The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1880-08-07 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

YEAR'S RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.  Mr. Calvert's report to the Board of Trade on the railway accidents and collisions that occurred in 1879 has been issued. From this report it appears that the total number of persons returned to the Board of Trade as having been killed in the working of the railways during the year was 1,032, and the number of injured 3,513. Of these, 160 persons killed, and 1,307 persons injured were passengers. Of the remainder 452 killed, and 1,951 injured, were officers or servants of the railway companies, or of contractors, 'and 420 killed, and 255 injured, were trespassers and suicides, and other persons who met with accidents at level crossings or from miscellaneous causes.  Of the passengers, according to the return made to the Board of Trade, 75 were killed, including 73 supposed to have been lost in the Tay Bridge disaster, and 602 were injured from accidents to trains. In addition to the above, the companies have returned 42 persons killed and 2,314 injured from accidents which occurred on their premises, but in which the movement of vehicles on railways was not concerned, and which consequently cannot be considered as " railway accidents.'  Excluding ten inquiries under the head of miscellaneous, 101 train accidents on railways have formed subjects of inquiry, and have been reported on by officers of the Board of Trade during the past year, against 108 for the previous year, 1878.  Twenty-one companies were concerned in the accidents arising from collisions, which were distributed among them as follows: Seven to the London and North-Western, 3 to the Great Eastern, 3 to the Great Western, 3 to the Lancashire and Yorkshire, 2 to the Midland, 2 to the London and South Western, 2 to the North London' 1 to the Belfast and County Down 1 to the Great Northern of Ireland Railway, 4 to the London, Brighton, and South Coast, 1 to the London, Chatham, and Dover, 1 to the Metropolitan, 1 to the Metropolitan District, 1 Monmouthshire, 1 Portpatrick, 4 to the North British, 1 to the North-Eastern, 1 to the Rhymney, and 1 to the South-Eastern Railways, and 3 onli nes belonging to Joint Companies. In a general summary the report states that the number of causes which contributed to investigated accidents of the past year are less than those of the previous year, 1878, the number of accidents inquired into having decreased by 8 per cent. ; there is a decrease in the number of instances in which accidents were due, amongst other causes, to defective signal and point arrangements' or to defective systems for securiug intervals of space between trains. The cases of insufficient or inadequately enforced regulations are much less than in former years. The cases due to foggy or stormy weather have considerably increased. The cases in which the insufficiency of brake-power contributed to the accidents, although somewhat less, may be considered as about the same. Among the latter cases, however, as in past years, those cases have been included in which it was reported that had continuous brakes been available on the trains the accident might have been mitigated in its effect or have been altogether averted. The principal causes which led to the accidents appear to have been—negligence, want of care, or mistakes ; inadequate or unsuitable brake-power ; defective arrangements of signals points, &c. ; defective system for securing intervals of space between trains; defective maintenance of rolling stock or road; excessive speed; insufficient regulations; and foggy or stormy weathsp,or snowstorms. After some general remarks as to Ite increased safety to passengers consequent upon improvements in railway working, the report goes onto say that it is to be hoped that no long period will elapse before the interlocking and absolute block systems will be completed upon all railways used for passenger traffic, not only in England, where the greatest amount of progress had been made, but in Scotland and especially in Ireland, where so little has as yet been done. In regard to new lines and works, it may be observed, in conclusion, that great as has been the progress of the interlocking and block systems since the passing of the Act of 1873 requiring returns of the progress annually made in the adoption of these systems of working, a good deal remains to be done. The deficiences yet to be made good can only be found in railways which were open for traffic during or prior to the year 1873, inasmuch as the opening of new lines submitted for inspection since and for some time prior to that date, have not been authorized until all the necessary appliances for working on those systems were found to be complete. The adoption of these precautionary measures, coupled possibly with a decrease of traffic, is concurrent with a decrease in the number of accidents to trains, and especially of collisions. The number of accidents still due to the negligence, want of care, or mistakes of officers or servants, , shows that when all mechanical appliances are adopted I accidents may still occur. But this is no reason why those appliances should not be adopted; and it is to be hoed and expected from the managers of railways that the complete adoption of the block and interlocking systems, of continuous footboards with proper platforms, and especially of improved brake power, will no longer be delayed.