The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-31 00:00:00

(LEFT SITTING.)

THE LATE COLLISION ON THE
LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM RAILWAY.
The following official report from Mr. Creed, the secretary
of the London and Birmingham Railway, has been forwarded
to Mr. Laing, the secretary of the Railway Department of the
Board of Trade :
" To S. Laing, Esq., Railway Department of the Board of
Trade.

" Euston station, July 29, 1845.
" Sir,—The Lancashire mail, which is timed to arrive at the
Euston station at 32 minutes past 5 a.m., entered the Camden
station at 5 a.m., as the first goods' train from London was
crossing the down line to proceed on its journey. The conse-
quence was a collision, which forced the engine, tender, and
Parcels' van, in front of the mail train, off the rails, injuring
me of the waggons and carriages, and causing a fracture in
tleg of one of the passengers in a second-class carriage, and
evelal severe cats on the face and head to another passenger,
.7 the breaking of the glass of the coupe of a first-class carriage
In Which he was riding, with his face to the engine. It dees
not appear that any more passengers were injured.
" In reporting these occurrences for the information of the
Lords of the Privy Council for Trade, I would invite their
attention to the following facts :
" 1. That the mail train arrived at the Camden station
fifteen minutes before its time.

"2. That the goods' train, on the other hand, was fifty
minutes later than its regular time of departure (owing to the
unusual number of trains which were to be conveyed).
" 3. That although the policeman at Chalk-farm-bridge had
e
tented on the red signal, when the goods' train began to move,
ther was so much fog that the driver of a train coming out of
that in not goin
the tunnel Could not well have seen the signal, and consequently
fur these cases theo
forward to communicate with the policeman
at the south end f the tunnel, according to orders provided
polit,ewa
forrnoen , ia the bridge failed in the per.
Genet' of his duty."
day, ls.' Pasiey was expeeted down in the course of yester-
te:to inspect the spot where the catastrophe occurred. The
rg„,nl lugagge van, and first carriages, were completely shat-
tr. '''' fragments. The blame is conceived to be chiefly at.
ibutahle to the trains being " ill-timed." The signal-man at
c halk F
/ - arm-bridge has occupied that post, it appears, for the
ha
seven years.

THE

LATE COLLISION ON THE

SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY.
EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE DRIVER.
Yesterdayni.: afternoon, at two o'clock, Captain Charlewood, R.N.
Tunbrid
-"e South-Eastern Railway Company, attended the Court-house,
ge, before Mr. Hare, one of the county magistrates, to
prosecute Joseph Walker, an engine driver in the employ of the
~.t'utoParty, for negligently causing the collision on that line, at the
r enshurst station, on Monday night, whereby the lives of nearly
800 persons were endangered.
The defendant, who appears to be about 30 years of age, was
brought up in custody of the railway police, under whose surveil-
lance he had been since the night of the accident.
sai h
The first witness, William Merchant, was then examined.—He
eved e Was a nin porter at the railway station at Tunbridge. On Monday
g last, on the arrival at that station of the half-past six o'clock
UP train from Duver, he was asked by the guard whether the
at
%act' carriage or truck, on which a gentleman's carriage for
knu was unoccupied. He replied that he did not
detach ty, station,
and went to ascertain, when he found it was not, and then
hi ed it. Scarcely had he done so, before a gentleman called
Budn to take his portmanteau into the waiting-room, which he did,
returned to the platform. He then heard some one call out to
Virere ald,sh -''al„
'eYi " Was it all right behind ?" The reply given
ain . .
. •, Yes," and the whistle was immediately sounded and the
71 r proceeded. Witness, knowing that the signal lights were
the carriage which he detached, ran to the last car-
nage or the train to see if they had been shifted to their
Pro Per places, but found that they had not, and that the train was
._ing on without them. It was a very long train, comprising
v`uote than thirty carriages, and was drawn by two engines in ad-
ane. The moment he saw that the train was without the signal
lightsl he gave the alarm to the watchman, who held up his red
ia,l4 to the engine drivers to stop, but the train being considerably
o advance, it was not noticed.
3.2 k w
Hate wished to know hethr there ws an engine at
the the
at of the train propelling it, as hee had hearda that such was
..s., ?

