The North Wales Chronicle and Advertiser for the Principality

THE LATE FATAL RAILWAY COLLISION IN SUTTON TUNNEL. INQUEST ON THE BODIES. On Saturday morning an inquest was held at the Red Lion, Preston-brook, before Mr. Nicholson, Co- roner for the southern division of Lancashire, on view of the bodies of Mrs. Whettenhall, a widow lady, who had resided ncar Bolton; and of Messrs. Davidson, Anderson, and Dalton, and a youth named Newhall, all of Manchester, who had hpen killecl by the fearful collision of trains in Sutton tunnel, on Wednesday ev ening last, upon the return from Chester races to Manchester. The jury, having been sworn, proceeded to view the bodies, whieh presented a sickening spectacle, and the scene of the occurrence is of itself enough to strike terror into the minds of even those who are familiar with inquiries like the present. Capt. Latham, the Government Inspector, attended in the course of the day to watch the proceedings; and Mr. Edward Bennet, solicitor, of Manchester, and other professional gentlemen, attended on behalf of the relatives of some of the deceased, as well as at the request of suffering survivors. Mr. Hooker, who was badly injured, is since dead. A strong feeling pelT[lIJes the puh!ic miJld in regard to this melancholy occurrence, and the coroner, as well qs Dr. ilson, foreman of the jury, expressed their determination, in justice to the friends of the de- ceased.the public, and the company themselves, to investigate the entire proceedings of the railway ser- vants most rigidly. The chairman and other officers oftlic, company were present, aud afforded all facilities ill their power. The bodies having been identified, Mr. John Taylor, superintendent of police, Man- chester, thus deposed: I was at Chester oil the even- iii; of Wednesday last. On arriving at the Railway station, to return to Manchester, I perceived two trains about to start. One was sent off a little before seven, and the other a little after. A third train was also speedily ¡¡¡¡ed, and dispatched after a short interval; into this train I got. I do not know if there was a light at th" end of thi, train, or of either of the others. We came at a quick pace to Frodsham, hut at the mouth of the tunnel the pace was considerahly slack- ened. The mouth of the tunnel is near Frodsham station. I was in a second-class carriage net the centre of the train, and when about a mile in the tun- nel sustained a severe shock. All the parties in the same carriage were knocked against c-aeh othcr. I put my head ont of the window and saw a glimmeri_ ng light about the engine, and called out to the people in the next carriage to pass word down to know what was the matter; it was half an hour before we got any answer, when a man came by with a light, and we then ascertained what hat! takcn place. 1 and five or six others got out of the carriage and walked along the line to the engine, where I found a heap of car- riages belonging to the train before us smashed all to pieces. I saw aU the live bodies now identified taken out, and very many passengers seriously injured; amon; the latter was Dr. Lett, whom I assisted out, and afterwards helped to Manchester. Of course there was no light then at the end of the second train, and I could see no remains of one. The deceased we. e all quite dead when I saw them first. Mrs. Whettenhall was found between the fragments of two broken car- riages. I saw no guard to our train, hut there was a guard to the one immediately in advance of it. I spoke to William Dixon, the driver of our Itr;iiii, and asked him how it was he ran into the other! lie said the tunnel was so full of smoke and steam he could not see a yard before him, and that he was knocked down and rendered insensible for some time. He was perfectly sober, and so also was the guard of the se- cond train. I remained in the tunnel three hours and a half, allll then assisted in taking Ntr. Hooker and others to Manchester. It was quite daylight when we left Chester, so that I do not know if there was any tail li,:ht to the train. By the jury: We had bcen coming at a moderate pace. It was about half an hour after we left Chester when we were in the tnnne\. It was very dark, but I took out my watch and felt where the long finger was, and it was iu?t )a?t ight. The train proceeded "ery steadily up to the time of the collision. There wa nothing said at FrocLham about the trains that "re- ceded ours. I found the engine off the line wlitn I first saw the broken carriages. Mr. William Thomas Ansell, district superintendent at the Electric Telegraph Company, lesiding at Man- chester, deposed: 1 travelled by a train which ld't Chester at wJf-past seven on the evening of Wednes- day last. I was in a first-class cairiage, middle com- partment, and neat the centre of the train. Nothing particular occurred until we got to the tunnel, when the spced was considerably slackened, and continued to be diminished till we got two-thirds through the tunnel, when we came to a dead stop. We had stayed about two minutes