The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-09-09 00:00:00

FRIGHTFUL RAILWAY ACCIDENT AND LOSS
OF LIFE.

A terrible accident occurred on the Buckinghamshire
railway on Saturday evening, by which no less than
six persons lost their lives, and many were injured.
Excursion trains left Oxford on Monday and Tues-
day mornings for London, with the understanding that
passengers could return at stated times as late as Sa-
turday. On that day the excursion train which left the
Euston-station for Oxford consisted of 14 carriages, drawn
by one of Stephenson's six-wheel patent engines. Some
of the carriagestwere unoccupied. There were, however,
about 200 passengers.
The train left London at a little before five o'clock, and
neared the Bicester-station at a rapid rate at about
half-past seven o'clock. Here the engine became discon-
nected from the tender, went off the iine to the right,
knocked down the gatepost by the aide of the turnpike-
road for Aylesbury, which crosses the line on a level, and
approached close to the porch of the station-master's
house, which, in all probability, would have been forced
down, but for one of the rails becoming twisted round
the wheel of the engine, and the ponderous machine be-
coming embedded in the sand. Persons who were by the
side of the road, as spectators, were pissed in imminent
danger. Two of them, on seeing the engine off the line,
ran under the porch of the house, which the engine appro.
roached within a few inches. The three carriages next
to the engine tender went off the line to the lett, knocked
down the opposite gatepost to that razed by the engine,
and went over with a dreadful crash. The scene was
terrific, and can only he understood by those who witnessed
it. The cries of the suffering passengers, and of the
friends who were in waiting at the station, were appalling.
One of the carriages went over on its side into the turn-
pike-road, another went completely over, and the iron
work crushed it in, and the bottom was torn off from the
third. One of the carriages wentover near to the telegraph-
post, but, fortunately, did not injure it, and thus the
instantaneous communication of the dreadful intelligence
was not prevented. From the station being so near the
town the sad event was soon known, and the excitement
became intense. Many of the inhabitants forthwith
hastened to the spot and assisted to the utmost of their
ability. The three carriages which went over had become
disconnected from the others, and the passengers in them
escaped with bruises only. The event was forthwith
communicated to Oxford, and the excitement there also
became great. A telegraphic message was also sent to the
locomotive department at Wolverton for assistance, and
in about an hour Mr. Bedford, the inspector, arrived with
a staff of assistants and the necessary implements, torches,
&c., for assisting the sufferers, and righting the line, &c.,
for the rails had been torn up and the line rendered impas-
sable. Endeavours were forthwith used to assist the
sufferers. Some had thrown themselves out from the
carriages, others were unable to do so, and some were
dead. The work of extrication lasted till morning.
Mr. M'Connell, the head of the locomotive department
at Wolverton, and Mr. Bruyeres, from the Euston station,
were at the scene as soon as possible. Mr. William Acton,
surgeon, of 46, Queen Anne-street, Cavendish-square, and
Mr. F. G. Wyatt, of 11, Queen-street, Oxford, a student
of King's-college, were passengers by the train. They
immediately gave their advice and attended to the removal
of the sufferers. The resident surgeons were also soon in
attendance, as were professional gentlemen from Oxford
and Winslow. Alderman Browning, of Oxford, one of
the directors of the Buckinghamshire Railway Company,
was with other gentlemen at the spot in the course of the
night. Every arrangement was made for the comfort of
the sufferers. Several who were only slightly hurt pro-
ceeded to their destinations, but the injuries received by
nine of the passengers were so serious that they were
forthwith removed to the Nag's Head, the King's Head,
and other inns in the town.

The line was, by daylight, made passable, but the en-
gine and the carriage in the road were left as at the time
of the accident. The other two carriages were, by the
crash and the sawing necessary to release the passengers,
cut and broken to pieces. The cause of the accident will,
of course, be officially inquired into, and we abstain from
giving publicity to the rumours which are afloat on the
subject. The following persons are now lying dead at
Bicester :

Corporal Noon, of the 7th company of Royal Sappers
and Miners. He is the son of a builder at Oxford, and
had leave of absence from Kensington-barracks until
Thursday next.

Mrs. Sheldon and infant child, Ashley-place, Oxford.
Elizabeth Easley, a young woman of about 18, from 2,
Draper's-place, New-road, London.
Carrier, a lad of about 14, son of the driver of the
engine. The youth got on the train at Bletchley.
James Luckett, a young man of about 24, who was on
his way to Oxford.

The following persons are injured, and are now lying at
Bicester

Life-Guardsman Davis and his daughter.
Mr. and Mrs. Barrington, from London.
Mrs. Bailey, from London.

Mr. Bolton

Mr. Smith, on his way to the Clarendon-place, Oxford.
This gentleman has rallied, and will, it is thought, be soon
able to leave Bicester for Oxford.

A woman named Collis, from 53, Moor-gate-street,
London.

A woman named Terry, on her way to Bull-street, the
Friars, Oxford, and
Mr. Daniel Shelton, brother-in-law to Mrs. Shelton,
who lies dead.

