The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-24 00:00:00

THE LATE ACCIDENT ON THE

GRE IT WESTERN RAILWAY.
SWINDON, SEE'''. 23.—This afternoon an investigs*
tion was gone into before the county magistrates, at
the Goddard Arms, into the circumstances attendant
on the late alarming accident at the Wootton-Bassett
station. The magistrates present were the Rev. yT
•
T. Ripley, Rev. Giles Daubeny, Mr. S. C. Sadler,,
Mr. A. Goddard, and Mr. H. N. Goddard, ~
e
policeman on duty at the time of the accident, Wit-
Ham White, was brought up in custody, and charged
by the Great Western Company with neglect of duty',
under the 3d and 4th Victoria, cap. 97, sec. 13, Cell'
monly called• Lord Seymour's Act.
Toe witnesses examined were Benjamin Ailes, en-
gine-driver ; Robert Morgan, stoker; Chas. George,
station-master at Wootton Bassett; Richard Burton,
superintendent of the Great Western police at the
Bristol station ; Thomas Perrett, sergeant of police
at the Bath station ; and _a_ Andrews, superin•
tendant of the Chippenham station- There were few
facts elicited by the examination beyond those alresdi
reported. The following is, perhaps, the most in-
teresting portion of the evidence :
Richard Burton, superintendent of the Great Vire:s'
tern police at the Bristol station, deposed—l was 1
the train on Friday night. We passed under the
bridge where the signal-post was, and passed the
tion all right. I was looking out of the train at the
time, and saw the policeman with the signal lie.'
We had passed the station only a short time whet
we came into collision with something. I "rig °lle
to, the people to keep their seats, and the words 'o'er
hardly out of my mouth before we went down
the bank and turned over into a ditch at the 1%74-
torn. The second carriage turned over also. Whea
I got out I said to White, " How did this occur?
He replied, " I don't know, indeed." I asked
if he had seen the horse-box in the siding? A.
said he had. I asked him if it was properly secure"..
He replied that Skull told him it was all right vshei
he relieved him. Skull was the day policemen.
said, " That is nothing to you, you should have sli;
tisfied yourself it was all right." His answer "'ft.,:
" Well, sir, I ought to have done so." I asked 13,7 e
if he had gone himself and examined whether
horse-box was scotched or not. He said, "IC°'
did not."
[Scotches are triangular pieces of wood placed bed:
fore and behind the first and last vehicle whilst Stand"
log in a siding.]
as
By the COURT—The prisoner has been on the lir°
policeman more than eight years. He was well ac,
quainted with his duties.
The prisoner in his defence said, that on Friday,.B
night he relieved the day policeman, who, b:T it
leaving, told him that everything was all right; I,ot
had not been all right, he would have told him wa",e
was wrong. When this horse-box was placed on "
siding it was done by two men—a porter and
!iceman. The policeman attended to the swite rat
and the porter went and scotched the horse dao%,
ea
the policeman afterwards saw that it was pro see
done. lie (the prisoner) did not certainly go and e
that it was properly scotched, but he went in that 1),,0
sition where he tould see it was all right, and net
g%
the main line. Another reason why he did "la.
down was that it was the custom at the Wootton- 0,
sett station to leave all goods from one ton d°lsoo
wards on the platform. Many of these things N'''ered to
the platform on Friday night, and he was oblige be
lock after them. If any of them had been stolen.
or
would have had to pay for them or been dismi4seel'eel
perhaps both. In the next place one of their Igo,
lamps stood in the middle of a public crossing, "u the
per: on passing might even accidentally turn 011
of
red light; the consequence would be the stoppage re.
any up train that might be coming on, he would he, ba
ported, and he would not be believed if he said thso'we
did not turn on the red light. If he had gone tibeen
to see these scotches safe his back would have poi(
towards this signal post, and he could not have se-big
the light was meddled with. Several times eurrse,
the evening he had looked and seen that the
box was standing where it was when he came no
By the COURT—I cannot distinctly say that "
scotches under the wheels. aro
The MAGISTRATES said it was their untin,l been
opinion that tha charge of neglect of dirty hau,tate•
fully proved. According to the prisoner's ewn;trao•
ment, he had clearly not complied with the in' 0-lea
tions which had been furnished him. The Plicewere
ought to be particularly careful that their duties nos
fully and properly attended to. It involved the et
„risOD
people and property to a vast amount. The r,:taer'S•
ought not ' to have been satisfied with his ,Pa'nrt to
representation, and there was neglect on his Moe
that extent. The consequences in this case Inig7been
been most serious—providentially they had n° dente
fatal. , But the consequences of railway 2°l avis
were so tremendous that the law in such morpoir
properly very stringent. The sentence of the :Ilbg
trates was that the prisoner be imprisoned
for
space of two calendar months.

