The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-03 00:00:00

THE LATE ACCIDENT ON THE
LIM:INGHAM AND BRISTOL LINE.
DEFFORD, MONDAY NIGIiT.-Ihe accident briefly alluded
to in The Sun of to-day has resulted in the death of two per-
sons, another lies in the Gloucester Infirmary with a collet's-
;lon OT-the brain, a fourth is lying very ill at Pershore, and
oti erg are more or less injured.
I: teems that a man was engaged at this station in the act of
removing a truck frcm the down rails to the other side, to be
ready to attach it to the down train on its arrival from Birming-
ham. At that time a special goo-is train from Gloucester
( which the man says he did not expect, neither did he see its
light or hear its whistle) came rapidly up, and ran into the
truck. The driver, Joseph Ward, was thrown over, and fell
under a mass of iron bars, which caused his almost instant
death. At the same moment the down train arrived, and the
hock being propelled against it with great force, the effect was
to throw the whole off the rails, the engines being smashed,
several of the carriages much injured, and a carpenter, named
William Miles, who was in the down train, and who was in the
employ of one of the contractors, was so severely scalded, that
he died this (:ilonday) morning. The facts of the case will be
best gained from the evidence at the inquest held here this af-
ternoon by C. Best,
,Esq., coroner. The Company were re-
presented by Mr. Sanders. the secretary ; Mr. Wh,ateley, so-
licitor; Mr. Swain, and Mt. M‘Connell. General Pastry, the
Government Inspector, was also present.
The jury was composed of twenty-three gentlemen, of whom
Lieutenatt F. E. Rose, R.N., was fireman.
John Murphy being sworn, deposed—l live at Defford. and
am employed at that station by the Birmingham and Bristol
Company. I only knew the deceased parties by seeing them
on the trains. On Saturday afternoon I was on duty at the
station. The clerk at Eckington station wanted a truck that
was at our statism, to load sheep in, on Monday morning. I
was getting it out, about a quarter past ten at night, for the
purpose of taking it across the line to hock on the down train
when it came. While I had the truck there, an up train
came and ran into it. The engine was thrown off, and upon
the ether line. A down train then immediately passed, and
struck against the engine that had been thrown over. The
engine-driver of the up train was thrown off. Both en-
gines were much damaged. Two of the up train carriages
were knocked to pieces, and the goods thrown out ; there
were no passengers. It was a luggae train. Two
of the down-train carriages were much "damaged. The
truck at the time was on the main line. On looking about
after the accident, I saw the driver of the up train (Ward)
lying on the line ; he was not dead, but groaned, and said
Lard have mercy on me." He is now lying dead at the
station. The bars of metal with which the truck had been
loaded had fallen on him, on his legs and body. I helped to
get the bars off him, but felt rather poorly at the time ; he was
taken to the station, but was soon dead. I did not see Miles
till I say him in the station-house; he complained of being in
great pain. Miles was employed by the :contractors as a car-
penter. The up train was a special goods train, and I knew
nothing of its being expected. They had lights in front of the
engine. I did not see the lights ;itis my duty to attend to the
signals. Joseph Ward was injured by the first crash, and the
other man was in the down train. Ido not know how he met
with his accident. I carried a red lamp at the time of moving
the truck. I did not hear the ue train. There were often
trains passing without our being told of them, except by signals
behind the previous trains. When I knew of the train
coming from a by-stander I expected it would stop before
it came to me, as the lives were being repaired just above.
The proper time for the arrival of the down train was tea
mieutee before ten. The train was behind its time. We
never remove any trucks till we hear the trains coming. There
were two other signal lights besides mice. We had expected
a short passenger train about the same time, which was to stop
at our station. I have known trains run by without stopping
when the signals are hoist, d. When the goods train came up
I teak it to be the short passenger train before mentioned. I
do not remember that train coming. There were also red
lights to stop that train. The person holding one of the lights
hart been meet on the line, past the bridge, towards Eckington.
The other was on the platform. eWard seemed to take no notice
of the signals, for he came up very fast to the truck. W hen
it came up I slipped my shoulder from the truck, and threw
myself on a bank. It was a clear night, and I could see the
lamps at Eckington station (more than a mile). The deceased
Ward) was gazing over the top of his engine. He was not

asleep.
