The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-06-22 00:00:00

RAILWAY AFFAIRS.

The NORFOLK have established a FENFTY-FARE on their
line ; the distance being about three miles.
A most superb service of plate, richly gilt, is about to
be presented to Mr. Leadbetter, of Glasgow, by the
Dumfries and Carlisle Railway Company.
FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—On Monday, as a num-
ber of men were working at Crombley Moss tunnel,.on
the new branch line of the East Lancashire railway, one
of them named Johnson, a single man, twenty-four years
of r:ge, a native of Birkenhead, fell down No. ii shaft,
a distance of eighty yards, and was killed on the spot.

At the Wolverton inquest, Captain Huish, the general
manager of the London and North Western, remarked
that since the opening of the railway and its branches,
not fewer than fifty millions of passengers had been con-
veyed along the line, and that never before had such an
accident happened.
From official returns it appears that the amount of
traffic for the last week, on upwards of 2,730 miles of rail-
way, was £178,004, thus accounted for :—£loo,lBl for
the conveyance of passengers only, £40,814 for the car-
riage of goods, and a remainder of £37,009 for passengers
and goods together, not respectively apportioned ; being
an increase of £5,339 over the corresponding week of last
year, when the mileage was only 2,292.
LANCASTER AND PRESTON JUNCTION RAILWAY.—A
special meeting of the proprietors was held at Lancaster,
on Tuesday, to declare a dividend. The accounts showed
that the total revenue received from March 1, 1845, to-the
10th instant, amounted to £27,589, and that the sum ex-
pended in the payment of two years' dividends, salaries,
and office expenses amounted to £20,777, leaving £6,812
for the present dividend, after payment of which a balance
would remain of £166. Resolutions were passed adopting
the accounts, and approving of the usual dividend of 4
per cent.
RAILWAY CARRIAGES.—A novel first-class carriage is
to be constructed expressly for through trains between
Scotland and England, designed by Mr. Sinclair. The
body of the carriage will be of the usual size, divided into
two compartments, the one larger than the other. Both
divisions will be fitted up with cushions, pillows, and
everything suitable for comfortably lying down at full
length. The larger division will accommodate six per-
sons; the smaller one, communicating with the other, is
principally intended for ladies, and will afford room for
two. In this latter division there will be all those con-
veniences which ladies and invalids will appreciate.—
Railway Chronicle.
TRIAL OF CRAMPTON'S NEW LOCOMOTIVE.—Yester-
day, the first trip was made, from Wolverton to London,
with Mr. Crampton's new six-wheeled engine, called the
London. The weight of the engine is 25 tons, and of the
tender 20 tons—the weight on the driving-wheel being 12

tons. The tender will contain 2,300 gallons of watjr—
sufficient to take a train of 60 tons a distance of 80 miles.
The cylinder is 18 inches in diameter, with 20 inches
stroke; and the diameter of the driving-wheels is 8 feet.
The top of the boiler is under the level of the wheels, and
thus the centre of gravity is kept low. The train, yester-
day, consisted of 12 carriages, weighing, in the aggregate,
about 60 tons. The working was most satisfactory—the
speed varying, between Watford and London, at between
55 and 63 seconds per mile. At this high velocity the
motion was perfectly steady. Of course, a further speed
may be expected when the working parts of the machinery
get into play.—Railway Record.:

- THE TRENT VALLEY RAILWAY—PROVIDENTIAL
DISCOVERY.—For some days past apprehensions have
been entertained by the engineers and contractors of this
railway as to the safety of the bridge which crosses the
Tame, near Tamworth, and a man was appointed to
watch the progress of any defect which might be observa-
ble in the structure, either from subsidence or other
causes. This bridge consists of three divisions of about
70 feet span, supported by two piers in the bed of the
stream, the line being formed by iron girders, and the
whole being constructed on a principle precisely similar to
the bridge over the Dee, on the Chester railway, where
the late melancholy accident occurred. It appeared that
the doubts entertained as to the stability of the structure
did not originate without sufficient cause, as, on Monday,
the man appointed to watch the bridge perceived that one
of the immense iron girders was giving way. The circum-
stance was immediately reported to the officers of the
company, and measures will no doubt be taken, not only
to repair the fracture, but to ascertain the perfect stability
of the work, before the opening of the line for traffic.—
Worcester Journal.
RAILWAYS.—The resolutions of the committee of the
House of Commons on the railway business before the
house, appointed on the 18th of May, w ere laid on the
table of the house on Monday last, and have since been
confirmed on the motion•of the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer. These resolutions are to the follou'ing purport :
Not to interfere compulsorily, but to permit the promoters
of bills to suspend any further proceedings this session,
with the option of resuming them at the same stage in the
next session. Deposits to be returned to the depositors.
Payment of interest on dividend out of capital to be pro-
hibited in future bills. In applications for powers to con-
struct branches or extensions, a subscription contract for
three-fourths of the requisite capital to be insisted on, and
payment out of former capital prohibited. No power of
sale or lease of lines to be allowed until the Railway Com-
missioners are satisfied that one-half of the authorized
capital has been expended. No company whose line is
not opened, to guarantee payment of interest or dividends
on additional capital, except for execution of the original
line. In amalgamations of companies, or in the purchase
of lines by other companies, the amount of the capital
shall not exceed the aggregate capital of the several com-
panies, irrespective of any enhanced value or premium at
which the agreements for amalgamation or purchase are
made.

