The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-05-13 00:00:00

Several

THE LI VZ1UPO:01 V'T INBAR%

'THIS LATE ACCIDENT IN THE SUTTON TUNNEL•

ADJOURNED INQUEST, YESTERDAY.

The lengthened investigation was resumed yesterday
morning at ten o'clock.
Mr. W. C. Oka, a farmer, was the first witness called,
and he stated that he lived in the neighbourhood, and
was on the railway-bridge, near Sutton, on the evening
of the 30th ult. He first saw a train pass on the line at
an average speed from Chester, and run towards the
tunnel. In about fifteen or twenty minutes afterwards
he was walking near'to the railway, when he saw another
train approaching in the same direction from Chester, and
just out of the Frodsham station. He walked back by
the side of the railway, and still saw the train, which was
making little or en progress,—indeed, on watching it he
could not tell whether it was going or not. It was then
about a mile-and-a-quarter from the tunnel mouth. He
heard sudden puffs of steam, as if the wheels were re-
volving without making much progress; and as it ap-
proached nearer, the train went at not more than a walking
pace. It afterwards improved its speed, but still a person
might have kept alongside of if by running. It appeared
the train could not go at the usual rate from some cause or
other; there had been a fall of hail, and it was raining at
the time. His remark at the moment was, that such a
train ought not to have been started with only a single
engine. He noticed particularly none of the carriages ;
and saw no light attached to that train. At the same
time he observed another train following in the same
direction, to which a privete carriage was attached en a
lorry, and at the tail end was a red signal lamp. When
it passed him it was within 200 yards of the former train,
and as far as he could see behind, they appeared to enter
the tunnel together. It was then raining heavily. Shortly
after, another train approached, but be did not see the
carriages, yet he saw the steam from the engine flying
over the battlements of the bridge. From the sound of
the engine he judged it was going at the ordinary speed.
By the Foreman.—He saw no sleet fall that night ; but
he saw both hail and rain fall before and after he saw the
trains he had mentioned. (Laughter,) He thought the
carriages full, but not over-crowded.
Mr. Bragge, the engineer, was recalled by Mr. Browne,
and in reference to the evidence of Mr. Bancroft, given
on Saturday, to the effect that he had calculated an inter-
val of twenty minutes to half an hour would necessarily
pass between the starting of each train from Chester, he
said he never received any instructions to that effect. He
thought the interval that did elapse was sufficient to pre-
vent the probability of any accident ; had not a sufficient
interval been, in his opinion, allowed, he should have re-
monstrated, although it formed no part of his duty.
By Captain Laffan.—He was resident engineer of the
Chester and Birkenhead Railway, and as such he con-
sidered himself responsible for all arrangements required
to secure the safety of the traffic along that line. Mr.
Gibson never interfered with his duties in that respect.
He was not resident engineer of the line from Chester to
Halton, and therefore not answerable for any arrange-
ments as to the working of that line. He did not con-
sider eighteen engines, the extent of the locomotive
power on this latter line, as fully adequate to the
ordinary traffic of the company. He had represented
to the board that they required an addition to their
locomotive stock, and four engines being added, he
made no further representation to them, thinking they
could get on a little longer, and that any further
application on the subject would be unsuccessful. For
the Wednesday, the day of the accident, the goods' traffic
was suspended during the busy portion of the day; and
he considered that with their locomotive power they
should be enabled to work the increased traffic on account
of the races. Three times the ordinary traffic could be
worked with the same stock on a single day, as an excep-
tional case. He thought the weight of the Druid engine
was about 21 tons, but when weighed last week at Crewe
he found it was only 15 tons 2 cwt. If the weather had
been favourable, undoubtedly, in his opinion, she could
have taken the train to Manchester. Adverse weather,
and the carriages not being in good running condition,
were the cause of her stopping. He had had proof that
some of the carriages were not in good running condition,
by the test required by Captain Laffan, which had pressed
the springs so much as to bring the train work
of the carriage in contact with the tier of the wheels;
many of them required to be blocked in order to prevent
that. The weight in each carriage, under this test,
averaged from 4 tons to 41 tons, and that would be equal to
62 passengers at 11 stone each. The interior dimensions
of the carriages gave an available space of 135 square feet,
and allowing each person a space of 18 inches square, that
would give 60 persons to each carriage. The result of
the trial that morning led him to think it probable that
the body of some of the carriages bore on the wheels, on
the night of the accident, in which case each carriage that
did touch would act as a break, and so far tend to impede
the progress of the train. That would arise from the
want of a proper stiffness in the springs of the carriages,
but the carriages in question did not form part of the
company's stock. He believed that they had arrived at
Chester on the previous night, but he had not had time
to examine them.