Mr. McConnell, superintendent of the locomotive depart-
merit, deposed—l reside at Bromsgrove station. (Witness
here read the regulations of the Company for the engine-
drivers. These regulations appeared to have been framed
with a due regard for the public safety, under any contin-
gency which may happen oa railways.) A copy of these
rules had been given by witness to Ward, who, as usual in
such cases, had consented faithfully to keep them. (The
foreman of the jury here commented on the danger of
drivers being enjoined to make up their time when lost, so
as to be at each stati:.n at the period marked en the table. )
Mr. AlcConnell acccunted for the delay in the down train, in
consequence of the repairs of the rails, and having to wait
for a mail train ; he then went on to say that if Ward had
obeyed the rules, with regard to the signals, the accident
could nut have happened. W..rd had been employed for the
last two months, and had driven engines about five
years. If engine-drivers pass signals without stopping,
we dismiss them. Should the driver accidentally leave
his pest, his fireman is generally competent to take his place.
(One of the jury observed that since the trade at Defford had
increased, there did not seem to be enough of guards and
assistants there; but the witness said that assistance was always
forwarded there when required.) A truck, when in good re-
pair, may be easily moved by one man, carrying his lamps.
When the last witness removed the truck, he did so to save
time, to fix it to the down train which he saw coming. The
Mail train which preceded the up train bad a red light behind,
which denoted that a special train was to come.
Jonah Abbott, porter at the Bromsgrove station, deposed—
I knew Joseph Ward. On Saturday night 1 started from
Gloucester with him, on a special goods train. We followed
the mail out at about nine o'clock. We were loaded with
iron rails and deals. Two carriages were empty. There were
twenty carriages altogether. Ward was sober ; he was the
driver. I was the guard. I did not see plainly any signal when
near Defford. I looked out and saw alight, but the steam from
the engine dazzled When I came to the stone bridge we
passed the red light. I was too far off to give the driver a
signal, without leaving my break. I had put on the break
when I first thought 1 saw the light. It was very dark, and I
could not see for steam. We came in contact with something..
I was not thrown off, but got off. I first saw James Baird, the
foreman, come out from the trucks. He was with Ward. (A
certificate was here put in that Jas. Baird was unable to be re-
moved from the Gloucester Infirmary, he having received a
concussion of the brain. Another certificate was put in with
regard to William Manton, another sufferer at Pershore, who
is getting better.) I afterwards saw Ward lying and groaning
under some barn. I heard him groan twice, and he soon died.
I afterwards saw another person, who was much scalded. Baird
went back with the train to Gloucester. It appeared to me to
be a dark night, but I was between two high trucks, and had a
light. Although I could rot see the signal for the steam, the
driver might. ( A conversation here ensued as to the great
desirableness of having some invention for communicating be-
tween the guard and driver ; but no such invention has yet been
successful.) We were going very fast, but we were nearly half
an hour behind the mail then. If Ward had seers the light even
when at the stone bridge, he might, I think, have prevented any
serious accident. A red light may be seen at a distance of four
miles, es I have seen it at the Lickey.
William Guest deposed—l live at Cheltenham, and am a con-
tractor. The deceased Mills died this morning. I saw him
yes erelay in bed at the Crown, in this village. I know nothing
of the accident. Deceased was a carpenter, and was in the
employ of myself and partner. His wife and one of his sons
are come to fetch his body. (The order for burial was here
handed to the witness.)
Mr. William Francis, surgeon, of Pershore, was next sworn.
I was called in at Defford station about eleven o'clock on Sa-
turday night. I found Mills cn a sofa in an inner room. He
was scalded extensively on the face, breast, neck, and back. He
was removed to the Crown where I attended him in conjunc-
tinn with Mr. Davis arid Ar. Niven. He died this mottling.
The cause of death was the scalding. I also saw Ward when
I went to the station. He was (read. I have examined his,
body, assisted by Mr. Marsh, of Upton. There were fractures
or crushing' of the spine and pelvis sufficient to account for
death. ( The witness also described other horrible wounds.)
Mr. James Dore, superintendent at Defford station, was next
called. His evidence elicited no new fact in the testimony ad-
duced. He corroborated the statement as to the goods train
Leine, unexpected, red also proved that the signals at .Defford
were most conspicuous at the time of its ep!:roach. Witness
had known instances of the signals being d 3regarded ; but he
always reported ucb instances, and the parties wire discharged.
