DISASTERS IN BRITAIN.

Grey River Argus, Issue 101, 4 September 1866, Page 3

DISASTERS IN BRITAIN.

(From the London Letter of the Argm.) ' . "A catastrophe quite "unprecedented in railway history occurred a fortnight ago; on the Great Northern Railway.^ "Three heavily-laden trains of merchandise dashed into each other in the middle "of the WehvjnTimnel, about^ twenty-two miles; from King's Cross, and became ignited by lire from the furnaces of their overthrown arid shattered engines. Shortly before eleven on Saturday night, the 9th inst, a train of "goods empties started from King's .Cross for Hitchin. 'On reaching the centreof tlxe tin 101, owing to the biirsbing of the supply -pipe, the engine broke down," and "the train was brought to a stand. Raj', guard, who was in tlie break at tlie rear, from some unexplained cause, neglected to' go back and «ive the stopping signal.. He and 3iis companion Avere afterwiU-ds found in the break -van dead. This accident Lad -scarcely happened, Av nen » about halt-past twelve on Sunday morning, the down /Midland, goods train, the driver-of whicli had received no warning, ran into the tunnel, and dashed into. the rear of the already broken-down train of empties. The shock' threw over the Midland train and carriages, whicli toontainecl several casks of oil and other combustible materials, 01 to" 'the \ip-line in hoapsj reaching, to "the crov/n of the arch, and completely blocking the tunnel. No signal- 1 of this new disaster was given to the signalman at the northern end towards Stevenage, and in~ a'short time onward came the* up' Scotch meat' train^ bringing up. the dead ' meat from the north for the supply of the Monday's -market, and other goods. This train entered.' the tunnel, and rushed into the debris of the already, cap.sizea' Midland goods carriages. The engine of the Great Northern train also turned over, and the goods and waggons of the Midland train became ignited from the coal and cinders of the engine furnaces scattered 'about: Singularly. enough, tlie firemen and drivers of all three engines escaped with only slight injuries, and as speedily as possible signalled the disaster in both directionsAbout two o'clock, a gang of about twohundred men reached tho scone, of the disaster. Bytlns time thirty-six carriages and trucks were in a blazo, the roar of the flames being-awful, andrepeated explosions for some time rendered perilous any attempt, even if the scorching heat and smoke had not prevented, to enter the tunriel. It was deemed advisable to let the conflagration expend itself. It was not until six o'clock on Sunday morning that any human being could enter the tunnel, and the whole day was spent in removing the wreck. Several days elapsed before the passenger traffic could be resumed. As usual in such cases nobody .was to blame. ■ Dublin has been in a furious state of indignation at a dreadful accident, involving the sacrifice of six lives,, and which is laid to the charge of the Corporation. A conflagration broke out in Westmoreland street, Dublin, on the evening of the 7th, and thousands of spectators were doomed to stand and gaze on the awful scene, and sac six Iranian beings burned alive. The house destroyed was a large one ; tlie ground floor was divided into two shops, oiie occupied by a hatter and the other by Mr Delany , a merchant tailor. The upper ' portion of the premises was occupied by | that 'gentleman and his family a> a residence. The only persons. *in +he house when the fire broke outNvere Mrs Delany and her three daughters, a servant-maid, .and a fine young man named Strahan, .who. was engaged to, one of the daughters. | The father and a son had gone out to take a walk. A gentleman passing about nine o'clock found the hatter's shop a .perfect furnace of fire, the. plate-glass being shattered by tlie. heat. The current of air •thus admitted gave force- to. the fiames, which rushed out with fury, seizing upon the window Of Mr Delany 's shop, mounting upwards to the drawing-room, penetrating to all parts of the. building, and with appalling rapidity bursting through floor after floor. At the top windows were seen five terror-stricken people — a mother, her three daughters, and a young man. Tlie latter seemed calm and collected, soothing his companions, and pointing to the approaching fire-escape. But oh ! who cvi describe the shriek of despair wliich came from that'window when the frail and worthless y play-toy bent like a willow on. attempting to mount it, collapsed, and fell to the, ground! Tlie fire burst out with new'fury, shot up the side of the house, and seemed, to strike, the 'victims iri the very face. They reeled backward, uttered a stifled shriek-, and disappeared. The feeling against the fire brigades was so strong that they jveve hooted while re-, moving their worthless machines. The Dublin papers have veheriiently denounced the Corporation for. allowing their officers to let their escapes get thus out of order, and rendering it possible for such a calamity to occur because of their utter inefficiency. They ;. not only failed to save those six lives, but hindered those .who positively asserjt that they could and would have, ■rescued them. Had not the victims lost time waiting for the fire-escapes, there is little doubt, but they would have escaped by/ the neighbouring; roofs. An inquest was held on the recovered, remains, when very strong censures were passed on the authorities: At the funeral the whole city was moved. Upwards, of 300 carriages and vehicles followed/ the hearso ; trades bodies- walked in front of the. procession ; seventy priests were in attendance at the church, and vast multitudes crowded the cemetery. It will be long ere the melancholy event is forgotten. We have, another, murder mystery to: haunt the public imagination. The per-petrator-of the Cannon street crime is still abroad and apparently unsuspected. After a two days' trial of William Smith, alias Denton, the accused was acquitted as innocent of the crime, although the mass of j evidence seemed fatally strong against him. ;But he escaped by proving an alibi, a large number of witnesses from Windsor and Slough having come forward to account for the prisoner's time, during the whole of the evening on wliich the. murder was committed. Thus the mystery overhang-' ing the antecedents of Messrs Bevington's housekeeper are deepened: Every clue seems to -be lost. <.