The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-05-16 00:00:00

RAILWAY AFFAIRS.
_._

A vessel, arrived in the Thrmes from Boulogne, has
brought an entire cargo of railway stores of British ma-
nufacture, consisting of 190 waggons in pieces, 49 cross-
ings, and 380 wheels and axletrees.
The Railway Record mentions a rumour that Mr.
Austin, Mr. Talbot, and other eminent counsel have given
up their briefs for the Great Western Railway in conse-
quence of the company being in arrear for fees. It is said
that the company owe under this head, some £30,000. _

From offidial returns it appears that the amount of
traffic for the last week, on 3,658 miles of railway, was
£186,436, thus accounted for :—.£93,365 for the convey-
ance of passengers only, £46,594 for the carriage of goods,
and a remainder of £46,477 for passengers and goods
together, not respectively apportioned ; being an increase
of £20,364 over the corresponding week of last year, when
the mileage was 2,845. The average earnings per mile
last week were £5l, whilst in 1847 they were £5B.

CARBONIC ACID AS A MOTIVE POWER ON RAILWAYS.
—At the Paris Academy of Sciences a paper was read,
"On the Application of Carbonic Acid as a Motive
Power," by M. Jagu, C.E., in which the author notices
the recognised fact, that the force of carbonate acid has
no limit ; and that, to show that steam is as nothing to it,
carbonic acid may be condensed with the heat of boiling
water, to 75 atmospheres. The ordinary locomotive en-
gine takes a power of six atmospheres ; and Mr. Jagu
proposes an engine to be worked with carbonic acid, the
principle of which is not to lose the gas, but, after it has
served to work the pistons, be made to return, without
loss, into a vessel similar to a portable gas holder, to be
placed in the hinder part of the locomotive; and us an
apparatus so charged at the station, might be made to work
for years, until required to be repaired. Common chalk
or other ordinary carbonate of lime, will yield 220 quarts of
gas from 24-, by the application of sulphuric acid diluted
with ten times its weight of water.
LAMENTABLE AND FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—At
the Paddington Station (Great Western Railway), on
Wednesday evening, great anxiety prevailed, in conse-
quence of the non-arrival of the express half-past twelve
train from Exeter, which should have reached the station
at half-past-four o'clock. At six a telegraphic communi-
cation was forwarded from Slough announcing that the
train had met with a disastrous collision at the Shriven-
ham station. It appeared that the train consisted
of two first-class carriages and four second-class car-
riages, also a luggage-van, followed by another se-
cond-class carriage full of passengers. The train
started five minutes after the usual time. No signal of
obstruction or required stoppage being shown at the Shri-
venham station, the high speed (about 50 miles an hour)
was maintained. At this place there is a branch railway
for turning off the carriages. At the angle of divergence
of the off-line was an empty horse-box, with a truck
attached, on which was a gentleman's carriage, which,
it is supposed, just overlapped the main up line, as
a collision took place, the effect of which was that
the engine struck the horse-box, when owing to the
velocity with which the train was progressing, the
horse-box, with the truck, were swung round. In
a moment, the second - class carriage, which was
connected with the luggage-van, in the rear of the
engine was dashed to pieces, and the unfortunate passen-
gers were flung out in every direction. The driver of the
engine, who was unable to avoid the collision, used the
utmost exertions to arrest the progress of the train, and
promptly reversed the engine. Upon returning to the
Shrivenham station a most appalling spectacle presented
itself. The line was strewed with the wreck of the car-
riage, while a number of the passengers, wounded and
dying, were lying in different parts, to whom every assist-
ance was being afforded by the servants of the company,
and by others who had arrived at the station, having heard
of the disastrous occurrence. Four of the passengers ex-
hibited no signs of life, and two others were so seriously
injured that they are stated to have died shortly after their
removal. There was but ono passenger who received no
injury. The greatest alarm prevailed in the other car-
riages. The engine was so much injured that another had
to be provided to convey the train to Paddington, and
which arrived there two hours and a half beyond its usual
time. Every possible assistance was given by the gentle-
men and servants connected with the railway to the suf-
ferers. It appears that there was negligence in leaving the
horse-box at the point where the accident occurred. Gen.
Sir Alexander had a fortunate escape, the carriage in front
and that immediately behind being smashed to pieces.
His servant was killed. From the accounts yet received,
it appears that amongst the killed were the Rev. Mr.
Phillips, of Penzance ; the Rev. Mr. Sandys of Stroud ;
Mr. Wilshere, of Bath; a servant, name unknown.
Amongst the injured were Captain Blair, R.N., (supposed
fatal) ; four others seriously hurt, and nine bruised or
contused. The last account we have yet received says
that the accident occurred thus :—The up express train
was 25 minutes late, and two of the porters at the
Shrivenham station, supposing that it had passed up
the line, pushed two carriages from the good's shed
on to the main line, without either acquainting the
policeman or turning the signal on. The driver of the
express engine says, it would have been impossible to have
avoided the accident even
.with an ordinary train. The
coroner's jury have returned a verdict of manslaughter
against the porter and assistant porter who moved the
trucks.