The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-06-08 00:00:00

ion created by the first

shock had somewhat subsided, all the energies of th
pany's officers and the more fortunate of the pas:

Were directed to the assistance of the sufferers, and b-ody
after body, apparently in a lifeless condition, was removed
from the line to one of the ante-rooms of the Wolverton
station, where they were at once attended to by Mr. Rogers
snrgeon, of Wolverton, in the employ of the company, and
by the other medical gentleman who happened to be in

1 at the tim

were found either in a dead or

dying condition, scarcely half an hour having elapsed from

he time a

The most singular occurrence, however, connected with
the deaths of these unfortunate persons is the appearance

exception of a:few slight scratches and bruises, none of the

Scarcely any blood is to he seen about them, and they are
all believed to have died from the same cause, namely,
concussion, resulting from the suddenness and violence of

Amongst the passengers injured is a gentleman named
xner, residing in Staffordshire, who received several

severe cuts al

it the heid

but who was yester-
Lblv. Another ffentlo_

others are stated to be more or less injured, but were
enabled to proceed to their destinations as soon as the
wns r,nt ready to forward them jived

after having recc

proper medical attention.
As soon as possible after the sufferers had been attended
to, and the broken carriages removed from the main line,
an investigation was made into the circumstances which
had led to so frightful and fatal a calamity. It was stated
that at the Wolverton station the points are always kept
straight with the main line, and they require to be altered
to allow a train to enter the siding. It appears that the

rom the bridge

where he

was stationed, to the points of the siding, a-bout forty or
fifty yards, and held them back, so that the mail train
passed on to the siding instead of passing onward down
the main line. This was not discovered by the engine

driver until he had passed the points a considerable

tance, when seeing the danger he instantly applied the
breaks, turned off his steam, and reversed his engine, arid
then both he and the firemen jumped off onto the ern-

bankment, and

Sus in at

ity save

The train was at this moment going, it is stated, at a rate
not exceeding ten miles an hour. On the constable',
Fossey, being interrogated as to the causes which led him,
after signalising the arrival of the mail train, to run down
the line for the purpose of turning it on to the siding, the
only explanation which he afforded was, that he after-
wards thought it was not the mail train, but the luggage
train, and he did so for the purpose of securing its safety.

_
man having been employed by the company at his present
duty six months, the superintendent of the Wolverton
station felt it his duty immediately to give him into

custody.
Immediately after the mail train, which was detained
nearly two hours by the unfortunate occurrence, had been
despatched on its'journey, a special engine was started off
to London with the melancholy news to the directors, and
other high officials connected with the railway, and Cap-
tain Huish, the general manager of the line. M. Bruyeres,
the superintendent, and Mr. Creed, the secretary, and
some of the directors, arrived at Wolverton yesterday by
themM. train, for the purpose of pursuing the investiga-
tion and ascertaining who were the sufferers. This was
found extremely difficult ; but from the cards and other

evidence discovered on the persons of the deceased parties

J. B. Ratteray, belonging to an iron foundry at Dun-
dee ; Miller, secretary of a London Ragged school ;
James Clifton, supposed to be from Coventry ; T. Mac-
kinson, a collegian of Cambridge ; T. Shenott and
Cooper, not known where belonging to. The seventh is
the body of a respectably attired young man, but who had
nothing upon him to lead to identity. All the deceased
persons are attired in the most respectable manner
The bodies w

are removed to an outhouse at the Wol-
verton station, where they now lie awaiting the inquest
of the coroner for Northamptonshire.
The following official report is furnished to the reporter
by Captain Huish, general manager of the line :