The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1876-02-26 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

THE GREAT NORTHERN.—THE ABBOT'S RIPTON RAILWAY ACCIDENT. The half-yearly meeting of the shareholders of this company was held on Saturday at the King's Cross Terminus Colonel the Hon. V. Duncomhe in the chair. . . _ .  The'Cusiiimste, in moving the adoption of the report, referred to the terrible accident at Abbot's Ripton; but. in the absence of Colonel Tyler's report to the Board of Trade, be said he did not intend to enter into details. Speaking of the inquiry before the coroner, he wished to disabuse the mind of the public that the block system had in any degree failed. He had no hesitation in saying that, on that frightful night, the block system acted to perfection. Every message was properly given and properly recei ved,and so far as the block system itself was concerned it had not broken down on that occasion, but he was ready to admit that the signalling failed. The block system was theoretically perfect, but was invented by man and it must be worked by human agency. On the night of the accident the signal was properiy given, but the semaphore did not answer to the signal in the lever box, and this was attributable to the weather. The snow prevented the semaphore from raising, and instead of showing a red light, as it ought to have risme, it showed a white light. The accident had deeply afflicted the directors and officers of the company, and they hoped the shareholders would join in tendering their thanks to the medical gentlemen and inhabitants of Huntingdon, who displayed great kindness and hospitality to the sufferers by that deplorable accident. (Applause.) Ihe question had been raised whether they ought not to have provided additional lines for the purpose of cat ryi rig on the additional traffic. The shareholders must remember that they had laid down 48 miles of additional single lines, 21 of these being south of Peterborough. I luring the past five years they had spent a sum of £1,270,2 iii on the .block system, additional lines, improvement and enlargement of stations, purchase of land, and additions at the Farringdon street station. He would not, refer to the question of brakes at prereet, as the Railway Commissioners had not yet sent in their report, and he understood they would not do so until after Easter, and until that was done it would be unwise to adopt a new brake, if sey were deemed necessary. It would be necesary to raise three millions of capital, one-half at once, and there would be two other psyments of 25 per cent, towards the end of the year, the dividend on the first issue of the first instalment commencing to accrue on the Ist of January, 1878, and it would be allotted to all proprietors of every description of stock. The amount of unproductive capital was £2,231,454, and it was a sour,* of great satisfaction that their terminable loan amounted to Ore small sum of £212,0011. Coming to the revenue account, the (Mailman said," I regret to say that the reduction in the fares made by the Midland, which we were obliged to follow, has resolted in a very gel ions less to this company of £50,000 for the year, and is equivalent to a dividend of 1 per cent. We cannot characterise this proceeding as anything but one of commercial suicide. (Hear, hear.) There was no call for the reduction. We carried our passeugers in great comfort at a moderate price, and I never heard there was the least objection to our sole of fares; but because we were obliged to follow the example of others we have incurred this serious loss of .£51,000 in one year." lie had been hauled over the coals far his comparison at the last meeting of the working expenses of the Great Northern with other lines, the comparison beirg impugned in regard to the Manchester, Sheffield. and Lincolnshire Company; admitting that the canals of that company made their cast exceptional, he must still contend that his statement was perfectly con rect as regarded other companies, and he would theivfore repeat that for the Midland Company the expenses came at 55 67 per cent., the London and North Western 55 3, the Lanese:bite and Yorkshire 59'14, the North Eastern 55 Ss, the Great Eastern 5838, and the Great Northern 52.88. (Cheers.) Lord COLVILLE, the deputy chairman, seconded the motion. Sir A. BRADY, and other gentlemen, having eyinpathieed with the remarks of the Chairman with reference to the accident, and the kind energy of the inhabitauts of Huntingdon, and questions as to items of detail having been asked and answered, the rs port was adopted, and a dividend at the rate of Li. Ills per cent, per an. num on the original 'Audi was deelai ed. On the motion of Sir A. lluxur, it was resolved to present a memorial prayiug for the reduction and ultimate extinction of the passeriger duty. A special meeting was eutisequently held to coincides and determine upon new shares or stack, and to consider the bills now before Parliament.  "Dan Juan" hes now taken the place of "Lord Bateman " at the Alhambra.  Miss Lydia Tl,ompson and troupe will shortly appear in" Hot Water,' taken from the French. Mr. Byron'e comedy, "Married in Haste," has been produced at Wallack's Theatre. New York.  The management of the Alexandra Palace is engaged getting up a monster spelling bee for March 4. Mr. Byron's burlesque of " Don Juan" has been revived at the Alhambra.  A Norwegian expedition to the Arctic Seas will start. early this spring. 'All for Her" continues to draw good audiences to the St. James's Theatre. "The Life and Labours of Francis Deak "ii the title of an essay by Mr. Karl Blind, which will appear in the March number of Fraser.  M. Rajon has finished the engraving from Mr. Alma Tadema's "Claudius," and it will shorily be published. Mr. W. S. Gilbert's new comedy will probably be produced at the Hayruarket during the London season.  The Queen has been pleased to appoint the Rev. Hugh Pearson, Vicar of Sonning, to the vacant canenry of Windsor.  The total number of emigrants from the United Kingdom, in 1875, was 173,809, against 241,014 in 1874.  It is said that the embroidered velvet tunic worn Mr. Irving in " Othello "cost in Italy the slain of ,Ersi,! and that the total value of the costumes worn by the: actor in this play amounts to £250. At the meeting of the Msnchester Literary Club,, Mr. John E. Bailey communicated a paper on two letters, deciphered from the original shorthand drafts, addressed by Pepys to his sister-in-law, Mrs. St. Michel.. Returns just issued show a marked falling off in the emigration from the United Kingdom last year as compared with 1871, the numbers beitig 173,810 last year, as against 241,014 w 1874.