The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-25 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY ' VE.NING, NOVEMBER 25, 1

DREADFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT
AND LOSS OF LIFE.
INQUEST ON ONE OF THE BODIES.
At eleven o'clock, on Friday morning, the coroner,
Mr. Swann, and a jury, held an inquest on the body
of William Iranians, at the Three Wheat Sheaves,
Old Lenton.
William Gell identified the body.
Thomas Cooper, of New Lenton, lace-maker, said,
I was ati,Beeston station at half-past two o'clock, in-
tending to come to Nottingham by the Derby train.
The Derby train being delayed, I was standing at
the Beeston station, and saw a train coming from
Nottingham upon the down-line instead of the up-
line. That was the line nearest Beeston; I saw
Lightfoot upon the tender of that lot of carriages.
They whistled very much coming up. I saw it go
put, and they shouted to a boy (Tom) to turn
the point just above the station, so as to place them
on the right line. Mr. Lightfoot there got off, and
came back to the station-house ; he went into a
little room, began to talk to a policeman, and I over-
heard Mr. Lightfoot say, that there was a tender off
the line, and that was the reason they came on
the down-line, and he had come to stop the
Derby train. After they had been talking some time,
the policeman fetched a red flag and gave it to the
boy, and said, " Go full half a mile up the Derby
line." In about ten minutes, the Derby train came
down at a slow pace, as I thought, in consequence of
the flag; it stopped at the station some time. Whilst
the Derby train was standing, I saw a policeman
running up the centre of the road as if he had come
from Nottingham, and I heard him say to Mr. Light-
foot, " If I were you, I wouldn't start the train yet."
This I heard him say above once or twice.—(The
witness here minutely described the policeman, who
was called into the room, and stated that his name
was James Howitt.)—ln five or ten minutes after
that, I heard Mr. Lightfoot say, " I think they have
had time enough to get the tender off." Mr. Light-
foot then came out of the little room, and mounted
the tender. I should have gone down by that train,
but I was alarmed after what Howitt had said, and
determined not to go. This I state upon my oath. I
was very near Mr. Lightfoot when he got upon the
tender, and I heard him tell the engine-
driver to go at a slow speed. The train then
started at a slow pace. I stopped at Beeston station,
aed in a short time (it might be a couple of minutes)
I heard a loud crash. I was listening to hear whether
all was safe. There was a very thick fog, and I could
not see the trains, nor half way to them. I thought
there had been an accident on the line. I and two or
three other persons ran down the line to see what was
the matter. Before I could see the train I met the
guard of the down-train running towards Beeston.—
(Joseph Coleburn was then called, and identified by
the witness. Coleburn is an engineer, who occasionally
acts as guard, and was doing so on this particular
occasion.) I said to him, "Is there as an accident ?"
He raised up his hands and said, "Oh, yes, there is a
serious accident, but I havn't seen what I " I ran
forward, and he went on to Beeston. I came up to
the trains ; they were, I should say, about three-
quarters of a mile:or a mile from Beeston. I saw two
trains, both upon the same line, crushed into one
another. Some of the passengers were still
in the carriages, and I saw some lying on
the ground, as if hurt. I saw some men car-
rying Mr. Dean into an adjoining field, and as-
sisted in lifting him into a cart. I also saw a stout'
elderly man in the same field as Mr. Dean ; he wits,i
bleeding very much from his head, or his eyes, or.,
his ears. I saw nothing the matter with his leg. I
helped to lift him into the cart, and he complained of
his chest. He said, " I feel very tizzy ; for God's
sake, let me lie down." I never saw that his leg was
broken after he had been placed in the cart. There
was one other person in the cart before the deceased.
Mr. Dean was also lifted into the cart. He was
alive, but I said to Stanton, " George, you may
depend upon it, Mr. Dean is dying." I saw no more