By Mr. Monk.—The passengers who left Chester by
these trains on the night of the accident consisted of
men, women, and young persons.
By Mr. Browne, who appeared for Mr. Bragge.—His
discretion as to providing rolling stock for the extra
traffic of the races, did not extend to the provision of
additional locomotive power. That subject was never
mentioned to him by the board. It was his duty to see
the locomotive power was in working condition, and effi-
ciently worked, but he had no power to increase it.
By the Foreman.—There had been no hail or rain
immediately before the Druid started. The weather had
been very fine. After putting several questions on mat-
ters which have before been given fully in detail, the
Foreman asked the witness one question, which drew
from Mr. Monk the remark, that his caution to the court
to prevent the investigation running into points uncon-
nected with the enquiry, was needful.
The Foreman.—l know, Mr. Monk, you are a very
cautious man.

Mr. Monk.—l wish, Doctor, I could reciprocate the
compliment.

The Foreman.—l am here to do my duty, as one of
the jury, to the public in sifting this affair to the bottom,
and I am determined to discharge that duty, leaving it to
the public to judge between us.

Mr. Monk.---And I am content that the public should
decide between us, assured that the course you, as fore-
man of the jury, have pursued with respect to this in-
vestigation, will induce the public to agree with me that
my remark, in reply to the observation you volunteered
on me, was fully warranted.
This witness having been examined at some further
length, the coroner stated that the general evidence bad
now closed, but he proposed to ask Captain Laffan a few
questions. _ _

Mr. Monk objected to his being examined. It would
be a most dangerous precedent, he said, were it permitted
in this court, one of the most ancient of our Saxon insti-
tutions, that a government official, who had the means of
information which no court of justice could possess,
should be called upon to give evidence which might cri-
minate the parties connected with the railway, into whose
conduct he (Captain Laffan) might be supposed now to
be inquiring in the capacity of a judge. He submitted
that Captain Laffan was not in a position to be examined.
Mr. Browne, solicitor for the General Station Corn-
mittee at Chester, urged the same objection.
The Coroner felt the force of the observations just
made, and, although he had intended to have asked Capt.
Laffan a few questions, he should now refrain from
doing so.

Captain Laffan here remarked that, although be was
present on behalf of the government, he felt his position
to be such, that if he were summoned to give evidence,
he had no power to refuse to do so.

Mr. Bragg, the engineer, was recalled, after the temporary
adjournment of the court for a short time, at two o'clock, and
he then stated that he had taken a train through the Sutton
tunnel, attached to the Druid engine, that morning, and was
accompanied by Capt. Laffan. The train consisted of six
second, two first, and ten stand-up cart iages. The weight of
the whole train was 144 tons 10 cwt., including the engine. Of
this, i 3 tons 10 cwt. formed the weight of the engine, tender,
and carriages, and 61 tons the nett load representing passen-
gers. Deducting from the 83 tons 10 cwt., the weight of the
engine and tender, the weight representing passengers was
greater by 1 ton 4 cwt. than the weight of the carriages in
which they were conveyed. The train left the Frodsham
station at 6i minutes past 10; reached the canal Midge at
10.14 ; the tunnel mouth at 10.164 ; and the tunnel end at
10.19/, travelling through the tunnel at very nearly twenty
miles per hour.
The Coroner, after declining to hear Mr. Monk for the
defence, commenced summing up at one o'clock. His address
to the jui y occupied five hours, and at five o'clock the room
was cleared, and the jury retired to consider their verdict, but
had not agreed when the last train left Preston Brook, at ei;,ht
o'clock last night; and it was the general opinion that a con-
siderable time would elapse ere they would come to a decision.

