The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1848-08-29 00:00:00

RAILWAY AFFAIRS.

The Windsor, Staines and South-Western Railway wag
opened last week.

The traffic on the Chester and Holyhead Railway for
the week ending August 19th, was £2,212 13s. 7d. post-
office for the conveyance of mails, and toll from the
Shrewsbury and Chester Railway company not included•
The dispute between the enginemen of the North-
Western Railway and the directors has been brought to
an amicable settlement and the men have returned to
work.

SHREWSBURY AND CHESTER RAILWAY.—The We'
mony of keying the last arch of the Dee Viaduct, at the
vale of Llangollen, took place on Friday, in the presence
of the directors and their friends. The length of this
unrivalled viaduct is 1508 feet : the height 147 feet : the
number of arches 19; and the span of each arch 60 feet.
DREADFUL RAILWAY FlRE.—Shortly after two o'cloe'.
on Thursday morning, a dreadful fire happened at the
Charlton station of the West Kent Railway. The sleepers,
about 1,000 in. number, were saved. By five all danger
ceased, but the loss will be at least £l,OOO. No cause
could be ascertained for the calamity.
RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.—It appears that of the 90 per-
sons killed and 99 injured, on all the railways opened for
public traffic in Great Britain and Ireland, during the
half-year ending 20th June, 1848, there were-6 passen-
gers killed, and 60 injured from causes beyond their oval
control ; 5 possengers killed, and 2 injured, owing to their
own misconduct or want of caution. _

FEARFUL ACCIDENT.JOITVonday afternoon, at five
o'clock, an accident occurred on the Lancaster and Preston
railway, the result of which was almost instant death to one
of the passengers, and serious injury to several more.
mixed train left the Preston station at four o'clock for
Lancaster ; at the Bay Horse station (about six miles
from Lancaster) it stopped to let passengers down.
Whilst the station-keeper and guard were engaged in re-
moving luggage, to the dismay of all, a train was seen ap-
proaching on the same line at a truly fearful rate. This
train proved to ho the exprona train, which waves-Low:lr
at nine o'clock in the morning, and which was then nearly
two hours after its time. As soon as the engine-driver on
the Lancaster train saw the approach of the express, he
immediately put all steam on to get out of the way, but
before he could attain any speed, the express came up, and
dashed right into the hinder carriages. Four carriages
were completely dashed to pieces, and the wonder is hoW
any of the passengers escaped. An engine immediately
went forward to Lancaster for surgeons, and on their ar-
rival it was found, that although many were much injured,
there was only one killed—a woman of the name of Ed-
mondson, from Poulton-le-Sands, near Lancaster. Two
men received compound fractures of the skull, and pow'
lie in the House of Recovery in a hopeless condition.
Mrs. Yates, of Lancaster, had her face much cut, and her
collar-bone broken. A Miss Bland, of the same place'
received several injuries. The number of the injured
amounts to between ten and twelve. When the engine-
driver and stoker on the express train saw what Would in-
evitably happen they jumped off and escaped uninjured-
Mr. William Jackson, of Lancaster. one of the directors
of the Lancaster and Preston Railway, was in the express
train at the time, and leaped out unhurt. Mrs. Edmond-
son, who was killed, had in her arms at the time a lovely
little boy about four years old, who received no injury
whatever. This is the first collision that has occurred op.
the Lancaster and Preston Railway during the ten years,it
has been opened, and has caused a deal of excitement In
the neighbourhood. Mr. Beckett, tea-dealer, of Lancas-
ter, had a marvellous escape. He was in one of the second,:
class carriages that was smashed to pieces. He fell
through the bottom of the carriage when it parted, and
escaped without even a mark of injury.