British Miner and General Newsman : — 1863-01-10 (London, England)

FATAL FALL FROM A CLIFF.—An inquest was held at 141argate Towii Hall, on Monday, on the body of Robert Pridham, a fly-driver, which was found on Saturday last under the cliff, near the Fort steps. The deceased was observed about the town during the morning, but nothing strange was noticed in his manners. He went into the Crown public-house about twelve o'clock, and there had a pint of beer and pennyworth of bread and cheese, and afterwards, up on the Fort, at the Britannia Inn, he was treated with a pint of beer, and shortly after partaking of which he proceeded along the cliff, and, on arriving at a spot between the Sebastopol Gun and the Fort steps to the Sands, he fell over—the fence and a portion of the cliff at the spot having been carried away during the late gale. It is a somewhat singular fact, that deceased's father and brother committed suicide, the latter about fifteen years ago. The jury returned the following verdict : That deceased came by his death by a fall from the cliff; but there is no evidence to show how he came there; and the authorities are censurable for not taking steps to defend or protect anyone from falling over the cliff."  THE CATASTROPHE ON THE EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW RAlLWAY.—Captain Tyler, the officer appointed by the Committee of Privy Council for Trade to inquire into the circumstances which attended the accident that occurred on the 13th October, in the Craigton cutting, between Linlithgow and Winchburgh, on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway, has made his report. The collision occurred on a short piece of straight line between two curves, and in a deep cutting, of which the sides were retained by stone walla, The view from the site of it extended for about 400 yards towards Edinburgh, and about 200 yards towards Glasgow. Neither of the engines mounted; they wore fairly jammed together. The tank-engine was the narrower of the two, and ran in between the framing of the engine from Glasgow, ruining the gearing of that engine, and smashing its own framing. The cylinders of both were destroyed, and the boilers much damaged. The tank of the engine from Edinburgh was unseated, and thrown forward against the firebox, and the third-class carriage behind it was broken to pieces. The tender, the leading van, and the two third-class carriages behind them, in the train from Glasgow, were jammed together, and the carriages were destroyed. The break van was forced under the tender, and tilted it up, at the same time that it was similarly lifted by the foaming of the carriage behind it. The two trains remained nearly in line, the broken carriage having been thrown a little to the south. The enginedriver and fireman of the Scottish Central train and the fireman of the train from Glasgow were all killed. The engine-driver of the latter train jumped off his engine, and now lies, with the leading guard, in the infirmary in Edinburgh. The guard of the Scottish Central train was at Perth, unable to leave his house. Up to the present time fifteen passengers have died, and thirty-three are reported to be more or less seriously injured. There was not one person, probably, in either train, who did not feel some bad effects from the shock. After going minutely into the facts as developed in the course of the inquiry, Captain Tyler gives, as the result of his investigation, the following conclusion: "This lamentable collision resulting immediately from the mistake of a comparatively inexperienced pointsman, has been caused by the want of a 'pilotman,' under whose orders the pointsman and the driver of the pilot-engine ought both to have been acting; and I would add, that main-signals as well as distant-signals ought,, in my opinion, to be placed in all such cases at both ends of the single line, and clocks in the huts of the pointsmen. All pilot-men employed on duties of this description ought, further, to be provided with a distingpishing dress, as well as a distinguishing lamp for use by night. It would appear to be an advantage also to supply all pilot-engines employed for these purposes with peculiar flags, and extra I,..mps for daylight and darkness respectively, such as would render them unmistakeable under all circumstances.  Published for the Proprietor by A. G. prE, at the °Bice, 7, gurieigh.str„t, strand. Printed by WILLIAM SPENCER Jonsson and THOMAS WILSON, of No. 60, St. Martiu's-lano. In the parish of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields, in the county ot ILiddlesei.-10th Jannary, 18411,