The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-31 00:00:00

THE TERRIBLE COLLISION ON ,TIIE
LONDON AND BRIGHTON RAILWAY.

THE ADJOURNED INQUEST.
BRIGHTON, FRIDAY EVENING.
The sensation caused by the fatal tragedy at the
Clayton tunnel has very little, if at all, subsided ;
every day enlarges the list of the maimed and
wounded. The funerals of Mr. Charlwood, Mr.
Wilson, the two Miss Parkers, Mr. and Mrs.
Wheeler, with their baby, Mrs. Ellen Lower, and
Geo. Westcott took place yesterday, the mournful
cavalcades being attended by great numbers of per-
sons. The remains of Mr. Kean were removed to
London yesterday. The burials of Maria Edwing
and Jane Elizabeth Biden were solemnized to-day.
Miss Barclay's funeral will take place to-morrow.
Coleman, the railway guard of the train run into,
who lies, with four of his ribs fractured, at Has-
sock's-gate, is said to be recovering, and hopes are
expressed by the medical men that he will be able
in the course of a day or two to give evidence before
the jury. The sufferers in the County Hospital are
progressing favourably, with the exception of the
little child, Elizabeth Edwing, whose legs have not
been amputated, as was stated, but who was much
injured and severely scalded. She was worse this
morning.
The inquiry into the causes of the accident was
resumed this morning at the Town-hall, before Mr.
David Black, coroner for the borough. Captain
Tyler, the Government Inspector of Railways, was
again in attendance, and assisted in the examina-
tion of the witnesses.
The jury have made considerable progress with
the investigation. They have examined the en-
gine-drivers, firemen, and guards of the three
trains (saving Coleman), and all the other officials
of the company who could throw any light on the
accident, with the exception of Mr. Hawkins, the
traffic manager. The railway company appear
desirous to assist the jury by all the means at
their disposal, yet their legal adviser and the coro-
ner are still at issue in regard to some docu-
ments withheld by the company which the coroner
calls upon them to produce. The legal advisers of
the deceased and injured persons carefully watch
the evidence with a view to ulterior proceedings
under Lord Campbell's Act, while the company
cannot be insensible to the tremendous pecuniary
liabilities which they incur by the production of
statements made by the servants of the company
for the information of the directors and officers.
The evidence hitherto given has gone a great way
towards clearing up the causes of the accident. It
is stated to be an unusual precaution on railway
lines to have a man at each end of a tunnel (as was
the case at the Clayton tunnel) to telegraph the ar-
rival and departure of each train, and to give the
necessary signals. It has not escaped remark that
the addition precautions used at the Clayton tunnel
have been, in some sort, the cause of the accident.
Had the signalmen at the tunnel been dispensed
with, as on other lines, it is argued that no accident
would have happened, and the trains would have
passed on without, interruption. The feeling in
town appears to be that the trains are allowed
to follow each other in too quick succession. One
of the witnesses to-day deposed to a statement
made just after the accident by Killich, the signal-
man at the tunnel, that "the trains followed so
quick upon each other that he did not know what
he was about."
Mr,Faithfull, solicitor to the London and Brighton
Railway Company, represented their interests;
Mr. Roupell, barrister, instructed by Mr. J. J.
Stuckey, solicitor, of Brighton, appeared to watch
the case on behalf of the friends and relatives of
the late Mr. Ingledew ; Mr. Lamb, solicitor, of
Brighton, was present on behalf of the representa-
tives of Mr. John Lockstone and Mrs. Jane Eliza-
beth Biden; Mr. Penfold, solicitor, of Brighton,
represented the relatives of Miss Rebecca Bar-
clay;; Mr. Fryer, of Gray's-inn, watched the case
on behalf of the friends of Mr. Green-
field, oilman, of Union-street, Borough,
also for Mr. John Field and Mrs. Field,
of Montpellier-place, Brighton, and also for Mr.
Edward Sewell, of College-place, Camden• town, the
three last named persons having been much injured
by the collision ; Mr. Pook, solicitor, of 27,
Basinghall-street, was present on behalf of the
friends of Messrs. Thomas and George Noble ;
also for Mr. Robert Ayley and Mrs. Elizabeth
Thompson—these two last named persons not being
at present deceased, although seriously injured. Mr.