put into the cart, and I don't know who drove it
away. I then went back to see if any other person.
wanted assistance. I helped Mrs. Dean, (Mr
Dean's brother's wife) to Beeston ; she was hurt, but
not so much so as to be unableito walk with my as-
sistance. I saw several other persons injured ; I
shouldithink ten or twelve. I did not return again to
the train. The engines and carriages were very much
shattered, but I cannot give any description of the
damage. I know none of them.
William Murden, of Old Lepton, labourer, said, at
the time of the accident I was working in Mr.
Cheetham's field, which adjoins the railway, and I
had a horse and cart there. I heard the crash, and
immediately I and Mr. Cheetham, who was the only
oerson with me, ran to see what was the matter. I
saw two trains on the same line, and they appeared
to have met each other. When I first saw them they
had run one into the other; one or two of the carriages
were broken.
By a Juryman—l recollect no whistling; I was
taking no notice. I was about a hundred yards
distant from the rails, and could have seen the trains
except on account of the fog. I did not see any
engineer that was wounded.
James Howitt, lodge-keeper at the Wilford-gate,
said that a train arrived at Nottingham from Derby
at a little before two o'clock in the afternoon of the
same day, with coals and passengers. It left the latter
in the station-yard, and came back with the coals
again:, on the departing line, to the points just above
my gate, to cross, in order to come in on the arrival
line, for me to turn the coals into the coal line. I saw
that as they were crossing the points the engine went
on one line, and the tender on the other, which threw the
tender off the line. I cannot say how this happened,
for the points had always worked properly before.
Th r. was no man there then, for the points being
,elf-acting points, it was not necessary to have a man
stationed there. Trains had passed over them two or
three times that day. I have known the points to
stick sometimes in winter and bad weather, but never
to get wrong before in such weather as it was yester-
day. The man had oiled them on the day before in
my presence. The engine and tender stuck fast, and
we could not move them. I ran into the yard, and
called the labourers and engine-:nen to assist, but we
were unable to move them, as it required jacks and levers
to get the tender on the line. Kearsley (an engineer,
amongst those who came up), when he saw what had
occurred, told me to go off to Beeston, to stop any
trains that might be coming down, because he szid
they should have to go on the down line with the
next train. That was about two o'clock, and a train
had to start at a quarter-past two. I immediately
set off, and ran as hard as I could towards Beeston,
hut Kearsley's train caught me about 300 yards
below the station, and passed me there. I called to
the engine as it passed, and could hear the whistle
blowing behind me before they caught me. I kept
running on as fast as I could, and when I got to the
station, the train had got on the right line, and had
gone forward. The station-master at Beeston was
there, and I said to him, " Turn the red board up the
line, until you see a train coming up. We have got
a train off at the bottom end, and one line is blocked
up." The person who was with him went and turned
the signal directly. I waited about there until three
o'clock, exactl7 at which hour a train from Derby
came down. The train stopped on seeing the signal.
Mr. Lightfoot said, " You and I will go down by this
train to Nottingham." I said, "We had better wait
until the train from Nottingham comes up, it may
come on this line." He said, "Oh no, it will come
up on the right line ; John Kearsley's there, and he
will see all is right."
The CORONER—Stop, I shall not put that down.
After some discussion all the hearsay evidence was
struck out, and the inquest was adjourned till Tuesday.
INQUEST ON MR. JOHN DEAN.
At five o'clock on Friday afternoon, M. Browne,
Gent., Coroner, and a very respectable jury, of which
Mt. William Taylor was foreman, assembled at the
General Hospital, to inquire into the cause of the
death of Mr. John Dean.