at Frodsham. I noticed a red light on the end of the train that left a little before seven. Cp to the time of our coming to a dead stop, I had heard occasionally a sound as of the engine making attempts to get on but the driving wheel slipped from the metal being wet. I put my head out of the car- riage, and the tunnel was full of steam and smoke, so -tii( I t l ic? that I could see nothing hut a white gloom. I soon after heard the pull' of an engine behind, upon which I threw myself hack and fixed my feet firmly against the seat opposite nle, at the same time shouting to all the others in the carriage to hold hard, when there came a crash as of another train having run into that one in which 1 was. The crash was a prolonged one, and seemed to me to last nearly a minute. I kept my seat, and escaped unhurt; but as soon as I could I got out of the carriage. I heard nothing at Frodsham as to the train that had gone before us, but perceived some time after that we had struck it. I only perceived one s hock in the tunnel, and was not aware that the train by which I was travelling had run into another train in the t!!I}J!P], The shock mnst have been very slight, or otherwise I must have felt it. The train before us had no engine hehind, By the jury After the concussion I walked on to Moor, and was then informed by a gentleman in a car- riage of the first train that our train had struck the preceding one. The rails were wet. I did not consider that our train was too long for an engine. Mr. Joseph Steale, patent agent, of 123, Chancery- lane, London, deposed: I was a passenger from Chester by a train which left about seven o'clock. Two trains had left previous to the one in which I travelled. ] do not now consider it necessary to state what occurred in the morning at the Chester station, but I must say that, in In)" opinion, there was gross mismanagement ill day there, I came on the platform at ten minutes to live, intending to return to Manchester, where I had seen bills posted, announcing that the trains would start as soon as filled. I found a train nearly full; and as I had a first-class day-ticket from Manchester, I got into a first-class carriage. It was not then five o'clock. Having remitted upwards of an hour, and witnessed two trains in succession filled and started, I got out and called for the inspector, who at length I found. [Mr. Superintendent Crichley here stood up, and was identified by the witness as the officer alluded to.] I said, Mr. Inspector, when. will our carriages he sent of! I have seen two trains leave for Manchester while I have been in the carriage; and what is the reason Olin, which is full, has not left yet 1" He saifl, Go back to your srat, sir," and that is the only answer I got. I went back, and at seven the train left. A gentleman who had remained in the carriage with me an hour got out, and went into another train, which soon filled, and was sent off,ncarly half an hour before the one in which I wa. "e went on sluggishly until we came to the tunnel. It was then live minutes past eight. It seemed to be gn'at labour to go on. The (,?i,gi, seemed to gasp as if it would give up the ghost; and so it did when we got Ilitli' N?'e li?ld been stopping five or ten minutes, when I was snddenly thrown into my opposite neighbour's face by a con- t I lro. .Il itito ill y o i i face by a coii- .;i\ 111 rt:;}Pi(\\ e l::i; Îla;i1c¡r bS:lafl{I,ld ;1'; material injury. There In" a third-class open train behind us, and the concussion and rebound broke one of (he coupling-irons. I saw no train before the one in which 1 was. It was the first of the three, and was the one that caused the stoppage. There were about fifteen or sixteen carriages, but I do not think there was any guard. At Moor station I called out for both g-unrd and policeman, but no one answered. I went to the engine-driver, and asked him the reason why we stuck fast in the tunnel.' He said there was no water in the engine. S01HC of the passengers said, How dare you come ou( of Chester without a proper snpply of wa(er r' to which he made no answer, but remained quite unconcerned. The en;:ine was soon after taken on to Warrington for a further supply of water. I looked at the end of the train, and observed there was no stern-light. In two minutes afterwards a boy passed down with a red light. Mr. G. F. ¡tohinson, of Stockport, cotton-spinner; Mr. James Haddock,of Warrington, engineer; Samuel Burgess, of Sutton, blacksmith; and other witnesses having been examined, and there being still a great mass of other evidence, the court was adjourned until ten o'clock on Monday morning. MONDAV, MAY O. The inquest was resumed this morning. Shortly after ten o'clock, Captain Lallan, of the Royal Engi- neers, on the part of the government, Mr. Bancroft, the chairman of the company, anil several other gen- tlemen were present. The first witness examined was George Bradshaw, a dogger, from Bolton, who was ill the second train, and who had his arm dislocated, and received other severe injuries, but his evidence, and