The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-15 00:00:00

2%

159—s. 6d,

31. 12s.

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61. 4s.

3/. 365.

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31. 18s.

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General Pasley, who gave the following evidence :—I came
down to inquire into the accident the day after it occurred,
and first proceeded to Chesterford, and thence to the place
at which the accident happened, in company with Mr.
Phipps, Mr. Hanson, Mr. Jackson, and several other per-
sons whom I did not know. Sir. Law ford joined us after-
wards. I saw two second-class carriages, the tender, and
the horse-box on different parts of the line, near the spot at
which the accident occurred, and from which they had been
removed. The rails and everything else had at this time
been replaced. The accident, as I was informed, happened
about a mile from the end of the incline, and a mile and a half
from its summit. I was shown a rail where the engine ran
off, and I questioned the engine-man respecting it. I also
asked questions of Mr. Jackson, Mr. Handle, jun., and others. I
had a good deal of conversation with Sir. Phipps and Mr. Law-
' ford, but they did not tell me they were present at the acci-
dent, and 1 did not question them as to matters of fact. From
what I heard from these persons and from the examination
made, I formed an opinion as to the cause of the accident, which
was, that it must have arisen from excessive speed in descend-
ing a gradient stated to be 1 in 157, along a curve of which
the radius was stated to be two miles, on a new railway
not thoroughly consolidated; and I think it possible that
the outer rail of that curve may nut have been raised
quite so high as is usual in curves in proportion to
the radius. On seeing the rail I formed the opinion
that it was split by a downward blow, such as it might receive
from the jumping of the engine. The engine-man said he
thought that the wedge of the joint must have got loose, that
the end of the rail was consequently thrown up, and that the
flange of the wheel of the engine striking against it caused the
fracture of the rail and the accident; but I was not of that
opinion, because, in the first place, there was no mark on the
end of the rail, such as the wheel would certainly have made if
it had come in contact with it in that manner ; and because,
in the next place, there was a mark on the surface of the rail,
and on the splinter which had been separated from the rail,
showing that the blow must have been downwards. Still the
jumping of the engine must have been excessive to cause the
rail to split.
Cox.) N yeti think there was any irregularity in the
line immediately before the spot where the engine went off?
General Pasley—ln a railway newly opened it is possible for a
subsidence to take place in a particular rail, and for two or
three of the sleepers to be a little deranged ; but still in that
case no accident would happen if the speed were moderate. On
the other hand, if the speed be excessive, a very slight subsi-
dence is sure to cause an accident.

The CORONER—Having regard to the state of the line, and
to the incline where the accident occurred, what, in your
opinion, is the speed with which a train might proceed on it
with perfect safety ? General Pasley—l should think it might
proceed at the rate of 18 or 20 miles an hour with perfect
safety.
The CORONER—ShouId you consider any speed beyond that
attended with danger? General Pasley—Not if the road were
well consolidated.

The CORONER—I am speaking of the line as it is.
General Pasley—l think on descending such an incline on
a newly made line the steam should be altogether, or nearly
shut off.
The CORONER—DO you consider the speed of 30 miles an
hour an unsafe speed on this particular part of the line ? Ge-
neral Pasley—l should think it so until the road was perfectly
consolidated. But I consider that the speed of the train in this
case must have been excessive from the result s because, if it
had been going at a moderate rate it would have stopped, not
have run so far, or left the permanent way and run over to the
batik. In fact it would have stopped upon the permanent way.
1 was once witness of an engine going off the line, and it stopped
at a distance of 20 yards from the spot at which it left the rail.
(It may be as well to state here that the distance at which the
engine was found from the split rail, at which spot it went off,
was found to be 153 yards.) On that occasion we were going
at an exceeeingly slow rats.
'1 he CORONEIC—Are there any other reasons why you think
that the accident was caused by excessive speed ? General
Pasley—As I said before, the curve may have contributed to it.
1 have seen an engine thrown off the rail by a curve.
'1 he CORONER—Did Air. Phipps and Ar. Lawford agree
with you in that opinion ? General Pasley—l don't know. I
did not question them, as they had nut been present at the ac-
cident. Mr. Lawford told me he got down from the train
before the accident occurred, hut he said he thought that
the speed had been excessive the stage before he descended. I
supervised and reported on the line before it was opened. 1
cannot say I examined every part of it. I examined it so as
to enable me to form a judgment as to the general state of the
line and its fitness for traffic. The line was in very good order,
much better than many other railways which I have inspected,
and on which no accident has happened. It is impossible to
examine the position 6f every sleeper and every rail separately.
Instead of a day, it would take me a month to do so. I in-
spected this line from one end to the othtr, and I must say I
consider it one of the best lines, and in the best order, of those
I have inspected.
A juror—Did yon examine the incline on this part of the
line yourself ? General Patley—l of course saw all the in-
clines and curves, but how am I to examine them without
taking the level and radius of each ? 1 can only judge of them
by iny eye.
The juror—l think you said that the outer rail was not suffi-
ciently high, and that the accident might be in part attributed
to that circumstance ? General Pasley—lt did not so occur
to me at the time of my survey.
'fhe juror—Would it not be essential that you should have
subordinate agents who would co-operate with you for the pur-
poses of a more minute examination ? General Pasley—l have
an assistant; but if you mean that I am to examine in detail
every rail, and every curve, and every gradient, and every
sleeper, then I say that such a course would occupy months
instead of days, and would besides be perfectly unnecessary,
as there are platelayers all along the line to see that all is right
after each train passes. It is only necessary on new lines to
go cautiously at first. On one railway, which I inspected, I
reported that a viaduct was too weak, and the railway in con-
sequence was not opened for a fortnight, during which the ne-
cessary alteration was made. But if you expect me personally
to examine every detail connected with the construction of the
railway, yoit expect what is impossible and unnecessary.
The juror-1 do not expect anything of the kind; but I
think that where there are curves and inclines, there ought to
be a close examination of them.
General l'asley—l have examined many hundreds of miles of
railways, and have seen trains run off of curves the first day, and,
therefore, 1 say, that the trains ought to go slowly on curves
and gradients until the railway is well consolidated. Having
repeated his impression as to the cause of the accident, the
witness proceeded to say—So long as an accident appears a
mystery, it operates against railway travelling ; and I always,
however mysterious it may appear before inquiring, find, upon
inquiring, a clear solution of it. Iu a railway not properly
consolidated. one or more of the sleepers may sink a little,
causing a slight subsidence of the rail, but sufficient, as hap-
pened on the Northampton and Birmingham Railway, to throw
the engine off the line. Then, again, a particular state of the
rail tnay have the effect of throwing a train off the line if going
very quickly, and not if going slowly. The Great Western
Railway sent up their express trains under circumstances
which bad not given rise previously to any accident;