The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-21 00:00:00

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

THE LATE FATAL COLLISION ON THE LON-
DON AND BIRWNGIIAM RAILWAY.

The following official report of Major-General Pasley,
the Government Inspector-General of Railways, to the
Earl of Dalhousie, President of the Board of Trade, on
the subject of the recent collision on the London and
Birmingham Railway, detailing the opinion of the
gallant General as to the causes which led to such col-
lision, has, within the last two or three days, been re-
ceived by the Directors of the London and Birmingham
Railway Company:—

" Whitehall, August 2, 1845.
" My Lord,—Agreeably to your Lordship's directions, I
proceeded on the 31st ult. to the Euston-square station of
the London and Birmingham Railway Company, where
Mr. Creed, the secretary, Mr. litruyeres, the superintendent,
met me by appointment ; the latter of whom after-
wards accompanied me to the spot where an accident
by collission occurred, about five o'clock A. a t., on
the morning of the 29th ult., when the mail trains
from Lancashire ran into a goods train at the crossing
near Chalk Farm-bridge, the former being about fifteen mi-
nutes before, and the latter fifty minutes behind its time.
This irregularity in the arrival of one train and the departure
of the other was the primary cause of the accident, which,
however, would not have taken place but for a thick fog,
which rendered it impossible for the engineman of the mail
train to see the red disc which was displayed on the occasion
by the policeman in charge of the signals at Chalk Farm-
bridge. This disc by day, and the red lamps by night, which
are the appointed danger signals, can always be seen in clear
weather by the engineman of the ep-ti sins on emerging from
the Primrose-hill tunnel, which is 506 yards from the bridge,
so that they have always sufficient time to stop before they
reach that point.
" Mr. Creed, in his official report, states that he considers
the policeman on duty at the Chalk Farm-bridge to blame in
Lot having gone to meet and stop the coming mail in foggy
weather at the mouth of the tunnel, according to his in •
structions ; but this man explained to me that the down
goods had actually passed his post at the bridge fifteen
minutes before the Lancaster mail was there, which he
knew by the clock in his cabin, and therefore he did not
anticipate the possibility of a collision, notwithstanding the
fog. Unfortunately the goods train, after passing the bridge
as aforesaid, did not proceed on its course, but stopped
to have a break-waggon put on in the rear of the whole, after
which the number of waggons was 50, which curved so long
that it obstructed the crossing from the siding' where the
goods trains are always marshalled, which crossing lay over the
up line of rails on to the down line. While this break-waggon
was being added, the mail train, proceeding rather slowly,
passed the bridge and ran into the goods train, smashing two
of the goods waggons to pieces, breaking down a third, and
injuring three others, by which the engine as well as tender
and luggage van of the mail train was forced off the rails. The
engine had its smoke-box broken, the brass splash plates over
the wheels bent, and the tender had a hole on one side of its
tank made by the shock. Two second-class carriages were
injured by encountering the goods waggons obliquely, one
having the lower part of one side carried away, by which, lam
sorry to say, that a passenger's leg sitting on that side was
broken, and which has since been amputated, the other having
the panels on the same side broken. One of the passengers
was also much cut by being thrown against a glass window of
the first-class coupe, but this carriage itself was not injured.
I was informed that these two were the most serious cases,
though several other passengers were hurt, but not severely.
" I am of opinion that the chief cause of this accident was
the neglect and want of judgment on the part of James Uns-
worth, the engineman of the Lancaster mail train, who knew
that the goods train had not passed him, which it ought to have
done several miles before he reached the tunnel, and therefore,
considering the thick fog, he ought not on any account to have
passed the bridge, on the other side of which the crossing from
the goods siding is situate at the distance of only 44 yards
beyond it.

" C. W. PA SLEY, Major-General,
Inspector-General of Railways.
" To the Right Hon. the Earl of Dalhousie, President
of the Board of Trade, Railway Department, &c.":
In consequence of the receipt of the foregoing, and a
recommendation to the effect from the Railway Depart-
ment of the Board of Trade, the Directors of the London
and Birmingham Railway have felt it their duty to dis-
miss Unsworth from their service. The board aro a!so
taking active measures with respect to a re-arrangement
of the signals and other matters, to insure the safety of
the public.