that of a gentleman from Warrington, who was also in the train, was substantially the same as that given by other passengers. Mr. Gibson, the secretary of the company, was the next witness called, and produced the aavèrtisemcnt issued relative to the running of the trains, and the various regulations which govern the guards and engine-drivers on the line. There were no special directions given to the station-masters for the Wednesday, further than that certain trains would run. There were some additional persons engaged to assist in the management of the trains. There were guards employed in Manchester. Mr. Ellisson and Mr. J. Roberts had engaged those parties at Manches- ter, ami some days previously I cautioned the station- masters. Mr. Lister was the engineer of the iinc.but Mr. Bragge is the engineer of the line now. Addi- tional carriages and men were engaged. There wa a communication between myself and Mr. Norris, the Ii manager of the London and North- Western, at Man- chester. We knew there would he a large increase of trathe, and we agreed to accommodate it. We found the carriages, and the London and North- Western found other accommodation. To the foreman Mr. Lister ceased to be connected with this railway on the 1st of April. Mr. William Bragge has now the mallagement of the locomotive department at Chester. To Captaill Lafian The circumstances under which the tllnnel between Chester and Birkenhead is worked are different from those between Chester and Warring- ton, In the first case there is only a single line through the tunnel, and the pointsman had orders not to admit one train nntil the other had cleared. On this part of the line there was no such arrangement; and, notwithstanding the greatly increased traffic dur- ing the races, no instructions were given not to allow one train to enter the tunnel until the other had got ont, 1101' were there any instructions given to the par- ties at Chester a bout the period which should elapse between the despatch of the trains. There is no posi- tive instruction as to the number of carriages that form a train. It is left to the discretion of the station- masters at the termini. The parties engaged as extra guard s were parties who had before acted in that ca- pacity. The g'ullrds have the entire control of the trains in transitu. I have reason to believe that the extra guards were sober persons. The extra guards were to he paid the same wages as the other guards in thc^euiploy of the company. To the Chairman of the Company The guards on the three trains under consideration were our own guards. The first train, the guard was Ileury nJack- i ford; the second. John Dovle: the third. John Sta- cey. The Loti(loii ?iii(I lil,?,y ("o"l- pany perform all terminal business for this company, under an agreement at present existing, and all com- 11 "it l,icatioii-s between this company and thc London aud North-Western have been made through Mr. Norris. The business of the station at Chester is con- ducted by a joint committee of four companies —the London and X ort h-Western, Chester and Holyhead, Shrewsbury and Chester, and Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire Junction. No individual company can interfere with the management (of the station. Air. Lister was never engineer and manager of the line; he was engaged for construction only. When con- tracting for new rolling stock some two or three months ago, it was a stipulation in the agreement that lie should furnish an equal number for the Chesler races, whether the new ones were finished or !lot, and special instructions had been given to have the lines watched. To a Each of the companies gives the time of the trains, but we don't interfere further. During Nlr. Gibson's examination Nlr. Monk, bar- ritcr, who had been engaged for the company, arrived, hut declined to ask any questions, as he had not beell in from the commencement of witness's examination. He subsequently askcd Mr. nnnett, solicitor, of Man- Chester, who appeared to watch the proceedings on the part of some of the injured pasengers, whether there was any truth in th statement which he was told had reached the cars of the Jnry, to the effect that Mr. Bancroft had mad" certain < vcrtures to him, with a view of stifling this inquiry? Mr. Bennett declared that no such overture had heen matIe; and his object in wishing to have Mr. Bancroft examined, was to ask him wh"ther he was in Chester, directing the departure of those trains. He had sinc. leamc,l that ',ir. croft was not there, bein;.