Year: 1867

Dublin dug. 10y Correspondence London Tin1es


A railway accident involving loss Of life Is
happily SO great novelty in this slow-moVlng
Tor the excitement they exhibited yesterday
when the news reached town that such a catas-
troph had occurred at Bray Head IL realized
q fear which must lurk in the mind OF every
one who has ever visited the locality and
watched tram making It's way along the precl-
tion of Alpine climbers Little effort OF the
imagination is needed to invest with exagge"
rated horrors the report of an accident occurring
at a spot which seems adapted above all others
by nature and by art TO be the scene of pictu-
rescue tragedy. A deep chasm between steep
and rugged headlands is here spanned by
wooden bridge resting upon piles and projected
at the sides by kind OF trellis work; IL Is a
lously white, has pretty effect when looked
down upon from the road which sweeps round
the rocks, but II cannot fall to inspire as much
alarm admiration, the means which have
been taken TO secure It's safety being just sufh-
cient to reveal its danger. Before reaching 1T
the up train has TO pass through a tunnel, and
usually proceeds at slow pace. The train
from Enniscorthy yesterday morning had
passed safely through, but on reaching about
half way across the bridge the engine
got of the line, and, shattering to pieces the
at the land side, dragging down with 1t third
class carriage, which became at once shape
third.class carriages. the second of which fell
on end, and, its floor remaining unbroken,
supported above the next carriage, which hung
suspended half on the bridge. 1t was most
providential that the engine fell over on the
land side, where the depth to the shelving side
of the rock was not more than thirty or forty
feet, and the descent of the other carriages in
the train was checked. Had it gone over on
the other side it would, in all probability, have
pulled the whole train with it, The first symp-
tom Of the danger was noticed by the guard who,
feeling some jerks in the motion, pressed down
the breaks His van was the last vehicle, the in
termediate carriages between his and the third
class group being four composite first and
seConu-clas The first of these was slightly
displaced. but the rest kept firmly on. In the
first shock the occupants of the carriage next
the engine-two woman and q man-were
flung out, and escaped without any serious
injury. In the next carriage, which was not
smashed altogether, but turned over, the pas
sengersswere not so fortunate. The telegraph,
however, has conveyed all the material details
of the accident. The sum of the casualties up to
the present is one man killed on the spot, two
women reported to have since died, and about
fifteen others more or less seriously injured tits
stated that the rails have been recently relald
at this part of the line, and this statement
receives some confirmation from the Directors,
report, issued yesterday, in which they account
for their inability to pay any dividend this half
year by the fact that they had been obliged to
incur large expenditure in replacing rails and
sleepers on the permanent way. 1t is sug-
gestive coincidence that the engine bringing
the p. M. train from Greystones slipped of the
rails at the same point lastnight, and the pas
sengers esteemed themselves happy in having
the privilege of walking to Bray.