The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-11 00:00:00

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FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.
CORONER'S INQUEST.
SOUTH SHIELDS, WEDNESDAY EVENING.—This mo'rj
ing an inquest on the body of John Brown, who was
killed by the collision on the Brandling Junction Rail-
way yesterday morning, was held at the Adam and Eva
public-house, in Laygate-street, Ise' re Mr. Favell,
coroner, and a respectable jury, of which Mr. Mather
(the gentleman who drew up the South Shields Report
on Alining Accidents) was foreman. The room was
crowded during the day, and great interest excited by
the proceedings.
The CORONER stated that Joseph Burrell, a person in-
jured by the collision, died yesterday evening. lie
should only at presenthold the inquest on Brown, leaving
whether he should hereafter hold an inquest on Burrell
to be determined by circumstances.
Mr. Henry Plews, one of the Directors of the Com-
pany, Mr. Henry Newton, the solicitor, and other officers
were present to watch the proceedings. The following is.
the principal evidence adduced :
Mr. John Reid—l live at Shields, and am a • butcher
there. Yesterday I proceeded by the five o'clock train
from South Shields to Gateshead. There were two car-
riages, and I was seated in the one farthest from the
engine. When we got a little beyond Burdon-lane, I
felt a shock, and heard the engine stopped for a few
seconds—the train moved back. I looked out, when.
seeing there was no driver on the engine, I leaped off its
the same direction as the train was proceeding. When
I leaped out, the train would be at a speed of fifty miles
an hour. Three other persons leaped out, and escaped
unhurt. Had notice been given, the passengers might
have escaped immediately after the collision,
Thomas Gallon—l was in the same carriage as John
Brown, the deceased. After I felt the shock, i looked
out, but the darkness prevented me discovering further
than that we had come in contact either with a coal
waggon or a locomotive. If we had been told to jump
out I think there was time for us to have saved ourselves.
I was slightly stunned by the fall. When I recovered
myself I walked on the platform, and saw some person
take Mr. Brown out from under either the carriages or
the engine, in a state of insensibility. I never heard
any signal given except the usual one on crossing Bur-
don-lane. 1 think the Collision which took place was
sufficiently severe to have knocked off the engine-mans
if he had been cal the engine. I got outside immediately
after the shock, and stood on the foot-rail until I reached
near South Shields station.
Joseph Arbey—Yesterday morning I was too late for
the five o'clock train, and remained on the platform for
some time. On looking up the line I observed a train
coming towards Shielda eimost as rapidly as the wind.
There were some empty carriages standing on the line
at the station, arid the train coming down came into col-
lision with these, and there was a tremendous crash-
All the carriages were broken. Soon afterwards I heard
groans proceed from beneath one of the carriages, and.
as I could not render assistance (having a lame army, I
went for medical men. On my return, I found John
Brown lying insensible, Burrell with his arm bre'sen, and
complaining very heavily of pain in his back ; and John
Young, Gamble, Wetherell, Batey, and Others, who were
severely injured.
Michael Hunter, the fireman of the Nelson engine,
was next called, and after being informed that he need
not answer any question which might criminate himself,
gave the following evidence:—Thero was only one car-
riage attached to the engine from Shields by the five
o'clock train. Matthew Burdis, -Who was the engine-
man that morning, had acted in that capacity four or five
months. The Nelson is a coal engine, ai.d it went that
morning because of there having been an accident, the
night before. Burdis was to take this engine up to
Brockley Whins. There was a white light in front and
a red light behind the train as usual. At Burdon-lane
we passed some men working on the line; very shortly
afterwards I heard a whistle, and saw another engine
close upon us. lkirdis instantly shut off the steam, re-
versed the enr.;ine, and then put on the steam to check
its forward motion. When we saw a collision was in-
evitable, we both leaped off, leaving the engine reversed,
and the steam on. No sooner had we reached the
9,l'ound than the Leopard engine, with a tender before it,,
ran into our tender. Burdis had not time to whistle, he
was so fully engaged that he could not do so. Our
tender was broken, the engine was broken, and went
down to Shields alone. The footboard of the engine, be-
tween it and the tender, was broken by the concussion;
and I am quite sure, if we had remained upon it, we
should have been crushed to death. Burdis attempted
to get on the engine again. Ile got hold once, but was
obliged to let go. No notice was given to the passengers
to get out. The Leopard engine stopped soon after the
shock. Burdis and I went down the line. The first
person we met was Wilkinson, the guard, who told us he
had jumped off.
By a Juror—The passenger trains and empty coal
waggons always go up and down the same line from
Brockley Whins to Shields, and the full coal waggons
down the other. If an engineman reports to us that his
engine is leaky, it is our duty to leave the coal waggons,
and to take on the passenger trains for him.
Edward Currie, a man employed at Mr. Shortridge's
glass works, adjoining, and who had been attracted to
the spot by hearing a tremendous cry, spoke to finding
Brown and Burrell (the two persons dead) lying toge-
ther under one of the broken carriage, with the wheel
pressing upun them. It was with considerable difficulty
that they were extricated. When taken out, Brown.
appeared to be dead.
Ralph Donkin—l was engine-driver of the Leop.strd
yesterday morning, at the time of the accident. Mr.
Bell, the out-door foreman of the engine department, told
me on Monday night it was more than likely I should be
wanted to take up the butchers' train in the morning.
About a quarter before four o'clock one of the night.
watch called me up, and when I went to the shed at
Gateshead, he told me I was to go and bring the butchers.
at half-past five o'clock. I told him it was five o'clock,
and prepared to start at that hour. In answer to my in-
quiry, the night-watch told me there was not an engine
at Shields. In taking in coke and water, some unusual
detention took place, the coke having been upset, and.
there being a short supply of water. On the road to
Shields, when on the curve near Burden-lane End, I
observed another train coming. I. instantly shut off
the steam, reversed the engine, put on the steam to force
it back, and got on the break. When I saw it was sure
to strike us, I shut off the steam again, and, with the
fireman, leaped off. The Leopard struck the Nelson,
and then stood still. I afterwards saw the engineman of
the Nelson attempting to get upon the engine, but the
footboard and hand-rail being broken, he had no chance
of doing so. If the passengers had been informed of
their danger at the time of the collision, I think they
might have got out. I saw the light of the Nelson before
I heard its whistle. I did not see the guard at the time
of the collision.

