The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-28 00:00:00

FURTHER PARTICULARS

READING, SATURDAY EVENlNG.—Subjoined is a list of
the sufferers admitted into the county hospital, all of whom,
with one exception, are going on very favourably.
John Sainsbury, 30 years of age, a navigator, residing at
Lambeth—several contusions on various parts of the body.
Thomas Wheeler, 30 years of age, newspaper reporter, re-
siding in Mill's-buildings, Knightsbridge—contusions on the
face ; will be able to leave the hospital this evening, having
friends residing in the neighbourhood.
Anne Wheeler, 31 years of age, wife of the above—a broken
arm, with contusions of the head and back.
Thomas Hughes, 15 years of age, apprentice to a painter,
and living at Hammersmith—concussion of the brain, con-
tusions of the face, and injury to the abdomen.
Richard Woolley (supposed to be, from a letter found on
him,) address not known, being still insensible—compound
fracture of the skull ; recovery very doubtful.
Thomas Hawkins, 24 years of age, stonemason, residing
at the Fish Ponds, near Bristol—dislocation of the great
toe, &c.
Anthony Batten, 43 years of age, saddler, residing in Man-
chester-mews, Manchester-street, Marylebone—contusions
on various parts of the body.
James Stapelton, 31 years of age, stonemason, living at
Cheltenham—dislocation of the shoulder.
William Baldwin, 52 years of age, stonemason, living at
Cheltenham—a fracture of the ribs on the right side.
Eliza Barnes, 29 years of age, servant, living in Addle-
street, city—laceration of the scalp, and contusions on the
back.

Elizabeth Carpenter, 29 years of age, a servant, living in
Charles-street, Blackfriars—contusions on the legs.
Hannah Cooper, 40 years of age, servant, living in
Thomas-street, Kennington-common—fracture, and dislo-
cation of the bones of the right foot.
From inquiries I am led to believe that the Sunning-hill
cutting, where the accident took place has been in an imper-
fect condition for some time past, and has attracted consider-
able attention from the engineers. The inquest was com-
menced yesterday afternoon, before Mr. May, coroner. The
first witness examined was the surgeon, who deposed to the
injuries which the respective deceased had sustained.
George Hudson, sworn.—l live at No. 11, Church-street,
Paddington, and was guard of the train to which the accident
occurred at the Sunning cutting this morning. The train
consisted of an engine and tender, two passenger trucks, a
truck for passengers' luggage, and 16 luggage-waggons, 3 of
which were empty. The passengers' trucks were fixed next
to the tender. The train stopped at the Twyford station
about three minutes, and then proceeded towards Reading.
When we arrived at the Sunning-hill cutting, about 20 mi-
nutes before 7 o'clock, the train was stopped by slips of
earth, which had fallen from the south side of the bank—the
side of the line upon which the train was travelling. The
engine ran off the rails, the tender followed, and the carri-
ages, by the sudden stoppage, came upon each other with
such a concussion that the passengers were thrown out in
all directions among the carriages. Several were killed upon
the spot, and others were seriously injured. Before the ac-
cident happened I saw the policeman at Land's-end, who
produced the usual signal light that all was right. lam in
the habit of travelling with luggage trains, and I have often
seen a watchman placed at night at this part of the line: I
have, however, missed him for the last week. The engine
was at the time travelling at the usual speed of about 16
miles an hour, and the engine-driver was perfectly sober.
It was so dark at the time of the accident, that it was im-
possible to see anything upon the line. From the quantity
of earth which, after the accident, lay upon the waggons
which were behind the engine, I have every reason to believe
that the earth fell at the time the train was passing. Some
of the earth fell upon me, and I was nearly smothered with
it. I was upon the truck with the passengers which was
next the tender. The engine and tender bad passed beyond
the slip before the stoppage took place.
The remainder of the witnesses stated that the slip which
occasioned the accident was a new one, and though near to
the previous slips had not been discovered. The inquest
was then adjourned until Monday. The following is a list of
the parties who have been killed :
No. 1. John Pook, of Stoke Canon, near Exeter, aged
30, was identified by a letter which was found in his pocket,
and subsequently was recognised by his father.
No. 2. Charles Williams, aged 32, a stone-mason, re-
siding in Cheltenham, but in the employ of Messrs. Grissell
and Peto, upon the new Houses of Parliament. This corpse
was identified by Mr. Allen, the foreman of Messrs. Grissell
and Peto.
No. 3. C. Sweetland, of Gloucester, stone-mason, aged
30, identified by his father, but not kuown to Allen.
No. 4. Mabbott, also of Glocester, stone-mason,
aged 34, also in the employ of Messrs. Grissell and Peto,
and identified by Allen.

