MIDLAND RAILWAY DISASTER.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1857, 17 September 1913, Page 7

MIDLAND RAILWAY DISASTER.

1 BOARD OF TRADE INQUIRY. By Telegraph—Press Association-Cdpyrielit London, September 15. The Board of Trade Inquiry into tho railway disaster on tlio Midland Kailway, at Aisgill, Yorkshire, has been resumed. Several passengers related how they had to gropo in tho dark, seeking for tools. They dcclarcd that tho rescue work would have been much lv.oro eifectivo if there had been more appliances and better supervision. Urander, ono of tho engineers, said he saw only ono, extinguisher, which somebody was squirting at Sir Arthur Douglas's head. .Major Pringlo, of the Board of Trade, agreed that tho company had been carrying out tho spirit of the recommendations made uy tho Board %f Tradq.

(Rec. September 10, 10.35 p.m.) London, September 16. Sir. Granet admitted that a portion of the coal used ou tho night of the accident was too small, and had not been properly screened, but the price paid for it was higher than for South Yorkshire coal, which was regarded as the best. Granet added that tho Midland Cimpany had, ainco the Hawes disaster, been steadily installing throughout its system an apparatus for correcting acts or forgctfulucss on the part of its servants. Mr. Granet stated that mechanical dovicos had been installed at 763 places, to prevent signalmen lowering signals while another train was on his section. The directors Jiad set .aside a sum of £100.000 as a first instalment towards installing tho device at two thousand selected isignal-boxes, whero tho possibility of human error is most likely. Tho floors of tho new carriages were being laid in asbestos, while improvements wero being added to reduce tho risk of telescoping; collision-buffers and emergency-windows would also be introduced. Tho consensus of opinion of railwaymen, he added, favours gas illuminants in tho carriages. The directors had decided against electricity. During the last thirty-two years only eight accidents occurred in which tho gas illurainant caused a firo.

THE STRABANE INCIDENT. SERIOUS CHARGES AGAINST ENGINE CREW. London, September 10. In connection with tho recent derailment of an excursion train at Strabano, County Tyrone', Ireland, resulting in tho death of one passenger and injury to thirty others, Neil Fullerton. driver of the train, and William Doherty, tho fireman, are being charged with running tho train at excessive speed. Three witnesses testified that Doherty was drunk at tho time' of the accident. One said that Fullerton also appeared to bo drunk. Ho estimated the speed of tho train when entering tho station at forty miles an hour. ' "CRIMINALLY RESPONSIBLE." FINDINGS IN THE HARTFORDNEWHAVEN COLLISION. (Rcc. September 16, 10.10 p.m.) Now York, September 16. v. As the result of tho inquiry into tho collision between tho White Mountain and liar Harbour expresses on tho Hart-ford-Newliaven railroad, tho Coroner found that tho engineer of tho Whito Mountain express, and tho conductor and tho flagman of tho Bar Harbour train wero criminally responsible for the neglect of the signals which caused tho disaster on Sept-ember 2. Tho Coroner also found that tho employees had ignored the company's rules in wholesale fashion.