Gas.—The Newcastle Journal says that gas can be
manufactured in that town for less than iwo shillings per
thousand feet, and strongly urges the company to lower
the price to two shillings and sixpence, or great dissatis-
faction will follow.

FATAL ACCIDENT.—On Monday week a man named
John Murphy, one of the crew of the Saranak, at present
lying in the Waterloo Dock, fell into the hold of the
vessel, and received injuries of such a serious nature as to
render necessary his removal to the Northern Hospital,
where he died on Sunday.
The beautifully-modelled " black ball" line of packet
Montezuma, has been placed in the graving-dock, and
the ship, in her frame and planking, was as sound as the
day she was launched. The yellow metal (Muntz' Patent)
on being taken off was in most excellent order, many
of the sheets having scarcely sustained the slightest in-
jury.

CONFISCATION OF WEST INDIA PROPERTY.—The cruel
policy pursued by successive administrations towards our
West Indian colonies is rapidly rendering absolutely
valueless the soil of these once fertile and valuable poeses-
Rona. The following paragraph, wnich we find amongst
the West India news, received yesterday per mail steamer
Boston. presents a lamentable picture of ruin i—" A fine
estate, called the Loo, containing 15,000 acres, was re-
cently sold at Demerara, under execution, for 2,006
dollars." Of course we shall be told that the exports or
the imports of these colonies, or both, are in a satisfactory
osltion—the Board of Trade gentry would prove it in a
minute—and that therefore they must be prospering.
THE NEW CHURCH AT COCKERMOUTIL—We observe
that further proceedings have been taken with reference
to the rebuilding of the parish church at Cockermouth.
Several parties were desirous of having the plan submitted
by Mr. Clarke adopted, although the design of Mr.
Hay, of this town, had been selected by the independent
umpire chosen unanimously by the vestry. In conse-
quence of this disagreement, the opinion of all the rate-
payers was taken, and the poll continued open on Thurs-
end Friday last, when the design of Mr. Hay was carried
by a large majority. We presume that the plan of our
clever townsman will therefore now be at once proceeded
with.

YESTERDAY'S COUNCIL.= CONTINUATION FROM

PAGE 6.

THE HEALTH COMMITTEE.
The proceedings of this committee have already from
time to time been reported :n the public newspapers.
Alderman PARKER rose to move their confirmation.
There was nothing special stated, except a recommenda-
tion to increase the salary of Richard Blades, the district
surveyor of West Derby, from £BO to £lOO, which will
stand over till the next monthly meeting, pursuant to
standing orders.

Alder-man BENNETT seconded the motion.
Mr. THOMSON rose to explain in reference to one
entry on the books,—that as he had built a house
and brewery in Prescot-street, without submitting the
plans to the building surveyors, the walls should be de-
molished, and he charged with the cost of doing so. There
were cries of " Chair, chair," but as the charge was de-
clared to be a personal one, he was permitted to proceed.
He wished he said to explain in reference to the house
of his ordered to be demolished, that there was no
house. There was a wall intended to be a house eight
feet high, and the bricklayer "as decent a fellow as
there is in Liverpool, did not think it necessary
to give a notice. He had given notice for the brew-
house but not for the house : thence arose this little matter.
But relative to these walls, I would advise those gentlemen
who have interfered to see the wall at Bebington, built by
Francis, with a curious inscription, and I hope they will
make a good use of it." (Laughter.)
The proceedings of the Gardens Committee were passed
nem. con.