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

THE LATE ACCIDENT ON THE

BIRMINGHAM AND BRISTOL LINE.

DEFFORD, MONDAY NIGHT.—The accident briefly alluded
to in The Sum of to-day has resulted in the death of two per.
sons, another lies in the Gloucester Infirmary with a concus-
sion of the brain, a fourth is lying very ill at Pershore, and
others are more or less injured.
It seems that a man was engaged at this station in the act of
removing a truck from 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 goods 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 ef iron bars, which caused his almost instant
death. At the same moment. the down train arrived, and the
truck being propelled against it with great force, the effect was
to throw the whole off the rai's, the engines being smashed,
several of the carriages much injured, and a carpenter, named
William Mites, who was in the down train, and who was iu the
employ o! one of the contractors, was so severely scaldetl, that
he died this (Monday) morning. The facts of the ens' Brill be
best gaitwd from tie cvh!ence at the inquest held Ise e thi: ,f-
-ternot.n by C. Bet, Esq , coroner. T e Compeoy were P.-
pre,nted by Mr. Sander-. the secretary ; Mr. 1% h ley,
licitor ; Mr. Swain, and Mr. M'Connell. (. neral the
Government Inspector, was also 1 resent.
The jury WAS compoA.rl of twenty-three gentlemen, of whom
Lieutenat tF. E. Ilose, IL N'., was I..remln. _ . .

John Murphy being swot n, deposed —I live at Defford and
am employed at that station by the Birminghem and Bristol
C.,mpany. I only knew the dveeased patties by weir. them
(s-i the train,. On Saturday afternoon I aas on ditty at the
station. The clerk at Erkington ta,ion wanted a truck that
was at our station, to load sheep iii, on Monday morning. I
was getting it out, ;bow a matter pits. ten at night, for the
ose of taking it acro<s the lire to hook on the down traits
wt en it came. While I hail the truck there, an up train
came sod ran into i,. The engine was t' rown tiff, and upon
the other line. A down train n immediately p isscd, rnd
strut-k against the engine that had been thrown river. The
engine-driver of the up train was thrown off. Both en-
gines were much dims. ed. Two of the up train carriages
were knocked to pieces, and t tii. goo: s thrown out ; there
were no laseng, rt. It was a luggage train. Two
of the down-train carriages were much damaged. The
truck at the tinie was on the main line. On looking about
after the accident, I s.w the driver of the up train (Ward)
Ming on the line; he was not dead, but groaned, and mill
" Lord have mercy on me." Ile 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. 1 helped to
get the bars off him, but telt rather poorly at the time; he %Nag
taken to the station, but was soon dead. I did not see /%liles
till I sa v 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 ~cie the lights ; it is 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 nut know hew he met
with his accident. I carried a red lamp at the time of moving
the truck. I did not hear the te, train. There were often
trains pa.sing without our being told of them, r xeept by signals
behind the previous trains. When I knew of the traits
coming from a by-stander I expected it would stop before
it came to me, as the lines were being repaired just above.
The proper time for the arrival of the down train was ten
minutes 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 ',top
at our station. I have known trains run by without Lioppibg
when the signals are hoist, d. When the goods train came up
I took it to be the short passenger train before mentioned.
est not remember that train coming. There were also red
lights to stop that train. The per,oh holding ore of the lights
had been sent on the line, pest the bridge, towards Eckington.
The other was An the platform..„' Ward seemed to take no notice
of the signals, for he came up very fast to the truck. NI ben
it came up I slipped my shoulder from the truck, and threw
myself on a bank. It wail a clear night, and I could see the
lamp; at. Bekingion station (more than a mile). The deceased
Ward) was grAing over the top of his engine. He was not
;Weep.
. Mr. M'Connell, superintendent of the locomotive depart-
merit, deposed—l reside at Btomsgrove station. ( Witness
here reed 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 of railways.) A copy a 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 eommented on the danger of
drivers being enjoined to make up their time when lost, 241
as to be at each stati:-.n at the period marked on the table. )
Mr. M'Connell accounted 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 not have happened. Word 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 striver secidentAly leave
his poet, 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 lamp.
When the last witness removed the trunk, he slid so to save

time, to fix it to the down train which he saw coming. The
mail train which preceded the up train had a red light behind,
which denoted that a special train was to come.
Jonah Abbott, porter at !he Bromsgrove station, deposed-
-1 knew Joseph Ward. On Saturday niett 1 started from
Gloucester with bias, 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 locked out and saw alight, but the stram from
the engine d xeed i•. When I came to the stone bridge we
j pas,:ed the it'd light. I was ten 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 cause in contact with something.
I was not thrown off, but got off. I first sax James Baird, the

