Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1880-08-28 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.  The Board of Trade have published the usual half. yearly return of accidents and casualties on railways during the six months ended 30th June last. From this it appears that 19 persons were killed and 342 injured by accidents to trains, rolling-stock, permanent way, &c. There were 19 collisions between passenger trains, 27 between passenger trains and goods or mineral trains, engines, &c., 23 cases of passenger trains leaving the rails. 13 of trains travelling in the wrong direction through points, 11 of trains running into stations or sidings at too high a speed, 74 cases of trains running over cattle or other obstructions on the line, 30 of trains running through gates across the line at level crossings, 4 cases of the bursting of boilers or tubes of engines, 3 of the failure of machinery, springs, &c., of engines, the failure of 222 axles, 4 failures .of bridges, viaducts, &c., the failure of 211 rails, and 10 cases of slips in cuttings or embankments. There were also reported 599 failures of tyres, 3 of wheels, 1 of a brake apparatus, and 9 cases of the flooding of portions of permanent way, and 2 cases of fires at stations, but none of which caused any personal injury. With regard to accidents to passengers from causes other than accidents to trains, rolling-stock, permanent way, &c., including accidents from their own want of caution or misconduct, it seems that, of 266 persons killed and 434 injured, 58 of the killed and 305 of the injured were passengers. Of the latter, 18 were killed and 36 injured by falling between carriages and platforms, viz., 10 killed and 23 injured when alighting from, and 8 killed and 13 injured when getting into, trains; 3 were killed and 210 injured by falling on to platforms, ballast, &c., viz., 3 killed and 192 injured when alighting from, and 18 injured when getting into, trains; 19 were killed and 8 injured whilst passing over the line at stations; 22 were injured by the closing of carriage-doors; 5 killed and 7 injured by falling out of carriages during the travelling of trains; and 13 were killed and 22 injured from other causes. 35 persons were killed and 12 injured whilst passing over railways at level crossings, viz., 25 killed and 7 injured at public level crossings, 5 killed and 2 injured at occupation crossings, antl 5 killed and 3 injured at foot-crossings. 119 persons were killed and 75 injured when trespassing on the railways ; 31 persons committed suicide on railways, and of other persons not specifically classed, but mostly private people having business on the companies' premises, 23 were killed and 42 injured. Altogether, the number of persons killed and injured on ratiways in the 'United Kingdom in the course of public traffic, during the six months ending 30th June, 1880, as reported to the Board of Trade, was 510 killed and 1,706 injured. In addition to the above, the railway companies have reported to the Board of Trade the following accidents which occurred upon their premises, but in which the movement of vehicles used exclusively upon railways was not concerned, namely :-2 passengers killed and 31 injured whilst ascending or descending steps at stations; 12 injured by being struck by barrows, falling over packages, &c., on station platforms ; 24 injured by falling off platforms; and 16 injured from other causes.  Of servants of companies or contractors-2 were killed and 279 injured whilst loading, unloading, or sheeting waggons; 101 were injured whilst moving or carrying goods in warehouses, &c.; 2 were killed and 53 injured whilst working at cranes or capstans; 2 were killed land 65 injured by the falling of waggon doors, lamps, bales of goods, &c.; 154 were injured by falling off, or when getting on or off, stationary engines or vehicles; 4 were killed and 82 injured by falling off platforms, ladders, scaffolds, &c.; 1 was killed and 62 were injured by stumbling whilst walking on the line or platforms; 28 were injured whilst attending to stationary engines in sheds ; 17 were injured by being trampled on or kicked by horses; 2 were killed and 171 injured whilst working on the line or in sidings; 2 were killed and 77 were injared from various other causes. Three persons who were transacting business on the companies' premises were also killed and 40 injured— making a total in this class of accidents, of 20 persOtui killed and 1,242 injured. Thus the total number of personal accidents reported to the Board of Trade by the several railway companies during the six months amount to p3O persons killed and 2,948 injured.