( in London at the time. W illiam Bragge, locomotive 'H1{)('rintc-ndent, and engineer in charge of the Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire Junction, examined He said the who]" line is worked with one stock. The company have eighteen engines, four of which are limited between Warrington and Birkenhead. I have been locomotive superintendent two years and a half. I have the pnperintcnclence of the coaching department between Birkenhead and Chester. From Chester to Manchester, the superintendence of the coaching has been in the hands of the secretary. I han, taken no part in it, except with regard to the maintenance of the stock. On 'ednesday last, in consequence of additional trains heing put oil, all the engines were in steam, and at work. Eleven engines in steam are adequate for the ordinary traffic, and for the additional trains adver- tised to run, I expected the eighteen engines would have been sufficient. I cannot say we had formed any estimate as to the number of passengers likely to he conveyed along the line. I know the engines attached j to the trains amongst which the accident occurred, The first was called the Druid George Allen was the engineer of that, and the fireman was named Leach. .Tons and Potts built that engine in lS lo. David Evans was the engineer of the second engine, which was No. 17; the fireman was David Masfield. The Albert was the third engine, thp engineer was William Dixon, and the fireman was Henry Dixon. I inspect the engines of the company more or less daily. I looked over the Druid on the morning of the Wednesday, at Chester. The Druid, on that day, had made one or two trips from Birkenhead to Chester. I alll not aware what water the Druid had, but immecliatdy befure starting with the train I saw her getting water at the crane. The Druid was in gerfect working condition, and was most capable of conveying a heavy load. I saw the train to which she was attached leave Chester; there were sixteen or seventeen carriages in it. I considered her fully equal to carry that number. I had not in-I speeted the engine No. 17, formally, for a fortnight; but I saw her at work on the Wednesday, ana I am satisfied she was in good working order. There is it heavy gradient leaving Chester Ly the junction, and a second engine was sent behind every train for a mile and a hedt; during the evening of Wednesday last, but this is not done on ordinary occasions. The Sutton tunnel is distant from Chester fourteen miles; and, supposing the Dmill furnish"d with a proper supply of water, she ought to have travelled to Warrington; but I have been wl,l she s1ippcll very much betwel'n Froll- sham and the place where she got fast: the water was evaporated, and very little progress was made. The slipping of the wheels could not be attributed to a wallt 01' power; it would be occasioned hy the wetness of the rails. The slipping of the wheels might arise from want of sufficient weight in the engine, as com- pared with that of the train, The engine '\0, 17 is quite new, and Evans has been ten years in the employ of the company, lie was a competent person in my judgment. In consequence of the expected traffic on Wednesday, there was an increase of twelve first-class carriages, thirty-eight second and third-class covered carriages, and of twenty-four open carriages. Some additional aariiages were lent to the company at Man- c h ester. In one of t hese tra i ns there was one ilic?l.: chandise waggon containing passengers. To the Foreman As nearly as I can tell, there were 150 carriages elllpbycd between Chester awl Manchester on Wednesday. The ascending gradient in the Sutton tunnel is 1 in Slil, and it commences half a mile from the tunnel, and continues for seven-eighths of it mile in the tunnel. To Mr. Brown: I bdievc that every precaution was taken to ensure the safety of those traiiis. When the examination 01 tIlls witness was concluded, the inquest was adjourned to Tuesday morning, at ten o'clock. It was understood that it was not considered necessary to examine Mr. Bancroft. From inquiries made at Warrington, we learn that the parties from that neighbourhood who sustained injuries are progressing favourably. We regret, how- ever, to have to announce the death of Mr. Wilson, wine and spirit merchant, Newton. Mr. ilson was about i,t?, years of ;?g,, but has left no family, lie died oil Saturday afternoon. Dr, Leith i??, w under 'tand, itill in a precarious state, and as yet they have been nnah\" to remove him from the Leigh Hotel to his own house. or. AD. Mrs. Withnall, widow of the late Major Withnall, II.E.I. service, and sister of Mrs. Ridgway, of Ridg- mount, ll orwich, near Bolton. Mr. Job Davidson, head of the hosiery department, and buyer-ill, at Messrs. Henry Bannernian and Sous', merchants, &e.. Yoik-street. Mr. Davidson was un- married we believe, but has a sister and brother-in-law in Manchester, lie had apartments at thc residence of Mr. Hooker, Waterloo-road, Cheethani; and they went to the races together, and were returning in the same carriage. Henry Anderson, 28, foreman of the paper-hangers and decorators, in the employ ot Messrs. J. It. Lee and Co., John Dalton-street, Manchester. He has left a widow and one child. A man unknown, seemingly npwanh of forty years of age, and, from his dress,apparenttyanoperatne dyer. lIe had not been identified when our reporter left Warington. [We received a communication from Warrington last evening, fi-olik witiel) it appears that there is reason to believe that this man's nanle is Joseph Vesey, and that he lived in Manchester.] James Newell, ij, son of a shoemaker at Higher or Lower Whitley, a village in Cheshire, some two or three miles from the tunnel. I lis father identified the remains at SUllo11, The hodies were hid for a short time by the side of ti?