Edward Shaw, the man who held the signal light at the
bridge, said he was ordered to get a lamp and stop all trains
outing up bill after ten o'clock, on account of the repairs going
on. He did so, and was stationed near the bridge, towards
Evkingtnn. The goods train came up about twenty minutes,
•or halt ariebour, after the mail train. Witness saw it coming.
Did not know the driver, as the engine went by very fast,
without taking notice of the signal. Witness waved his light,
"bobbed" it forward, and shouted close to the engine, but al.
to no purpose. Witness also saw Murphy's light, and that oa
the platform. The driver could not have helped seeing wit-
ness's light if he had been looking out.
James Crawford, of Gloucester, locomotive foreman, deposed
that on the night in question he had attached to the mail train
for Birmingham the extra lamp behind, which always denotes
a special train to follow it.
This was the whole of the evidence which could at present lie
obtained, and the Coeoena then adjourned the inquest at
eight o'clock.

DARING ABDUCTION OF A YOUTH BY BkNDITTI.—•
The commune of Saratena, in the island of Corsica, has been
frightened from its propriety by the following bold act ot
brigandage. A boy named Pierre Marabotti, while walking in
the square of the town, 'V as told that a horse bad entered a field
a short distance outside the town, belonging to a relation, and
proposed to another lad named Susini to go and catch it, which
they accordingly did, and were leading it out of the field, when
two ferocious looking-men, with long carabines, and armed from
top to toe, presented themselves from behind a fountain, and.
pointing their guns at the two boys, commanded them in an
imperious tone, not to budge a step. They then seized Mara-
botti, telling Susini he might go, but not to enter the town tilt
night fall, on pain of death, and disappeared with Marabotti
through a dense thicket. Three days afterwards, on the 17th
instant, a letter was ifound in the letter-box, addressed to the
father of Marabotti, telling him
athat unless they r 5
eceived,ooo
francs COOL) within five days, s ransom, his son would inf
libly be immolated, adding, he was securely concealed in -the
forest of Cagna.W
The distress of the father, who finds hitt/3
in the impossibility of raising such a sum, and who is thuse re-
duced to the necessity of sacrificing his offspring, may
b
ima-
gined but cannot be described.—Gazette
de Tribunaus.
The Grand Duke Constantine arrt‘,ed at Odessa
from Constantinople on the 3d ult., on board the Bessarabia
frigate, Immediately on his arrival, the Governor-General ot
New Russia, and the Military Governor of Udessa, accom•
larded by the Quarantine Inspector, proceeded to the vessel to
pay their respects to his Bo)al Highness. The next day the
Grand Duke went on board the Flore frigate, where he intends
passing the twenty-one days required by the quarantine re-
gulations.
kin GREAT, BRITAIN.—The success we antici-
pated f,r the Great Britain when reporting her departure on
her maiden ocean voyage has been fully realised. She left the
Mersey, as our readers will remember, on the afternoon nt the
t.hith cf July ; ai.d we learn by r. cent advice' from New York
that she arrived off that city at noon on the 10th ultimo, after a
run of somewhat leis than fifteen days, during which she had to
ron,end with contrary winds, cross seas, and dense fogs,.
and set but little canvass. We congratulate the projectors
ot the Great Britain upon the triumphant manner in which she
has vindicated the sagacity which led them to adopt the then
novel mode of construction and propulsion which she' em-
bodies; and while, on the one hand, we think the Government
and the town of Liverpool should support the men who hays
thus a second time led the way to an important advance in.
strain communication with foreign countries, we cannot re-
frain from again repeating the hope we formerly expressed, that'
Captain Hoskeu, the pioneer of the screw, will receive on hist
return to Liverpool some testimonial to his merits.—Liecrpocir
SIMPLE MOM,. sir in __. T. 's
so ;-ei.er.il'ykn v., a. t.. 11-1 ;.:!.. it' m f,'5..4•1,
s.- .:t . • ~;. ' .t,i••- ,
it.L:. ; ( I;, ,a• e,'

preciprating 1.) the bo;lorn the imptver particles, so i.untytt
that it wiil be fund to possess nearly all the freshness and clear •
ness of the finest spring water. A pailful!, contaipicg foU;
may be rantlell by a single teavacouful.