THE COUNTRY MARKk:TSIof
The following is the official statement of the Vanti rts
corn, &c., received in the port of London from the POO,
Essex, :from the 16th Sept., 1850, to the 21st sot,
both inclusive
ieo

O. !
4.1 ' • {iij • 0
C'' ' • tii V el 3
i +-• 5 -vs 1y,6 64., - w
' - I 4 0 F. -
.....„,...
_! - 60
.5
Colchester
Harwich
Leigh.. 11431 IS9 10, 54 73.E
11......„..---1
bialdon .. 979, 109 500 12 v I . 01
th pileel
HADDINGTON, SEPT. 20.—The following are - e
grain at our market to-day:— 11511:a
New Wheat.
Barley. °ate',4 325 1
First ... ... 45s Od 24s 6d 233 2" 303 'a
Second ... ... 39s 101 22s Id 195 -",-,-, 283 11

ThirdsFeiresot Bill!
Barley. 0at0.4 0 j
9d 3 Oa
.. . . . ........ 39s46s
1001 22245 s 61dd 231953 °"
80: )5
30a - Od 20s Od 'l7s Od 2,701 d
Total ,quantity of New Wheat in marl 402 qrs., g:,s,,„ici
KIRKADDLpoo..;
5Er;;802eart.5......8
'• . - DO• ' ' Barley do. 329 qrs.; 316 011
do. 328 V., 31 solo
The following or 337 tqhres"quc'ptlieoti°:
for new grain :
' 'Wheat. ' ' .Barley. Oats. Bean3' 1 ~.S 0,1
secondF i rst. .i • 430883 'OOl 22?ss
60ad 20520 Od
—3 IDd ..-s CI
_s Od
...4 ocl
Third' 4,34s Od 'lBs Od 169 Od —3 411 osi 03ni
Oatmeal, per bag- ot 2801bs. imperial, 265 Od t° 476 '-
GLA§GOW,SEPT. 18.—ProvisionsA-Cheese, 405 Lt-c., 06 vet
per mitt ; retail; s'd to 6d per lb. Skim milk, 203 °Trait eg,i
cwt.' • Country fresh butter, 10d to Od per liNvil:010-sl,e5,0°-(1
dered,- in lumps,' 84d to 9d; country powdered,
to Od. i Country eggs, led per dozen • carried hen dittopote, •
per 20,. or 7d - per dozen. .Hens, 2's 6d per Plir ; '
OOP
2s od.; - -•. -•. od • , •
PERTH, SEPT. 20.—Wheat, old, 00s Od to 00s
new, 84s to 405; barley, new, 18s Od to 22s Od; (417 j, vs to
atitlesi'
I.Bs ; peas and beans, 00s Od to 00s per quarter.
per sack, 27s to 28s. . . '
. KELso, SEPT. 20.—Wheat, old, 324 to 355
to 38s ;, barley, new, 149 6d to 16s 6d ; ditto 01(11,171100flecT
potato: oats, Os to Os ; ditto new, 14s 6d to 163 u" r„s.'2o9 '
oats 00r0d-to ON Od; ditto new, 13s to 14s 6d ; Pei;jihels•
to 2ls Od ; beans, 18s to 20a per boll of six iniperialo33. ditto;
STIRLING, SE?T. 20.—Wheat, foreign, 205 t° barley, Pn€,l
home, 2lsid to Oa; ditto ditto new, 16s to 235,"; IP"'
~, 6(1 to „ (3,1;
boll of. 6 bushels, 00s Od to Os Od; ditto new, " to I° it
Oats, common, :14s Od to 15s • ditto new, 133 1 Od; u'"
ditto, Flemish, Os Od to Os Od ; 'ditto ditto new, 0-5 ,5; be°:
distillers, 31s to 33# 6d ; ciao brewers, 33s Od to 3' _a,e 1!
per b011,14s Od to.lssod; ditto new, 15s dto 00s ad; Pco' ropcul
3d to Os Od; flour new per sack, 3isOd to 33s Od; ditto 270 oil ;
ditto, las. 6d to 208 Od; oatmeal, per load, z 79 °LI t'sd to 93,;
ditto ne* 28s Od t• 30s Od ; ditto per peck of 71b3,„ to 0o; - •
Od; &ties, %Wig:
fresh butter per lb, 9d to 10d; eggs per dozn, ‘r . .
hay per ton, Os Od to Os ; -ditto new, 63s to 72s Od. ,05 siclai
13E.awwx;•.Sxir.19.—Wheat, 38s 7id ; barley ON ON •-'
oats, 20s Oct.; rye, 00s Od ; beans, 00$ Od ; Pe-
bold, •
average per imperial quarter. cI
HAwicx, Sim. 19.—Wheat, old, 29s to 315 9 „tato °atos:l
new,' 00s to 00s Od; ditto old, 15s Od to 166 Od, P-; 2C5 ..i
14s 6cl to ••16i 0d; common oats, 13s 6d to 15s; Pflllo•Peri.-
to 22s 'Od ; bek.nsi.2os Od to 22s Od per boll of 311
asi,i
bushels. ' . - ••
...., in, tllis
~, 11.; •
FAUI.IIIK, SECT. 19.---The supply of gz...n,,na Der ••,° 64.
market was 211. bolli; wheat at 155 6d to _ ..2us '5, los. '
barley fss 6d -to 20s 9a; oats; 12s Od to 14s 00;
to 008 0080 d per boll ; oatmeal, Os to Os per 10ad......- --. '
...... • - e,l

BewickWe
COAL Ilfailt.g.ET.—Yirsria'Alr' • 16'
15s .9d Stewart's ''''''''' /63
Braddyll" •
- am -16 s 6d Soutivllartlepoo
Raton
CE.G.nd, 816; '• • Lambton ............. 160