(, lilic tile were, as soiJII as practi- cable, removed to a building 't Sutton, upon the hill above the tunnel, which during its construction, was used as a hospital, and it still retains the name of "the lIospital." The bodies, ,c believe, were to remain there, to await the coroner' s inquest, which, it was expected, would be opened yesterday, but merely for the identification of the bodies, and that the coroner's warrant may issue for their interment. The following is a list of the persons SE\T!,EI.Y JllTtT. Mr. Alfred Lectr, surgeon, Newton; leg broken; lying at his own house. Mr. John Wilson, wine and spirit ll1erehant, e;;ton; thigh broken lying at his own house. (Since dead.) Mr. Hurrv, cng-inl'er for the Jlorthel1! <1il'isioll of the London and North-Western Railway, in Lancashire, compound fracture of the leg at the Legh Arms Hotel Newton. Mr. Joseph C. Nappier, of the firm of J. C. Nappier and Co., manufacturers and printers, 12, George-street, Manchester; serious internal injuries; at the I.esrh Arms Hotel, Newton. Mr. Francis Hooker, aged Id, assistant surveyor in the paving department for the township of :'IIalle]le,(er; compound fracture of the left leg, with considerable laceration of the soft parts, fracture of the left fore-arm, considerable injury of the chest, and, it is thought, fracture of the breast-bone or sternum he is a lso much bruised all over the body. Mr. Hooker is at his own house, Cheetwood Cottage, Chectwood; and passed a trantlllil night on Thursday. lie is, however, in a most critical state, it being impossible, as vet, to attempt amputation. Capt. Lcatham, unattached, brother of ?\Irs. Thomas Birley, of Manchester, at present resieling at :,1;" Birley's, York Place, Oxford Road, where ]to i., with one leg, his collar hone, and two lingers fractured. Mr. Drahble, of Shellicld, was in the second train, and is very much injured (although it is believed not seriously so), principally from having been trampled upon in the tunnel. He was brought to Manchester,' and remained at the Albion lIotel, until Thursday, when he proceeded to Shellicld. Ile is much bruised and swollen anT IH'ady the whoJe surface of the hody, bnt it is not thought that anylhin is broken, and t ;.1( ?-e is only one slight wound oil the head, near the lcoft ear. Besides these, the following were SLIGHTLY III'UT. Mrs. Lennox, of Newton; leg hurt; at her own honse. I I i-s. Hurry (wilc of Mr. Hurry, named among the severely hnrt;) facc cut; at the Legh Anns Hotel, Newton. Mr. Martin, aged .<), a clerk in the employ of the London and Nort h-Western Hnilwny Company at Warrington, who was in the second traia; slightly 3haken at the Patten Arms Hotel, Warrington. Mr. Ilenderson (variously described as a gcntlcman nnd as é1 manufacturer), of York sJighdy injured ùn the shoulder at thee same placp, Mr. Hughes, sharebroker, Manchester: much oil at the same place. Colonel Petit, of the 50lh Regiment much shaken, and cut about the head and face; at his own residence. Lieutenant W. P. Elgee, adjutant of the o it Regi- ment; a contusion on the head, and much shaken at his own residence. Mr. Johnson, landlord of the Albion Hotel, Man- chester; a severe cut on the arm, and a severe CU!1tu¡un oil the forehead. Mr. James Thompson, landlord of the Turf Tavern, Kersal Moor; bruised severely upon one leg; at his own house. TU Y. The inquest was resumed at Preston-brook, nearly the same partips as on the former days being pr)('Ht. Capt. Lafian, C,E" watching the inquiry on behalf of the Government; Mr. Monk, barrister, appearing for the 1"nilway company; Mr. Bennett, solicitor, fan- Chester, for the friends of the deceased; and Mr. Bi own, solicitor, Chester, on behalf of the joint station Robert Lewis Jones, the manager of the general rnilway at Chester, was the first witness examined: Was on (laty personally on \Y cdncday ladt. 1( said — My duty is to see that all the departments are care- fully attended to hy competent persons. 1 have nothing to do with the arrival or despatch of trains beyond a general supervision. There is a station-master for that, an:1 a superintendent under him. (Produced a book of the rules drawn up for the guidance of the officers and men employed at the station.) There is a supplementary rule that each person will be expected to be acquainted with the rules of the various compa- nies working in the Chester station, so far as may affect his particular duties. There is no portion of the general sla,ion at Chester alloitc?d specially to the Cheshire Junction Company, I saw most of the trains leave on Wednesday evening last. Remember parti- cularly the train which left at a quarter-past seven, because there was a private carriage attached to it. There were, I should say, about 400 empty carriages in and