The witness replied that most decidedly there was not. The
Chly .
In cooties that conveyed the train were in front.
uation, he said that the head porter of the station,
The below
• anted Goodmanh oldered immediately a pilot engine then stand.
take the station, of which the defendant was the driver, to
baeima:: atgn al-lights and overtake the train. Witness took the
hsd " at direeted to the defendant, who made answer that he
the t-eO„,,e6kr.e• Some was directly obtained, and, being placed in
%T the engine started.
and he nh_aPtain Charlewood—The defendant was perfectly sober,
not think- * etyed no recklessness when he left the station. He did
the that More than fivthate minutes elapsed from.
the period of
n turePa e
defendant of the train to of the pilot engine
take ." here asked the witness what lights he bid him
Hess ,"1.,,.. the engine that the train had
gone without ?—The
wil-
tbtl 114:ed that he most distinctly informed him that they were tree
The defendant denied it He was told by the witness that it was
the engine light he had to take.
The witness, however, persisted in his former statement, and oh-
'erVed that other witnesses were in attendance, who told the de.
Pendant that they were tail signal lights.
Richard Goodman, the head porter, proved ordering the pilot
engine to overtake the train, which had left without the tail lights.
It was not dark, about dusk, the time being forty.nine minutes
past eight o'clock. The order was to go as far as Pensbutst station
to overtake the train.