foreman, come out from the trucks. lle was with Ward. (A
certificate was here put in that Jas. Baird was unable to be re-
moved from the Gloucester Infirmary, he having rec,ived 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 Ding and groaning
under some bars. I heard him groan twice, and he Well died.
1 afterwards saw another pet son, who was much scalded. Baird
went back with the train to (ilo•icester. It appeared to me to
be a dark night, but I was between two high trucks, and had a
light. Although I could Lot 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 seen 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, as I have seen it at the Lickey.
William Guest deposed-1 live at Cheltenham, and area con-
tractor. The deceased Alills died this morning. I saw him
yesterday 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 conjune•
tinn with Mr. Davis and Mr. Niven. He died this mo•ning.
The cause of death was the scalding. I a'so saw Ward when
I went to the station. He was dead. 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 geods train

being unexpected, and also proved that the signals at Defford
were most conspicuous at the time of its approach. Witness
had known instances of the signals being d:sregarded ; but he
always reported such instances, and the parties were 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
( owing up hill after ten o'clock, on account of the repairs going
on. He did so, and was stationed near the bridge, towards
Eckington. The goods train came up about twenty minutes,
or half an hour, 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 doss to the engine, but all
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 to king out.
James Crawford, of Gloucester, locomotive foreman, deposed
that on the night in question he hzd attached to the mail traits
for Birmingham the extra lamp behind, which always denote*
a special train to follow it.
This was the whole of the evidence which could at present be
obtained, and the Costostru then adjoutned the inquest at
eight o'clock.

DARING ABDUCTION OF A YoUTII BY BANDITTI.---
The commune of Saratena, in the island of Corsica, has been
frightened from its propriety by the loll..wing bold act of
brigandage. A boy named Pi-rre Marabotti, while walking in
the square of the town, was told that a horse bad entered a field
a short distance outsize the town, belonging to a relation, and
proposed to another lad named Su-ini to go and catch it, which
they accordingly did, and were leading it out olthe field, when
two ferocious looking-man, with long carabines, and armed from
top to toe, }.resented 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 seised Mara-
f Gifg rrniaorn tnmaehnedesbd
cbei(Dr
impossibility
tin:pis:oh:
itablee.:l:wnbi
Quarantine t a:
went
t nei
?i
tbdtt
yph:
oioiednnf
describe
bfiosreanv: ,
ri ea. 1 adding,tbr. dlhnd , al
:1
dys .
the tie
. sps 3:e:
Inspector,
hit6:uoil a
or t
,rf.
botti, telling Susini he might go, but not to enter the town till
night fall, on pain of death, and disappeared with Alarabottd
through a dense thicket. Three days afterwards, on the 17th
instant, a letter was Mound in the letter-box, addressed
. to the
as
as ransom,
securelyh i s
concealed
ewaol
eudl d
i n infal-
libly
the
father of Alarabotti, telling him that unless they received 5 ,000
forest of Cagna. The distress of the father, who finds himseh
re-
duced to the necessity of sacrificing his off•pring, may be ima-
gined Grand Duke Ct,nstantine urrßed at Odessa
s to his
isMßiloia.arly
nCligoivmeerusso.r of Udessa, accom-
panied
es:leu)tfroimr,e)nicg,iibaaeetodneaTed,rawdrwithbilotheuorei,h,eias
utxh
Bessarabia.us
frigate. Immediately on his arrival, the Governor-General u
passing the twenty-one days required by the quarantine 'the next day the
andpNaeywthßelur"rea:pect
vesseli n t enr t oed intends
passing

- I
lIL s_.REAT BEITAIN.—The SUCCeFS we antici-
pated for 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 of the
26th of July ; and we learn by recent advices from New Yora
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
eorvend with contrary winds, cross seas, and dense fogs,
and set but little canvass. We congratulate the projectors
of the Great Britain upon the triumphant manner in which she
has vindicated the sagacity which lcd them to adopt the then
novel mode of construction anti propuLdon which she em-
bodies; and while, on the one hard, we think the Government
and the town of Liverpool should support the men who have
thus a si cond time led the way to an important advance in
steam communication with foreign countries, we cannot re-
frain from again repowing the hope we fi:rmeily eapresed, that
Captain llosken, the pioneer of the screw, will. receive on his
return to Liverpool some testimonial to his metits.— Liverpool
SIMPLE MODE or TUIIFYING WATEIL—Tt is not
SO generally known as it ought to be, that pounded alum posses
sea the property of purif)ing water. A table--:•oolitul of
pulverist d alum sprinkled into a hogshead tit water .(
the water
stirred at the time) will, alter the lapse of a few hours. b./
, precipitating to the bottom the impure particles, so
that it will be found to possess nearly all the freshness and clear •
tress of the finest spring water. A pailful', containing four
gallons, may be purified by a single teaspoonful. purifyi:
I