Thomas Cooper, James llowitt, and Jonathan
Raven, were examined, and gave evidence very similar
to that given at Lenton.
Mr. Sibson, house-surgeon, attributed death, which
took place before deceased reached the hospital, to
internal injuries received by the sudden concussion of
the carriages, which caused a doubling or sudden
twisting, striking the body against a hard substance,
had caused the liver to be nearly divided into two parts.
Messrs. Wadsworth and Patchitt appeared on be-
half of the Directors, and Mr. Campbell for Mr.
Lightfoot, superintendent of the railway.
The inquiry was continued till a quarter past ten,
and then adjourned till Monday, at two o'clock in the
afternoon.

THE LATE ACCIDENT ON THE
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.
INQUEST ON THE BODIES.
On Saturday, Mr. Wakley, M.P., held an inquest
at the Du Burgh Arms Tavern, West Drayton, on
the bodies of Samuel Brooks and William Tuckwell,
two I.l,ourers in the employ of the Great Western
Company, who were killed near the West
Drayton station on the morning of Thursday last.
George Inglis deposed that he was an engine-driver,
in the employ of the Great Western Railway Com-
pany. On the morning of Thursday last he left the
Paddington terminus with the Bellona engine and
train, which was the eight o'clock train from Pad-
dington. He was not aware of the accident at the
time of its occurrence, but discovered it when he
reached Slough, by seeing blood on the guard-
iron of the wheels. After witness arrived at the
S windon station, he, for the first time, learned the
extent of the accident. The journey was foggy
throughout. Witness's train had no lights. When
witness was close to the West Drayton station he
sounded the whistle, which it was customary for
him to do. That was when he was twenty or thirty
yards distant from the station. Witness had sounded
the whistle full a hundred times between Paddington ,
and West Drayton. The fog was so dense that he
was quite close to the station before he could ste

that the signal was right, and the policeman's arm up.
Witness's train did not stop at West Drayton. It
was a quick train. Did not notice any labourers on
the line that morning, nor any getting out of the way.
Patrick Hearn, a labourer on the railway, deposed
that he was at the West Drayton station when the
accident happened. He heard of it about eight or
nine minutes afterwards. He immediately hastened
to the spot, and found the body of Samuel Brooks
about 140 yards from the spot where the occurrence
took place, lying on the middle of the line. His
body was knocked to pieces, and the head was bat-
tered. The two men had not left witness five
minutes before. Witnees was not on the line when
the trains passed.
Benjamin White deposed that he was stoker to the
Bellona engine, and was with it on Thursday morn-
ing. It was very foggy, and the whistle was blown
about every quarter of a mile. The engine-driver
also whistled about ten yards from the bridge, and
again as soon as they had passed West Drayton
station.

A lengthened and desultory discussion then ensued
between the coroner, jury, witnesses, and officers of
the Company, as to the best means of preventing the
recurrence of such accidents in future. All the wit-
nesses and the officers of the Company agreed that
they were quite satisfied with the present arrange-
ments, and said that if the men would not themselves
take the necessary precautions by getting off the line
earlier, instead of waiting until a train is close to
them, all the restrictions in the world would not pre-
vent such accidents; they could net, therefore, sug-
gest anything that would be an improvement.
The CORONER said, that being the case, that the
men who were the most interested in the matter did
not see how it could be altered, and could not make
any suggestion for its improvement, he did not see
that the jury could go advantageously further into the
case. It was clearly an accident, arising from the de-
ceased's negligence and incaution.
The jury immediately said they were quite satisfied
on that point, and returned a verdict of—Accidental
death.

STATE OF THE AGRICULTURAL
POOR.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TINES.

Sir,—The sympathy you evince for the distressing
condition of the agricultural labourers induces me to
hope that the following remarks may not be unaccept-
able. The Times has treated the subject with so much
feeling and truth, that in the end a beneficial effect must
be produced upon those who have the power of apply-
ing a remedy to the evils of which we all so loudly com-
plain. The remedy is in the hands of the Government
of the country and its landed proprietors, to whom re-
spectively my suggestions are addressed.
As regards any Government measure of relief, I will
say, in a word, that the only principle upon which it can
proceed must be that of providing work for the labourer,
instead of the system at present pursued. This might
be done simply and effectually by the adoption of either
of the following plans, or by a judicious combination of
them
I would propose, in the first place, that, in accordance
with the recommendation of a Committee of the House
of Commons, the clauses of the present Highway Act
for forming parishes into districts, and for appointing
district surveyors, be made compulsory; that the appoint-
ment of the surveyors and the management of the high-
ways devolve upon the board of guardians ; and that
labourers in want of work be employed by the surveyors
under the authority of the board, being paid by the
piece, and at a rate of remuneration lower by twenty per
cent. than the average wages of independent labourers
in the neighbourhood. lam satisfied that the offer of
the workhouse as a test of destitution might thus be
safely withdrawn, as no man would accept the inferior
wages and hard labour of the surveyor unless compelled
by actual necessity.
My second proposal is, that a labour rate be established
by law, to be applied solely in the payment of agricultu-
ral labourers who require employment, and to be levied
exclusively on lands of the value of 20Z a year and up-
wards, as persons assessed below that amount are una-
ble to employ labourers, and very frequently in difficul-
ties themselves. (See note 1.)
A third measure measure would be to prohibit the ad-
mission into the workhouse of unemployed labourers,
excepting a very small portion (say one in ten) of the
whole number who might at any time be without work ;
the remaining nine to be entitled to out-door relief suffi-
cient for the maintenance of themselves and families.
This would operate as a strong inducement to the rate-
payers to provide the labourers with work ; it would put
an end to offers of employment at low wages, with the
alternative of the workhouse ; while at the same time,
by permitting the offer of the house in a few cases, it
would furnish a security against wilful and profligate
idleness.