about the station. Many passengers were anxious to go by this train, and some of tliein had got upon the roofs of the carriages, a., there was not room inside. They were ordered to get down by me befure the train started. Do not know whether they had return tickets or not. Policemen had been stationed at the various gates art,, four o'clock, to see that all who came had tickets. I cannot say whether there was a guard to this particular train or not at the same time I am sa, tisfied that no train would he despatched without one: I cannot say possibly whether there was a guard 's break or not attached to the train, but I think I saN" more than one. Cannot say whether there was any- tail light. The train left Chester with an engine bé- fore and an assistant engine behind, making it difficult to see whether there was or was not a tail light. At the time of the starting of this train, I think there could not bo less than .5.00?) people on the platform within the station. Have a general impression that no tra i n on that evening W, ??it a l ong t??, line until at l,h! a quarter of an hour had elapsed since the des- patch of the previous une, By Capt. Lallan, C.F.. It i-i entirely opH:mal wilh any ot the companies using tnc statIon whether or not t?y adopt the practice of having tail lights to their t! starting by ligi?t but our dnty is t) sec that whatever regulations are made are carried out. Examination hy the Coroner i-esli!iie,,l optional with each of the individual companies n,ing the station at Chester to run any number of trains they think !it, providing that a certain ride be observed—that is, that no train "kIll start after another, within seven minutes in clear weather, and ten minutes in fOJY weather. The General Station Committee or the offi- cers have no control over the number of trains which each Illay use, except that Mr. Critehley awll recei ved from the Cheshire Junction Company particular in. structions and had a conference as to the parts of the station from which the several trains should depart. The number of olliccrs employed at the station on that day was as great as we could get in order. The ave- rage number of passengers out nnd in front Chester statioll in a day is about 2,000. On this occasion there werc, as nearly as we could ascertain, 1:5,000 persons. 1h the Foreman: I only iii!el- ere oil Wednesday- lat with the trains of the Cheshire Junction ('ompan)' to the ,t,llt stated, by onlerin men down from the tops of the carriages. As long as the station-master wa, doing his duty properly, any interference of mine I (1" 1'si)?-;ik ,t the general station-master, lie has not the power to interfere with the times of departure of the trains, providing that the seven or tell minutes are kept as stated; the several companies fix that themselves. It is the duty of the station- master to see that theie are eiffcient guards an:1 breaks upon all trains; the statiOl\-1ila.ter has the privilege; of stopping all traias leaving without, them, or wilhout a signal-light at night time. A rule is laid down for the guards tt) see that signal-lamps are attached. My impression that the trains did not leave till a quarter of an hour after each other arises from the faet that each train was assisted by an engine, am that less than a quarter of an hour would not suffice for that engine to come up the incline, return, and he attached to the train, nor could the carriages be filled in much less time. e have the power of excluding- the public from the station at Chester if we choose and I do not think it desirable to have so large a -.umber as 5,00:) people upon the platform at one time. One train was detained for some time oil the evening in question, as there were two trams to be despatched before It, 1 !us was not the train tlwlmd the accident. By Mr.Iirown We do not claim a right to exclude i persons from the station who come there oil business, The Station Committee have no control on-or the rail- way companies as to thc lIumber of tickets which each. shall issue. No question but the great bulk of the 5,000 persons hall return tickets. I do not think that any material improvement coulll have been effected in the working of the station that day. By the Foreman I am aware that an accident did occur at the station oil Wednesday. Mr. Monk here c'Hnplainc<1 of the nU;;1erons and apparently irrelevant queries put by ti", foreman. 11,' :honld nol forget, he said, however warm an advocate, that he was sitting there in the capacity of 'judge. Dr. Wilson, the foreman, (who is agent for Sir U. Brook, of -Nol-tt)li ) he and file 'jm'v were anxious to make :¡ch a rcport as wodd showto the public whether or not this line was safe to travel upon. His feeling was, distincth-, that any information withheld from them, as to the management of the com- pany, would have a worse effect than any information which they could giyc. The Coroner said said that he had allowed great latitude on this inquiry, and lie thought it well to do ;0, aS a superfluity of information was better than a deficiency; but he did not see lhat they could purMu th?t point of the IIH¡tllry alJY further. The Foreman Then 1\ are to put no questions to their general management, bnt to inquire simply ;1' to the immediate cause of the accident. The Coroner Certainly you may, hut here in the Chester Station) you are not upon their iine. The Foreman 'r<"lnar1¡tl j, was possible that gr a! to at Chester. The nwicr then drOI";Ccl. By Mr.' Monk: were- going by other lines as well as the Cheshire J une!ion. The directions given by the various companies as to marshalling the train.