No. 5. Richai:d Ralph, of Harwell, near Steventon, Berks,
aged 25, recognised and identified by his father.
No. 6. The remains of a labouring man apparentiy, and
dressed like a waggoner. Not yet identified.

No. 7. Joseph-Hands, of Clarence-gardens, Regent's-park,
aged 26. The name of this unfortunate young man was first
ascertained by a quarterly ticket, dated December, 1841, of
the Wesleyan Methodist Society, being found in his posses-
sion. His mutilated remains have since been recognised by
his father, who also identified those of his companion and
friend, No. 8, Jabez Cleave (erroneously supposed to hive
been a preacher), on whose person a similar ticket of the
name and date was found, but who was identified as a stone-
mason by Mr. Allen, the foreman at the Houses of Parlia-
ment for Messrs. Grissell and Peto.

The following isthe graphic description of this fatal calamity
given by one of the first visitors to the melancholy scene :
" The scene which presented itself never can be effaced from
my memory—l never can forget it. The stoutest hearts
among the labouring excavator s—men who during the pro-
gress of the work had witnessed accidents of appalling cha-
racters—turned from the horrors which lay before them and
were incapable for a time of rendering any assistance." But
to the narative, so far as emotion and the best feelings of
humanity checked by the vivid recollection of the picture,
enabled Mr. Gosling to give it :—" I," said he, " was almost
amongst the first to descend the cutting after the alarm that
an accident had occured had been given. On arriving at the
slip from which the earth had fallen, my attention was drawn
by the groans, shrieks, and yells of the sufferers, to the
shattered remains of the trucks upon which they had been
travelling. The trucks were split into ribands, and the
scattered timbers rested upon, and were mixed with, the dead
and the dying. The first thing I particularly noticed was
two men (supposed to be Joseph Hands and Jabez Cleave)
crushed or jammed together between two trucks—their heads
reclined in contrary directions, but both dead. I next ob-
served, on the south side of the line, three other persons
lying under the remains of the forward truck, which was bro-
ken to pieces. The appearence of their remains, mutilated as
they were, I never can forget, but I cannot describe. My
attention was next drawn by her shrieks to a woman, whom
I found in a kneeling posture, entreating to be extricated.
It appeared to Ice that the main beam of the truck had fal-
len upon her legs. Owing to the danger of removing the
wheels of the carriage, under which she was fixed, until the
earth was properly shored up, nearly an hour and a half elap-
sed before the unfortunate woman was relieved from a posi-
tion of extreme suffering. Immediately on my approach the
railway people ran very properly in the direction of Reading
one way and Twyford the other, to intercept any trains com-
ing down upon down upon that which had been so fearfully
stopped. Two other men I saw dead near the three I have
last described, and the eighth lying upon the bank." Mr.
Gosling then described his sending for his horse and cart
with straw for the conveyance of those who were still alive,
and setting his men to work in the construction of shells
for the reception of the remains of those to whose sufferings
death had put an end. It would be an omission not to
mention, that though Mr. May was the only medical
gentleman examined at the inquest as yet, Mr. Arnold,
the surgeon of Sonning, was, with Mr. Gosling, the first
on the spot, and was indefatigable in his exertions and efforts
to those in whom it was manifest life still remained. Strange
as it may appear, still the fact is, that though Mr. Arnold
was in attendance in the coroner's court during the whole of
Saturday, he was not called as a witness. It is confidently
said hereto-night that his examination before the jury to-
morrow will he insisted upon, as well as that of Mr. Gos-
ling. From further inquiries I have learned that the slip of
earth from whence the fall took place has been noticed for
some days, atleast a fortnight back, by no less than five wit-
nesses, who may, and probably will, be called to-morrow ;
Etall events this is certain, that Mr. Gosling, jun., while
riding casually across the wooden bridge from Woodley to
Sonning, not only noticed, but called the attention of the
policeman in the service of the company to it so recently as
Thursday last, between twelve and one o'clock. The same
observations had been made by Plant, the gamekeeper of Mr.
All these facts have gone forth, and addedne-
cße.sslia.arilmyer' iVii'
t.o the anxiety and excitement to which the •
calamity itself was but too well calculated to give rise.
S ITNDA Y EVENING.—
On enquiry at the hospital this even-
ing, I learn that Richard 'Woolley, whose recovery is alone
stated to be very doubtful, has rallied, though he is still un- (
le to speak.