The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1850-01-08 00:00:00

THE FATALITY AT MAdritlLL,

The inquest on the bodies of the three unimuthoF
sons who met their death at Maghull, on Tues,ll2
was resumed at the Railway Inn, Maghull, pof-;
Mr. Norris, solicitor, of Liverpool, who was one uhl
passengers in the train from Ormskirk, on the nitfiot
the unfortunate occurrence, was present, and
to
prominent part in the inquiry, with a view to Pr°
the interests of the public in coming at the truth.
Mr. Roberts, solicitor, of Manchester, appeared
jy
fessionally for Michael Mason, the driver of the
' Bull engine attached to the luggage train, which 10
cause of the calamity. Mr. Hacking, the secretarl°
East Lancashire Railway Company was also present.
The evidence of Ralph Steel, the driver of the Phie
the engine attached to the passenger train, was
effect that he whistled three times, when he first sswtto
luggage train approaching, it being then about
el 4
hundred yards off, and had it been coming at a in
pace could have been stopped in time to prevent the
fi
dent ; but ho considered it was proceeding at a rate" ~
miles an hour when it came up,
Mr. Penkeyman and Mr. Hudson, gentlemen.,
were waiting at the Maghull station when the train gentlemen
up, gave evidence of the way in which the acci,
occurred, from which it transpired that it is a 5130
master's duty, when he thinks it necessary, to run eL
line for the distance of, perhaps, half a mile, with a
signal. No such precaution was %bserved while the
riage was being attached, although considerable deg
been caused in the operation.
Henry Slater, the stoker belonging to the luggage,
stated that when they left Blackburn it was five 0319:0
past eight o'clock, and when they arrived at Ormslo,
was perhaps twenty minutes to nine. Ormskirk is to
five miles from Magiaull. During the whole couP`ty
the trip they never were cautioned by any one as t°tii
speed at which they were proceeding. This witness st%,
that as soon as the engine driver got to Howard's 13510
he whistled, and soon after he heard the whistle 01
stationary train, and he then reversed his engine, butei
was too late to prevent the collision. He further Eta.
that the night was so foggy as to preclude their sees
any object beyond the engine, and was certain that o'ie
dthey passed the station they were going at a speed
about twelve miles an hour.

James Morris, the guard of the luggage train, atlini 14
that the train was about two hours earlier than it oiT;
to have been, which he attributed to their having not",
to take up by the way. He had neither book of instriiii
tions, time-list, nor any other guide for his direction
the discharge of his duties.
Mr. Wolstenholme, the superintendent of the
passengl
department at Liverpool, stated that it was the duty of,re)
the servants to have a book of instructions, for Ncl
they were ordered to apply to some superior officer.
was at the Maghull station at eleven o'clock on the fl
of the accident, and he found the station-master drunk;d
In answer to a question from the Coroner, Mr. Hacbtl
said that the guards were the persons in whom the
of the trains was vested ; but, of course, the engine-drib
had the controul of the speed of the engine.
The CORONER, in summing up, said it was quite $
that the luggage train had performed the distance fro
Blackburn to Maghull, 28i miles, in less than an 111
If the jury thought that either the driver or the guard
the "John Bull" engine, or any other person had bet,l
the cause of the accident, their verdict must be one
manslaughter.
.•

After a deliberation of 21- Hours, the jury found °lle
engine-driver, Michael Mason, and the guard, JO
Morris, guilty of manslaughter.
We understand that a government inquiry is to he 11,:
stituted into the catastrophe to-day, under the directl°'
of Captain Wynne, who has been deputed by the gover
went railway board for that purpose.