- a.id other matters are given out by me. :[:I':J:i ;l(J}."y., 1 >: t ::{ o; ¡It,ii, (.i'- M- was then examine J )ifs!d that h? )!;?t h..?i !n( experience of two former race meetings since he held his present situation, besides having served even ar* in various capacities on the London and orth-w(.;t( 1':1 line, 11.. cOllJinnc,1 in the main particulars he evidence of Ir. JOllCS. The regulations, ho said, for the depar- ture and arrivals (If the various Che-hire Junction trains <lurillg; the races were communicated tu him some time previous Iy. The tirst train along thaI line afler the races, left Chesicr at half-past fife o'c)Ot.J, in the evening. There was a goard with it, named Har- rison, also a guard's break next to the engine. The second train Ivft at si: o'clock. Thirteen carriages and a van composed the first train two of the carriages were first 0(i (? nor y how many of tllc- were second or t;l; i(I ass. :t I ';]]:J :i 1 ;}, ;(; í\): ¡ minutes, or thereabouts, Itefv.v o the departure of 'hu first and of the second tnin. t'hcs?con'i train was composed of thirteen or 1mu'teen carriages, two or three being first class. There was a ''I'r,i on that train dant know his name, but know that he we- <m experienced man, from lite Great Weste II line. There was a guard's break also attached fothai train, to, about the second carriage (OBI the engine. There, would he about :)00 passengers. Tht, third train left Chester between half-past six and twenty-five minutes to-seven. Don't know the name of the i-n ne. Eighteen carriages made up this train, two being lirrt- c las s, ten stand-up, and six covered carriages, including the brea k T h ere was a guar d attached his name wars Blackburn. He hud been a guard on the Cheshire .JuJlctiol1 since witness hac1 been at Ch. ;In; he had mi h'M'ii in ;1 o'linvi! < £ u n ? i< niftrmuw! < .< i f1..) ) TO 0 '1'' t" UI' VU iine. There wa 1)0 guard's break "an ait.ll.1Ictl to tjli train, but thcre was merely a break carriage, ubont the last but one. saw the guar d in leav ng C h ester, trav t i ling upon the break carriage. The fourth t.ain left at from seven to five minutes pa-,t, an d was compose d of from twe l ve to i'me tec n arr i iiges. one oi 'i h eni being a lorry with a pr i vate carr age upon it. in t!i» rear f t h e train. There were n" tail lamps at ,ached to any of the trains named, except this one they were not n :1Itir'tI, as it was quite dayiight. II has not been u-ual to at. tach t,d! lamps on the Chesf er Jim: !ion line at such hours, Bot even for the tunnel. There is no fixed h"nr for atlaching these tail lamps; it depends HPon the dar k There was a guar d name d Doyle, ati- c h c l to 1: l::l}'¡'i :i i¡:i Il i lit: li,r .I. I. :i;: {li t h ree f i r;.t.-c i ass carr i ages in ti),.i n, t merc h an d ise truck, a private carriage on a lorry, and eight or nine covere d carr i ages. Am quite sure t h ere was a tail lamp, for it was put on by my own orders. Two en ¡;: ,il i¡;a ;¡\ )I ;H; \¡'¡: ,0J\Y,\il \'¡;: c: ¡';i; and the engine which we nt out in the rear of the third train returned to tak out the fourth. Th.) fourth was not at ,\n atr?iiii, though heavier than ordinary. The lif'th train left Chester fiom twenty-live minutes ji.et seven to twenty m i nutes to eight, and was com- \i¡;i:¡!]{::0:t:ri!i2;;i'Ii?:f¡\\ were sent with it, one name d Staeey, and the other an exit a guar d There was a t,i, t l .e tra n, an d t h ere were two brea k car. .? g one next to the rear, the other next to the engine, and ¡:! guards when they left Chester were on the top of the break carriages, one on each. The sixth train lef Chester about a quarter pas, eight, with twelve or thirteen carriages. "It had a gnard.' afit,wI'Ile whose name, I believe, is Francis, md was also filr- nished with a break carriage, 1 :;tal vd all these train, and I am certain tIvt there was at least t-.ventv inf- inites' interval betwecn t!;(.ir departure. There was a great influx of people into Chester station about six oclock. I should say that the number wo-ld exceed 5,000, and the greatest portion of these, or l'rulnbly a fo it iii. were for travelling over the Cheshire Junction liiio the Cho-ter and Birkenhe.ul. Before I sent the ti-itiii the 1, %o locomotive superintendents, Messrs. Alleson and Thomson, as to whether they could take a certain number of carriages, mentioning the number, and ?e- cording to tlicii-I either attached or detached, and ii? no instance did I attach more th;m they sai:l they could take. I am quite ,un' in reference io the third train that that inquiry was made; after it was made HP, I know that no dltiuJ):d carriages were either attached or detached. The eighteen carriages were all full, and there would be upwards of 100 pas- sengers. I don't think there v,ere double that num- ber. There would. I passengers. No other company lliade Use of the t lie- "hirc Junction on that day. 1 believe there were live trains CF1C intI) Chester along that line 011 the Wed- nesday. There were eight return trains to Manches- ter, five of them being in the evening. By the Foreman 1 did not attach any Hunt t,) c". third train, because I knew it might arrive ii; its desti- nation long- before dark: it 1I'{).