
out
did youwi
tn Witness—Of
0 r
By a course;juryman—
yon es-er known such circumstances
the morning of Sunday last?
Dthuerin man at the signal-box ?
we always do.
g your experience have
as occurred on
Witness—Never.
Juryman—Did you notice the clock when you
went out ?
Witness—l did; it was half-past eight.
By Mr. Roupell—There is a run of about a mile,
which you can see before you get to the tunnel.
We do not time ourselves in running up to the
tunnel. I should not have backed under any cir-
cumstances after I had seen the red flag, but should
have waited until the guard came back, and told
me what it was.
By Mr. Penfold—There used to be premiums
given to the drivers who kept good time, and their
names entered in a book. Ido not know why the
register is kept. There is a register kept as to the
quantity of coke used, and the time kept. Ido not
think there is a feeling amongst the engine-drivers
to make up lost time. I think the premiums have
been stopped five years.
By Mr. Evans—lt is our duty to report the time
we start with a train, and also its arrival on coming
back to Brighton.
By Mr. Fryer—l do not know whether Mr.
Hawkins, the present traffic manager, instituted the
system of premiums.
By Mr. Poole—Patcham Tunnel is about a mile
and a half long.
Mr. T. H. Read—l stupid have stood quite still,
and waited while I sent the guard back to find out
what the red flag meant. If the tunnel is clear of
steam, and you are at one end of the Clayton Tun-
nel, you can see a train entering at the other end.
By the Coroner—l do not know whether we had
a signal lamp at the back of the train ; that is the
guard's duty, but we had a light in the front.
By Mr. Faithfull—lt is my duty to look at the
signals as we pass, but I should not look back to see
if the distance signal was put for the next train,
unless there was another signal pat on. The pre-
miums were given to the engine drivers who
travelled the greatest number of miles and con- I
Burned the smallest quantity of coke.
By the Jury—lt is my duty to see whether the