Sir H. Verney, Bart., M.P., the chairman of the board
of directors, visited Bicester, and made personal inquiries
this 'Sunday) afternoon. On hearing of this accident the
authorities of Oxford sent a special train to Bicester for
the conveyance of the friends of persons who were sup-
posed to be with the train at Bicester.

THE COURT, AND FASHION.
♦

The Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, accompanied by
Lady Adeliza Howard, attended morning service at the
parish-church of Arundel, on Sunday last.—Standard.
The Hon. M. Nelson, brother of Lord Nelson, and
grand-nephew of the illustrious naval hero, has entered
the servica as a cadet, in Nelson's own flag-ship the
Victory.

Werecret to announce the death of Major-General Sir
Henry Watson, Knt., Colonel of the 15th Regiment,
which took place in town on the 31st u!t. The deceased
officer entered the army as cornet in the 3d Dragoon
Guards in May, 1795.—G10be.
Lord E. Howard and his lady (late Miss Talbot) are
staying in this town. We hear that the health of the
latter is very indifferent, and that she has sought the
advice of H. Liddon, Esq., of this town, who has for
some years held the appointment of medical adviser eo
the ladies of the convent.— Taunton Journal.

We learn with sincere regret that their Excellencies the
Lord-Lieutenant and the Countess of Clarendon, who, our
readers are aware, have lately lost their infant daughter,
are suffering deep anxiety in consequence of the protracted
illness of their youngest son, who still remains in a state
of 2reat debility.—Dublin Evening Post.

•
DISTRESSING ACCIDENT TO VISCOUNT STRATHALLAN.
It is with deep regret that we have to state that this noble-
man met with an accident on Friday last, which resulted
in the loss of his right arm. His lordship, who takes
great interest in the application of machinery to agri-
culture, was showing his son, the Master of Strathallan,
the working of a newly-erected thrashing trill by steam
power on his home farm, when his sleeve was caught by
the machinery and his arm severely crushed ere the wheel
could be stopped. Medical assistance from Auchterarder
was soon on the spot ; and the amputation of the limb,
immediately above the elbow, was very skilfully performed.
His lordship we are happy to say is doing well.—Perth-
shire Courier.

REPORTED NARROW ESCAPE OF THE QUEEN.—The
Glasgow Constitutional gives the following :—" The
journey of her Majesty to the North was nearly being
attended with consequences fearful to contemplate, owing
to the velocity with which the royal train was driven over
the Newcastle and Berwick portion of the route. As
those will remember who have approached the town of
Newcastle over the stupendous bridge and viaduct which
crosses the Tyne, there is a curve of very small radius at
the southern entrance, which is continued so far as to
form the quarter circumference of a circle. Of course
great caution should be observed In traversing this portion
of the line on all occasions ; but with such a responsibility
as that which devolved on the driver in charge of the
royal train, no care and attention, as regards not only the
safety but the feelings of the illustrious passengers, could
have been excessive or overcharged. The situation is
quite enough to excite one's nervous sensibilities, when
passing the bridge with all leisure, looking down on the
dark waters of the Tyne, with the shipping and housetops
far beneath. What must have been the sensations of the
rayal party when the whole train dashed at great speed
upon this narrow curve, and immediately received three
successive shocks, which were felt distinctly from one end
of the train to the other ? The shocks were caused by the
impetus of the train running against the sides of the rails
in going so rapidly along the curve. The consequences
of a carriage getting off the line are too horrible to
think of."
CONVERSION OF TAR DUKE OF NORFOLK.—The Duke
of Norfolk, it is confidently affirmed, has withdrawn from
the communion of the Church of Rome. The adherents
of the faith he has abandoned, and those of the faith he
has adopted, will, of course, estimate differently the value
of the noble convert. Without attributing any undue
weight to the opinions of his Grace, it may he said that a
convert who, though limited in the range of his intellect,
has uniformly regulated his conduct by his judgment, not
by his passions or his fancy, is, at least, as creditable an
accession to a church as men and women who have be-
wildered themselves by pretty mysticisms. What is of
more consequence is, that the step taken by the Duke of
Norfolk marks the tendency of the intellect of the age,
the conversions to the Romish Church mark the tendency
of its fancy ; and in the long run intellect is sure to gain
the ascendancy over fancy. It may be added, that those
who have opportunities to observe the Duke in bis private
and personal relations eipress little, if any, surprise at his
avowed conversion. His conduct for many years had
shown that he was one of a class not uncommon among
the educated Catholiq, who adhered to their old religio❑
more from habit and regard to the sentiments of their
near relatives than from conviction or preference. The
rude wind of Ultramontane agitation has only shaken
down this over-ripe fruit ; there may be more quite as
ready to fall.—Spectator.----There seems to be but little
doubt that the Duke of Norfolk has left the communion
of the Church of Rome, the hereditary faith of the nob!e
house of Howard, and become a member of the Church
of England. Of course we shall be assured by our Roman
Catholic contemporaries that the loss of the Premier Duke
and Marshal of the kingdom is to them a matter of no