Georgo Taylor—About half-past seven o'clock on
Monday night I told Burdis he had to take the first train
on the following morning from Shields to Newcastle. I
received this order from William Chapman, a fireman,
with Donkin, the engine-driver. I understood him to
refer to a passenger train, as Burdis had been for a short
time before working passenger trains. I supposed the
order had come from Mr. Bell, the foreman of the en-
eine department, as Chapman came from the repairing
shed, at which Mr. Bell may frequently be found.
The CORONER said, if the regulations of the company
were to the effect that an engine-driver was to receive
orders from any person, a plate-layer or a fireman, they
were infamous. If ther, were no such regulations, the
conduct of witness in obeying a fireman's orders was ex-
tremely culpable.
oneWtiotnea
because
employed
fboor
Witness—lt is customaryTh eN e;
Nelson
nr ul‘s,asto pass orders from
sstaaltedfral
,ovnoerkuinfgt.he passenger enginesbowvaesrient arnr,duntfiot,
W. Chapman, the person a
therei a few minutes before.
r:lcre.i.Bveedil.thendeirescatwion3sfrw.inhlliecllli h.ne
Taylor had been himself 6gaevcentgoinTee.ryoloorm,
Taylor, onbeingat
recalled,said a coal train, with
empty waggons, generally
d rstool Chapman to speak of the
passenger train.
Mr. Bell said—On Monday night I directed Chapman
to tell Taylor to inform Burdin he was to come away
leaves five o'clock in the
morning; but he une
with 4
his own train" at five o'clock in the morning—
the train referred to, is a train of empty waggona which
usually comes up. On the night before I told Dunkin
he would have to go to Shields to bring the butchers'
train, and the night-watch that he was to call Dunkin%
so that he might leave the station at four o'clock, ancl, be at Shields at half-past four o'clock. I have generally
sent instructions in this manner, when I could not go to
the persons myself. I should have had to have gone to
Shields to see Burdin, and I could not leave, as I had to,
attend to supplying the engines with water. My day's
work is generally from half-past five in the morning till
twelve at night—sometimes later,
By a Juror—l never send written orders. If I had
been there in the morning, I should have ordered him to
wait at Br( coley Whins until the five o'clock train came
up. We have no telegraph on the line.
Mr. William Coward, surgeon, was called upon at five,
o'clock to attend the parties injured at the railway sta-
tion. He found John Brown bleeding, profu:,ely from the
nose and left ear, and from the left hand, which was
!aerated. lie died four hours afterwards, and waa never
sensible. To-day he had made a post moi ter:4 examine--
tion, and found the cause of death was an extensive,
fracture o the skull.
Mr. Allport, the superintendent of the railway, pis*.

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PARIS AND ROUEN RAIL )4,..y-. ..: , _,_
LiVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY, OCT. 9. —To -Cl a 3 v. tutie,rolt‘ ; ir 41:;
meeting of the English shareholders in the
Rouen Railway, convened by the I.:7:g!'s! :re,-t1,i..,1 • ' I N-11 Ni%
held in the Clarendon-rooms, for the purpose ofsanction-
mg a proposition for making two branch runways, one to
Elbccuf and the other to Louviers, and of n-commending
the mode of raising the necessary funds. Air. John
Moss, banker, of Liverpool, occupied the chair, and Mr.
Reed, one of the French directors, entered into a long
explanatory statement, from which it appeared that, in
addition to the purposes already named, the directors at
the general assembly to be held in Paris on the 30th inst.,
propose to agree to a resolution for applying to the Go-
vernment for a modification of the statute, so that in
future thirty shareholders, representing one-tenth of
the share capital, shall be sufficient to constitute a legal
meeting, and to another for providing. one•half the funds
for making a communication through the town of Rouen
to join the Rouen and Havre Railway. These points
were minutely entered into, and it appeared that the in-
tended branches, as well as the projected junction with
the Havre line, will return a handsome profit. The
estimated expenditure is 400,0001. ; and the shareholders
were left to say whether this sum should be raised by
loan or by the creation of new shares. After some dis-
cussion it was unanimously resolved that the I-Ann should
be raised in shares distributed among the existing pro-
prietors, and that as to all the rest, proxies should be de-
livered to the English directors for use at the general
assembly in Paris, on the 30th inst. The line was de-
scribed
as being in a most prosperous condition.