¡j. art'i,e at its destina- tion by eight o 'clock. I was not aware there was I tunnei of a mile and a q tarter in length, at 1 rodsham. I knew there "? a tmijiel, bu; did not know it, length till the night of the incident. Even if j? 1",ci dered this tunnel, I should not have ati; ched Ii;> t" t1c hree first trains. By Captain Lafian If thc C1w.hirl' Junct on film, !J;111\' choose to run tlin tigh their tuumi w h oir lights, in the daytime. I would not have p.iv.\ r. bv aY rule, to attach them my', If. By the Foreman Upwards of ;,000 nc.p J e I-ft Chester on the Wednesday evening, along the line frum Chest or to \ralton. By a Juryman: I ;,1111 right, within one, ;1; tn the iiiiiilljei- cf tli,, sixth tram, By Mr. Brown: T1h assistant locomotive superin- teJHÎents were thl' propl'rly (ll1:¡]j¡j('¡ parties to answer any questions as to the capacity of the engines. Messrs. Al l eson an d T h omson are in t.re len p l- y of the C he- shire Junction Company. By the Coroner: T here was a merchandise w'(\: left with the fourth train; it w as returning emp.v o to :\lai1chcster. It had arrived Ii) the tH{.in dth 1),t? from Frodsham, being put en for their temporary accommodation. The t waggon being e.t the rear of the (rain, i: was my intention to have bken it off, as I considered it an inconvenient car- ria\' for passengers to get in an d out. 1 ordered one of the men to take it i d but he told me it was a fast-shack le," and they could leu take it 011 1 11) placed a po"el' in the cairiage, to prevent anv l'r- tI(' getting 1n, but tl?e to wh'n DC 1,.ir. and 1 thou ;ht there would be danger in letting t hem remain. By the Foreman: Wo attached no luggage van in the rear of the trains which left Chester lhat day it is certa i nly cons dere d sa fer to do but the custom of companies varies; some p l ace a van be f ore. By Nil". Monk A luggage vail he hind would be ]I,) secur i ty to a train s I-titll) i ng into anot h er. 1 .d on 't know of any o'her company which has tunnels v.) on its l nes, except the Cheshire Junct on, which does not attach tail lights in the day-time: i have It -en m the London and North Western, but always a ter- minus station. The merchandise vall wis a ;uh:;ln- :ill(l very secure. t iai\: :\11'p:).1 all':11:'(: (11\ we coul d n-- t control the rush of pcople aro(' from the crowd waiting to (). George Gregory, lanipman ,a;:llY; genera l station at C h ester, was then ca l le d He sa i d: My duties are to atta(h ;:IHl det;hh the ign111:11Jl'S to and from trains coming- iil. I wtis oil duty on V. ednesd-y la-t. tached a signal light to l train which left Chester a few m nutes after seven, it was attached behind a truck which had a -private carriage upon it, It was a red light. That wa.s the itro tiain along the Cheshire j III line to which I had .attached a tail 1'ght that e\"CIj}}; train was despatc h e d with, a tail light affixed. There art- two descriptions of tail lights -the one flat, the ot h er (,01}\"L-btlt. ootli coloured red. Remained t'i duty fur the pnrposc of attaching lamps, all Michael Alle-on, engineer, assistant locomotive superintendent at Manchester, in the em, toy uf llie Cheshire .Junctiul1 Railway, aid he wa, employed (111 special dutyoii Wednesday lasi. to -.ol that tiic engines which left )1;nch¡;5tcï were ill perfect good y\orkin;4 order, and to observe that all trains sent off had proper guards, and aLü t1l.:l1 carriages were ill working order and well greased. Did see to that, and received the document produced {marked A }, as to the departure of tlie trains from Manchester. Despatched one eng ne with twenty-s x. another with twenty-two car- r ages. Went a f terwar d s to C h ester, his duty being paniallv to see thai the eng nes were in proper trim for going hack. 1 here wore six engines working along the 'Cheshire Junction line on the Wednesday, alld it pilot engine. After the m coiid train was placed tt lhl station d Chester, Mr. Critehley spoke to me, and asked how many carriages the engine wonlil he qualified to I asked how many he had on then, and to the b est of my recollection, he sai l four,t en, and I said he might put on three or fo.tr liioie, if h thou1n fit. Tile engine attached to th; was o. Is. tinll was quite new; had been in use only a fortnight before (the race week. L(;V/lliiUw,1 ollfvurllt payt. j