On the adoption of any of these plans, it should be
rendered penal to combine for the purpose of defeating
their operation. It is a frequent practice at present
to collect private subscriptions as well as the paro-
chial rates, with the view of giving a cheaper relief
than that authorised by law and sanctioned by the
board of guardians ; the object being, under the dis-
guise of charity, to relieve the pockets of the rate-
payers by obliging the labourer, under threat of the
workhouse, to accept an inferior rate of wages, or a
lower amount of relief than would be ordered him by
the board. And I may take this occasion to reprobate
another injurious practice, by which many children are
deprived of the opportunity of education. The young
children of widows and others receiving out-door relief
arc compelled to work ; their trifling earnings are de-
ducted from the relief given to their parents, whose
forlorn condition is rendered even more miserable hy
increased expenses in food and clothing consequent upon
the labour and exposure of the children. The employ-
ment of such children under the age of twelve should be
prohibited by law.
The last measure for the relief of the labourer falling
within the province of Government which I am prepared
to recommend, is the encouragement of well combined
plans of emigration, in which labourers contributing
their labour and binding themselves to the fulfilment of
their part in the undertaking during a term of years,
would, at the expiration of the term, receive an equitable
share upon a division of the lands reclaimed. (See
note 2.)
By carrying out one or more of these measures, or
rather a combination of them, all with suitable modifica-
tions, the Government of this country would, I am con-
vinced, greatly ameliorate the condition of the agricul-
tural labourer, and that upon the only sound and safe
principle—the only principle that is consistent with his
independence and self-respect, viz., giving him occupation
instead of alms.
I now proceed to remedies which are in the hands of
individuals ; and these, though ineffectual unless sup-
ported by legislative interference, are simple in their ap-
plication, and in no respect open to objection. Let the
landed proprietors act upon a proper sense of their re-
sponsibilities, and not to be deterred by any personal
trouble, or the appearance (for I am persuaded it would
be only an appearance) of personal sacrifice, and I van
ture to predict that we shall hear much less of the suf-
fering and disorder of the labouring population.
It will not bs out of place here to remark, that I be-
lieve the existing distress to be aggravated in no small
degree by the recent changes in the laws affecting agri-
cultural produce. At any time it would be natural that
the tenant (who has agreed to take upon himself the
payment of the rates) should endeavour to reduce the
burden but, under the present depression of prices, it
cannot be expected that he should fulfil his obligation, or
find work for the unemployed labourers, which many
landlords have insisted on, unless he be relieved by a
corresponding reduction of rent.
Having hazarded this observation, I proceed to express
my conviction that a judicious system of allotment is cal-
culated in the highest degree to insure the well-being,
both moral and physical, of the agricultural labourer.
Let the landed proprietor begin by putting a moderate
rent upon his cottages, refusing in every ca::e to let them
in conjunction with the farms. It is unreasonable to ex-
pect a labouring man to lay by more than ls. a week at
the very utmost to meet his rent, yet 51. a year is not an
uncommon rental. Let every man ofgood character upon
an estate occupy a rood ofgarden ground. To a certain
proportion (perhaps one-half) of the whole number, let
an additional allotment be made of three acres of pasture
land, or so much as will enable them to keep a cow and
three or four sheep ; and, as a still further stimulus to
industry and frugality, let there be on the estate a cer-
tain number of small farms of forty acres, or large
enough to employ two horses, and support a family above
the condition of a labourer, thus encouraging the in-
dustrious by a prospect of advancement in life, and re-
storing to the community a most valuable class of men,
now almost extinct, between the mete labourer and the
large farmer. At present the agricultural labourer is
deprived even of hope—he has no opening before him---
nothing to look forward to but a life of toil, and an old
age of destitution. (See note 3.)
It must, however, be remembered, that such a system
of allotment as I have recommended is on no account
to be looked upon as affording the labourer the means
of support, or rendering him independent of his
regular work. It is a means of bettering his con-
dition, and giving him some comforts and advantages ;
but these he only acquires by working at extra hours.
It delivers him also from the ruinous consequences of
occasional want of employment, to which he is liable,
even if all other causes were removed, from bad weather
alone—such consequences, for instance, as becoming in-
volved in debt with the small shopkeepers, whose prices
are naturally high in proportion to the length of credit
and uncertainty of payment.
I have now laid before you my sentiments upon this
anxious and important subject, and will only make a re-
mark in conclusion. It is the Opinion of persons more
conversant with these matters than myself, that under
such legislative regulations as I propose, the occupiers
of land would immediately find it their interest to leave
no labourer without employ, and the powers given by
law would seldom or never be called into direct operation.
I must also state, that the plans which I have recom-
mended for private adoption have been found by expe-
rience to be both easily practicable and singularly bene-
ficial. In many instances they have been defeated by
the selfishness and prejudices of individuals, but their
value has not been the less evident. As to the facts
stated, I am prepared to prove them by a host of wit-
nesses.—l have the honour to remain, Sir, your faithfu
and obedient servant,

