The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-11-17 00:00:00

vers of the engines, there being two, as the train was a heavy
one ; but from the fog which prevailed at the time, or some
other cause, no notice appeared to be taken, and on it came
at its usual rate to the station. The stoker of the Pilot engine
hearing the beating of those attached to the approaching
train, set the former moving, but seeing the danger
he jumped off, and escaped. Instantly after the • fore-
most engine of the train dropped in upon the Pilot
with frightful violence. and drove it under the Harron
bridge before it at a tremendous rate. The foremost engine
of the train was numbered 1, and the second No. 82. strange
as it may appear. the foremost engine escaped without injury,
but the latter was thrown off the line, and coming in violent
contact with the pier Of the bridge above alluded to, was
dashed completely over on to the other side, carrying
away several feet of the brickwork, and dashing several of
the carriages to atoms. For some time, owing to the escape
of steam from the engine, the boiler having been broken in,
it was impossible to ascertain the extent of damage and
loss of life sustained, as the engine and carriages lay all of
a heap across the line. Torches were procured, and on an
examination, the body of the driver of No. 82 engine,
Simpson, was•found in a frightfully mutilated condition un-
der the train. The stoker of engine No. 1 was found em-
bedded in the'earth under the wheels of that engine, and the
stoker of No. 82 lying in the drain at the termination of the
cutting, apparently lifeless. He was removed to the Queen's
Arms Tavern, where Mr. Hewett, surgeon, of Harrow, at-
tended and pronounced such not to be the case, but his in-
juries are so severe as to preclude his recovery. The driver
of the engine No. 1, who escaped, states he received no signal
of danger until within a short distance of the station, when
he saw the red light. He was then close upon the Pilot en-
gine, but did not observe it. He, however, shut his steam
off and reversed his engine, but finding the driver of No. 82
did not do the same, he thought it expedient to jump • off,
thinking a collision inevitable, and had scarcely done so when
it took place. His stoker also put on the brake, and must
have perished whilst doing so.

The line presented a most dilapidated appearance, the rails
were torn up in some parts, and it was completely rendered
impassable for several hours, which impeded the progress of
five trains. That due at eight o'clock on Thursday evening,
did not reach Euston-grove until half-past one yesterday
morning, and the others followed in such succession as pre-
caution demanded.

Yesderday afternoon, at half-past four, a special train ar-
rived at Harrow, containing several of the directors and Sir
Frederick Smith, the engineer appointed by Government to
inspect railways, in order to investigate the matter ; when
the above statements were made in presence of our reporter.
Sir Frederick Smith made a minute inspection of the engine
and line at the spot where the collision took place, and shortly
after Mr. Wakley, the coroner, who had been holding an in-
quest at Harrow, also inspected the spot where the catastro-
phe took place. During the confusion of shifting the car-
riages from line to line we regret to state that one of the
porters was also seriously injured by getting jammed in be-
tween them.

The bodies of the two deceased men, who are natives of
Worcester, lie at the Queen's Head, to await a coroner's in-
quest. The destruction of property is estimated at several
thousand pounds.

THE ACCIDENT ON THE BIRMINGHAM AND
GLOUCESTER RAILWAY.

(From the Morning Herald of yesterday.)