CAusr.a or RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.—A long letter on
the Cause of Railway Accidents, signed "An Engine
Driver," has appeared in the Times., the writer of which
attributes preventable accidents chiefly to the following
causes :-1. To making engine-drivers keep the same pace
with the engines, whether the weight of the trains is in-
creased or not by eight or nine more carriages. 2. To the
running of heavy loaded and empty carriages, mixed up
with each other in the trains. 3. To the companies not
keeping the rails well up to the right level, for sleepers
will often sink down, and sometimes trip up on either end,
and then a running off comes to the carriages. To ascer-
tain the reality and extent of this danger, it is advised that
a heavy IS-ton engine should be made to go a slow walking
pace upon the line, and the Government men should go
behind her, and, walking upon each of the rails, by their
hands upon the buffers •, their feet will then tell them
whether the rails are inclined to trip or sidle in or out, and
the buffers will.shake their hands when the wheels jar. 4.
To running a train buffered up close—that is, screwed up
tight, buffer against buffer—as it gives a surging motion to
the train. But the real and true cause of much of the loss
of life upon railways is, there being so few breaksmen al-
lowed to a train. 5. A very great check can be given to
railway accidents by having a breaksman allowed to each
railway carriage ; for there would then be little probability
of running foul, because the whole train could be, soon
brought under hand, from off a speed of even 30 miles an
hour. There is also real danger in the present system of
breaking the speed, for the breaks are now serewed"down
at a few points along the, line in a very neck-or-nothing
matter ; and the consequence is, that the carriages having
the breaks coil about under their pressure, and plunge
violently from side to side.
THE LATE ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON AND NORTH-
WESTERN RAILWAY.—The adjourned investigation into
the above calamitous accident was resumed on Tuesday.
After the evidence, the Coroner, addressing Fossy, the
police-constable, who was instrumental in causing the
accident, and who, as on the last occasion, occupied a
seat by his legal adviser, said, " Now is the time for you
to say anything in reference to the accident, if
an tehlt
proper so to do." The prisoner's solicitor.ts
sure the Coroner and jury would not think i disrespect-
ful in him if he advised his client, under existing.circum-
ma'n silent. There being no other witnesses,
-17 Mt: otnerreaddiressed the jury at considerable length on
the evidence, and after about two hours' deliberation they
returned the following verdict :—" We find a verdict of
manslaughter against Bernard Fossy. We also feel it our
duty to express that the company ought to be more parti-
cular in the seleCtion of officers for posts of such impor-
tance to the safety of the public as the one lately occupied
by Bernard Fogsv. That Bernard Fossy having turned a
train into the same siding on Monday the 31st, contrary
to the rules, ought to have been dismissed immediately ;
and, lastly, that every train should have a number of
breaks and guards proportionate to the size and weight of
the train, it appearing quite evident to the jury, that had
that precaution been taken the train might; have been
stopped, thus avoiding the awful and melancholy catas-
trophe." The Coroner then made out his warrant for the
committal of the policeman to the county gaol, to take
his trial at the ensuing assizes at Buckingham. In the
course of the day, it was mentioned by one of the officials
of the company, that the unfortunate event will involve
the company in an expense of between £20,000 and
£30,000. It may be stated that the policeman was accom-
panied to the gaol 'by his betrothed, to whom he was to
have been united on Friday last.
THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH AT MANCHESTER Ex-
CHANGE.—The electric telegraph between the Manchester
terminus of the Manchester and Leeds Railway at Hunt's
Bank was completed on Thursday, and the system pro-
mises to effect wonders. The electric current, according
to Professor Wheatstone, travels at the rate of about
288,000 miles per second, or 17,280,000 miles per minute.
When once established upon all railways in the kingdom,
its advantages will be great to the community at large.
On Wednesday, some experiments were made with the
telegraph between the Manchester Exchange and the
Victoria station on the Manchester and Leeds railway.
One of the questions put was, " How many stations are
on the railway ? " Some wag, with a view of throwing
those at the other end off their guard replied " 27i." The
object of the half (the Exchange) was, however, under-
stood. To the question, "Where does Mr. live ?"
the answer was, "He lives in Hope." A. Manchester con-
temporary, in noticing the efficiency of the system, even
in its infancy, says :—" We look 'forward to the time
when we shall be able from our Exchange, the centre of
the greatest manufacturing and mercantile district in the
world, to convey in a few seconds commercial intelligence
to our customers on the banks of the Indus and the
Ganges, and it may be, though that must be at a later
period, with the purchasers of our goods living on the

Lawrence

' Other iuestior

were accu-

rately answered in a moment. An alarm bell
worked by the electric current to draw the atten
the parties at the other end. Two electric needless are
employed, the north pole of one being in a line with the
south pole of the other to counteract the tendency of both
to fly to the north. In the course, we understand, the

telegraph will be ready for operation at all the stations on
the Manchester and Leeds line, and in a short time will
extend from Manchester to Liverpool, Birmingham, Hull,
York, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.