WILLOUGHBY DE ERESBY.
Grimsthorpe, Nov. 15.

Note L—Suppose the number of labourers in a parish
to be 120—viz., 40 whose labour is valued at 12s. weekly,
40 at los., and 40s. at Bs.

Then 40 at 12s. would require weekly £24
40 at 10g.
20
40 at 8s
16

60
4

And the 120 would require for a month's wages 240
20

Or in shillings
4,800
And suppose (to make the calculation as simple as
possible) the amount of rateable property in the parish
to be 4,800/., excluding all occupations below 201., then
the monthly rate would be le. in the pound.
As an example, Mr. A. is assessed at 1001., his
monthly rate therefore is 5L
He bas in his employment, during
a month, one man at 125., for £ a. d. £ s. d.
two weeks
Two men, at 10s., for one week
Three men, at Bs., for two weeks 2 6 0 412 0
Rer- '

Imaining to be paid to the rate, --
or, in other words, to be ex-
pended in additional labour, by
Mr. A 0 8 0
Note 2.—1 wish to see in our emigration agricultural
projects undertaken by a combination of different classes
on an extensive scale, and with unity of design. Thus,
the capitalist and manufacturer at home—the one fur-
nishing money, the other goods—would combine with
the man of science and the labourer on the spot. At the
end of such a term as would enable the lauds to be
brought into cultivation, a division would take place,
adjusted upon a fair estimate of the contributions of all.
Thus, for example, the services of a labourer for a year
might fairly be equivalent to a 50L share.
Note 3.—The occupation of three acres of pasture
would give him that great necessary of life, a supply of
milk for his family, which he can very rarely buy, and
at the same time afford him a profitable investment for
his money, by the purchase of a cow and sheep, which
would produce him as many pounds yearly as he could
get shillings in the savings bank. It would conse-
quently
enable him to accumulate the capital necessary
to stock a small farm. I cannot refrain from adding
two very significant facts for the benefit of those who
talk of the impossibility of a labourer's purchasing a
cow :—I have seen the plan of a parish, of the date of
1717, in which every cottage had an allotment of pasture.
I
At some subsequent periods all_thvna were taken away,
and let with the large farms. Ten years ago they were