Evans, solicitor, of Bedford-row, watched the pro-
ceedings for the relatives of Mr. Geo. Gardener and
Mrs. Christiana Minthorpe ; Mr. Stevens, solicitor
of Brighton, attended for the representatives of Mr.
John Wheeler, Mrs. Wheeler, and Daniel Wheeler,
their son ; and Mr. T. H. Reed, solicitor, of St.
Ann's-lane, London, appeared on behalf of the hus-
band of Mrs. Westcott and her daughter, now lying
in the hospital; and also Mr. Henry Watkins
and Mrs. Watkins.
Mr. Frederick Slight, the secretary ; Mr. Geo.
Hawkins, the traffic manager; Mr. Chester Craven,
locomotive and carriage superintendent ; Mr. Perry,
inspector of the permanent way ; Mr. J. S. Farmer,
Mr. George Faithfull, with other officials of the
company were also present.
Mr. Coningham, M.P., the Mayor of Brighton,
with a great many of the gentlemen of the neigh-
bourhood of position and influence, watched the
proceedings during the day, and the crowded state
of the court-room fully testified to the unabated
interest taken by the public in the inquiry. The
evidence was as follows
Edward Dudley—l am a stoker in the employ
of the London and Brighton and South Coast
Railway Company, and I acted in that capacity
on Sunday last to the Portsmouth excursion
train. I have been twelve years in the service
of the company. I only casually noticed the time
we left, but I think it had just turned the half-
hour past eight o'clock. Mr. Legg gave the signal
for starting the train ; but I do not know whether
he said anything like "Look out a-head " to the
engine-driver. I noticed the distance signal was
"all right" as we approached the Clayton tunnel,
bat I did not look back, as I was looking out for the
other signals at the entrance to the tunnel. I saw
the signalman waving his red flag violently when
we were about a length or two lengths of the engine
from the mouth of the tunnel. When I saw the red
flag I immediately put on the break and ran the
sand down. I think, according to the best of my
judgment, the engine ran 300 yards into the tunnel
before it came to a stop. When the train ceased to
go forwards it ran backwards, but I could not say
how much, probably 20 yards, but I was busy with
the sand-box and did not notice. The engine was
reversed to stop her, and that backed the train a
little. I have never known the signal fail to act
whenithe train passed over, it but I have not noticed
that one particularly, as the tunnel is only 300
yardsfrom the distance signal, and, therefore, I look
out immediately for the signalman at the tunnel. I
cannot say that I remember having been stopped
by a red fl lg after I had passed the distance signal.
By Captain Tyler—When I passed the distance
signal I was standing facing the signal. On passing
the signal I looked immediately to Killich's box,
and the first thing I Saw was Killich waving the
red flag very violently. The driver reversed the
engine the moment he saw the flag, and I put on
my break. When he shut off the steam we were
going back. The engine was standing still when
the collision took place. We were going 30 miles
an hour when we went into the tunnel. I heard
the train coming before the collision, and my mate,
who was looking over the side rail, must have seen
it. My mate did not say anything about the
train coming, but he was looking over my shoulder
at the moment, and he flew to the regulator to
open it. Ido not know whether he did so, but I
think he acted as he did to move the train
forward to get out of the way of the coming train.
I stooped down on the footplate and laid hold
of the handrail to protect myself. I was partly
sitting on the footplate when the collision occurred.
I had not time to think of jumping off the train. I
looked over the handrail as soon as we stopped. I
did not see the train, but I heard the rattle of its
coming. I was looking over the rail when I heard
the train coming. I was not screwing my break
On. It was quite on when the collision occurred.
When the train stopped in the tunnel it went back
some little distance before the steam was shut off—
I think about 20 yards.
By the Jury—lf Killich had been at the wheel
trying to put the distance signal on, I should not
have seen him. When we went out at the north
end of the tunnel I saw Brown, the signalman,
there, but no one was with him. I did not say
anything to Brown about the accident. I could not
see back at all, it was so dark and the tunnel so full
of steam. If Killich had run to the mouth of the
tunnel and waved a white flag, I should not have
been able to see it. I have never seen a train in
front of the train I have been on when I have been
running between Brighton and the south end of
the Clayton tunnel. I saw Brown when we went
In,t at the other end of the tunnel, but I do not
think 'whether he had a flag in his hand or not. I
Ink he stood on the box side, but I have fro-