George Smithers, another porter at the Tunbridge station, said
directly the train was gone he was directed by the last wit-
ness to desire the defendant to proceed after it with the pilot
engine, as it had gone without the lights. He was positive he
told him they wese the tail lights, While the coke was being
Placed in the tender, he took one of the lamps of the private
earriage truck that had been left behind, and placed it on the ten.
der. He then got up, and while placing it on one side, in (slider
that it should not be knocked over, another man brought the other
lamp, and on taking it from him the engine started.
Captain Charlewood asked the witness if the defendant could
c have seen by their appearance that they were the tail lights ?
tile Tot he witness considered that he must have seen them, as they were
In Very large ones, having red glass, very bright, and stood
hBa conspicuous spot in the tender. The speed the engine
driven at he thought was about thirty miles an hour. It might
ltanebeen faster. They left fire minutes after the train, and
irein,d the Penshurst station almost at the same moment as the
did. Before, however, and on arriving at the Whitepost
Za4fleeli the defendant sounded the whistle and shut off the steam,
per after a short pause, remarked to witness, " The train is not
the • !don't see it; we must go on to the station," and than turned
atiectsteans on. The station at Penshurst adjoins the Whitepost tunnel,
mold(re the apot at the entrance of it, where the defendant said he
not see the train, to the station, is about 300 yards. A few
weftstnen had scarcely transpired before the train was seen, when
endant shut off the steam and reversed the engine, as well
dashed
litd.oirintoth.tehebrter:kin;. the engine, however, never stopped, and
t t,, Benjamin Cubitt, the locomotive engineer of the South-Eas-
h*ri'we„-411WaY, was next 'examined at much length. He said that
weei 7 In the train in question, and on his stopping at Penshurst,
ver:",was about nine o'clock,' tie was alarmed by receiving a se.
.
he shwas
as if the train had been ran into behind. The train,
tee should say,
had scarcely come to a stand-still, and
and "neession was very great. He immediately got out,
t•
• went
'514 t, to the after part of the train to ascer-
ereon L cause, and was surprised at finding an engine close in
Wheeeset the carriages, His first object was to seek out the driver,
etitte:4 "e found to be the defendant, and asked him how it oc-
tile eefthat he had run into the train ? His reply was, that he,
hone
bfnda
nt, had bean sent on to overtake the train, it having
ind ;Ithotit the lights. lie, Mr. Cubitt, then examined. the
that
ctahrriage, to see if it had got the signal lights, and perceived
kr. /V none
en the eve, the Chairman—Do you consider it a judicious step
englee too Part of the officers at the Tunbridge station to send a pilot
kned- i vertake the train in the manner which has been de-
step, c e,
'tels, e u'mtVi after a pause—l do not think it was an improper
/4,1 was quite a new order to our regulations.
arkie afterares-Was it not likely, in dispatching the pilot engine so
te
kr.,e train, to incur injury P
reeme Cebltt--The case is one of that character that I do
.not
'eat not Of a Sirnilar one occurring before. Of course, if caution
14 ' Used, there was dang
not seelltear,"-Then what waser. the risk, supposing the officers had
kr ."" the pilot en ine ?
LbejtfleCtnbitt--No risk at all on the Dover line; but on reaching
eat. 4:4, Of the Brighton line at Reigate, where so many trains
Air. 'e was considerable danger.
eitv4pktchcerutatrieet--LitTesTthoen engine w
pas it wrong for the officers at Tunbridge to
har.
been It3eett rnissee at
not
Penshurstexactl but certainly the lights would
station, and they would have
?linte-e,„Plaged. If the guard had done his duty before the train left
'or ee'ee he would have seen that the lights were properly fixed,
14'tiortee*Ileeted to examine them and the carriages at all the
hi the trains sto t
b • • kare • Pa •
I,eleee ha_, said he was glad to hear that the officer atfuTr Tun-
do done
8!
.not acted wrongly in dispatching the engine,
ti kr, cub" tc. Prevent mischief.
jiver ~,e 'tti in cetudnuation of his evidence, stated that the engine
ekkiet .;:e
the to obey .the order of the officer of the station.
ilideratiee'l the circumstances that had been adduced Into con_
been 4,11 e Was decidedly of opinion that had a proper
• •
seen kept by the engine driver, the train in advance must
84441" a naltieh greater distance than had been stated. As re-
ikt tt,.._ he &Peed the engine was propelled at, he could not state,
tett
eeertlust have been considerable, as the collision happened within
(4,171' Utee
et, after leaving Tunbridge, a distance of about five miles.
h'eet -/
the engine-driver ougl.t to. have exercised greater judg.
he °ll Arr. •
„-ve tee ',Mg so near the Penshurst station, so that he could
sOkt th "re ProMptly stopped the engine. It was but justice to state
44 the ee defendent had b en about- twelve months in the service
eZ,Y, during which period he had driven both pilot and n'er `ealna, and they had always found him a sober, steady
ie litate
eer of e Charlewood, in answer to the bench, said that the num-
li I Persn.
. 4, ~, - enown to be Injured were three; these were Mr.
dials'
'e, Clean
compound fracture of the leg near the
st'll'lo'eu*"e Mother of 'a
guard, recently killed on the lin),
h.!1.1.ht in')." °f the right jaw; and a talented painter (a baronet),
seeejurr to the spine. There were a number of persons of
of
letttn t v bruised and otherwise injured, but he had been unable
thoz.i.::::.uoittthterh:
the ace4el'ir naMeei as they had gone to their homes on the night
At
'Hate ern,
inml,nseqeuuirtetlonif? there was any further evidence on
ee_a defendant being
trt.4ttLeti'leiBt:iftit,l Plied that there was not..
tithe °f the w• called upon fur his defence, remarked that
teis_ittenile.sses ever spoke to about the train being
lights.. lie clearlyunderstood them to say, on
e "e ere, "e Pent engine that the lights in questions were th ise
'lltiee. 4;t2es. otherwise he'should have proceeded with greater
siee, lie
_seersu •
pr u. atm
c',posed but what the train had the tail signal-
,',ll, Atate,„quctitly was on the look out for them. In proof
eiuseie_ -lent, be Legged to call the fireman who was with him.
gi
nee to le
nt,
the fireman alluded to, stated that when he
et4.tY tetre 4.avertake the train, the conviction on his mind was that
'''ith ti_i taking the engine ?Hits,
th:tylie
tr;ay. Were on a strict look out and shot the tail lamps, for
‘,l 1 eleeetohltrate then retired with Captain Charlewood and the
beelttse 144.^1.1rarthe court, and, after a short consultetion, returned,
sehnleeneeet
viti observed that, after the whole affair had had his
pei he was led to believe that the accident had arisen
to tileel,t44.it_ketoee.
kinthe order given to the defendant relative
lie therefore dismissed the case,