The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-18 00:00:00

THE FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT

NEAR LINCOLN:

DEATH OF ANOTHER SUFFERER.

On Wednesday afternoon an inquest was held
upon the bodies of the engine cleaner and passen-
ger, Clark, who died the evening previously. (4,
Richard Pearson said—l am a guard on the
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire Railway.
I have been in the employ of the company for 13
years, and have been guard upon the line from
Lincoln to Hull 12 years last December. Thomas
Thompson is the engine driver, but I do not know
how long he has been in the service. He has been
on this line about three years. I left New Holland
on the night of the accident 26 minutes late (the
proper time is 5.45)-6.11. After leaving New
Holland we ran up to Langworth, and were 24
minutes late, making up two minutes. We left
there at 7.55, proceeding from thence to Greetwell,
and arrived at the cutting, but had not increased
the speed. It was about five minutes to 8 o'clock
when I looked at my watch before the accident oc-
curred. We are due at Lincoln at a quarter to 8
o'clock. We carry the letter bags. Up to Greet-
well Cutting we were running at the same speed,,
Ina were attoniya.,6 • tL, up our time.
The train which carries the letters from Lincoln
does not wait if we are behind time; their time is
ten minutes past 8 to leave Lincoln. The driver
blew the whistle in the Greetwell Cutting, which
is an extraordinary circumstance at this point.
My attention was called to it, and I immediately
applied the brake. After I had done so the car-
riages came into collision, and I was knocked down
at the bottom of the van, and I do not know any
more of the circumstance. The train was arrar ged
—engine and tender, three fish waggons, brake van,
thireclass, one first and one second class carriage,
and a dummy behind. When I recovered from the
force of the concussion I went to see after the passen-
gers. I found one severely injured—a third class
passenger--he was laid upon the seat. The car-
riage was quite upright. I asked him if he was hurt,
and he replied that he had got his thigh or leg I
broken. After having seen him, the fireman, G.
Thompsol and myself, went to look after the driver
and cleaner. I found the driver lying on the bank,
near to the engine ; I sent the fireman back with a
signal behind the train to Greetwell. I could not
see the other man, there was so much steam blow-
ing off. I then came on to Lincoln. I did not
notice any portion of the wheel lying about ; it
was quite dark.
By Mr, Kirton—They do sometimes come down
the cutting faster than other portions of the line,
but since the severe weather set in he had driven
very carefully.
By Mr. Robey—The speed would not be more
than 30 miles an hour, The engine wheels are
tested at New Holland, Ulceby, and Barnetby
junctions. The speed depends upon the driver.
We have no instructions from the company either
to increase or slackea our speed. The station mas-
ters at Barnetby and Ulceby superintend the tap-
ping. lam unable to say whether they tap the
engine wheels ; I rever saw them. This was the
first journey the engine had made that day. She
had been in the shed all day. lam unable to say
how old she is.
Mr. I. Barber, locomotive foreman, New Hol-

land, said—l am connected with the Manchester,
Sheffield, and Lincolnshire.line, and look after the
locomotive plant. I know this engine, and had in-
spnted her on Monday afternoon. I examined the
wheels, and had new blocks put upon the tender
brake. When she left New Holland she was in a
perfcct state to travel. I have seen the wheel this
morning and examired it. It is made by Mr. Tay-
lor, of Leeds, from the best scrap iron. From my
experience, the low state of the temperature of the
atmo3phere and the rigid state of the frost would
cause the wheel to fly. The speed of from 25 to
30 miles would not be the occasion of it. I have
known of other engine wheels having flown in a
similar way during the continuance of the frost.
The weather exercises the same effect upon cast
as upon wrought iron. Accidents of a similar
character have occurred all over the kingdom.
A salt waggon at Now Holland now has never
been moved for two months, and yet the tire is
split.
Mr. Robey said that he had seen the same effect
spoken of by the last witness. A cylinder in his
yard broke all to pieces in one night.
Messrs. Tye and Dixon coincided with the evi-
dence given as to the effect of the frost.

Mr.-Barber—l do is necessary for
any other inspector to look after the engine-wheels,
as the driver is brought up to it from a child.
William Griffiths said—l am permanent-way
inspector on the Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln-
shire line. It is my duty to look over the road,
and see that all is right. My district is from Bar-
netby to Lincoln, a distance of 29* miles, and from
Saxilby to Ciarborough Junction, a distance of 8*
miles. Igo over the line, occasionally riding and
sometimes walking. I see the entire distance I
have to superintend once in fix days. The gangers
on the road, if they see anything wrong they cannot
set right send to me. I was at the Greetwell cut-

ting on the Bth, when- the roadway was all right,
men having been on, backwards and forwards,
night and morning. The hill does not shelve on
to the rails—there is a recess large enough to catch
all fallings from the bank. If the rails had been
disarranged in the least my gangsman would have
rectified it. The rails have not been removed from
the time I saw them, and they are in a good state
of repair. It is 2481 yards from where the first
piece of the tire was found to the point where
the engine and tender toppled over. It is 15 yards
from the place where the first marks are found in
the snow to where the first piece of the tire was
found. The last piece of the tire was found 196
yards from the first piece.
G. H. Richardson said that he was sitting in the
third-class carriage, and saw the end of it broken
in. He assisted the deceased (Clarke) to get out
from the debris, 'no train wus going, he thought,