APPALLING RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Hawke's Bay Times, Issue 1634, 4 December 1874, Page 450

APPALLING RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

One of the most appalling accidents which ever occurred has taken place on the Great Eastern Railway between Norwich and Brundall. A train carrying mails leaves Great Yarmouth every evening at 840, and is joined at Reed ham by another train from Lowestoft. This junction was effected on this occasion in the ordinary course, and the combined train proceeded to Brundall, three stations further on. Here it had to wait (in consequence of the line becoming single) until the arrival of the evening express from Norwich lo Great Yarmouth, or until the engine driver was signalled to proceed. Through some fatality which is at present inexplicable, the night inspector at Norwich Station allowed the down express to leave Norwich while the combined mail train from Great Yarmouth was suffered to come on from Brundall. The doomed trains met at Thorpe, about two miles from Norwich, and the shock was appalling. The rails were slippery from rain, there was a slight curve on the line at the fatal spot, so that the lights of either train could not be seen ; there was no time to apply the brakes, and the two engines rushed at each other at a combined speed of at least fifty miles per hour. The engine drawing the combined mail train, No. 54, was one of the most approved modern construction, and of great power. The engine drawing the train from Norwich was a lighter one, but had also acquired with its train a considerable momentum. In the crash consequent on the collision the funnel of No. 54 was carried away, and the engine from Norwich rushed on the top of its assailant, some of the carriages of either train following, until a ghastly pyramid was formed of hissing locomotives, shattered carriages, and moaning and, in some cases, dying passengers. So instantaneous was the shock that the driver if engine No. 54 does not appear to have had time to turn off his regulator, so that the steam remained for some time in operation. The engine No. 54 was, however, forced off the rails, and was unable to make any further advance in the general ruin. The driver and his fireman, named respectively John Prior and James Light, must have been killed instantaneously, and a similar fate befell Thomas Clark and Frederick Sewell, the driver and fireman of the train from Norwich. The crash was heard throughout the village of Thorpe, and many of the inhabitants hastened to the scene and rendered such assistance as they were able to afford to the suffering passengers. The lips of some of these were closed in death's long silence, but numbers of others uttered the most distressing shrieks and cries. With as little luss of time as possible a relief train was dispatched from Norwich (Thorpe) to the sc.no of the disaster, and a number of medical men were also sent down from Norwich. Dr. Eade was in the Lowestoft portion of the combined mail train. He was cut about the face and greatly shaken, but he at once set to work and did what he could to alleviate the general misery. Mr Francis, surgeon, who was also a passenger by the combined mail train, could not render any help, as ho himself sustained a fracture of the right thigh, while lie had also four ribs broken. The force of men collected by the company at once began to clear away the debris, and iu some cases to cut out from the carriages the suffering passengers, the wouuded being carried to Norwich, and in most cases removed to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital. Light was obtained, as is usual in such cases—for even railway collisions have their orthodox features—with the help of large bonfires fed by the shattered carriages. A-boat-house hard by and a room at the <; Three Tuns " tavern at Thorpe were used as dead-houses, and were soon occupied by fifteen victims, while one or more deaths occurred subsequently. When daylight broke, the rail' way men, who worked with a will, had succeeded in clearing away the wreck of the carriages, which had been piled upon one another, and then the lino was once more ready for the circulation of trains, and the permanent way had sustained very little injury. Meanwhile the medical gentlemen and their assistants had been equally busy in affording relief to the wounded. The official explanation of the cause of the accident is that the night inspector at Norwich sent wrong instructions to the station of Bnindall-—between which and Norwich the collision happened—directing that the up mail train should be despatched on its journey from that station. This up mail train should have been detained iu the sidings at Brundall until the down express had passed that station, or else the down express ought to have been kept at Norwich until the up mail had passed it. How such a palpable and grievous mistake should have been made by the official at Norwich it is difficult to couceive. With single lines it is specially necessary to be careful. The arrangements whereby the different traius p.\BB each other are generally of the most complete character, aud if followed out ought to make it impossible for such accidents as one train running into another to happen. Norwich being in telegraphic connexion with Brundall, the line between the stations can be blocked to either the up traius or the down liains as may be required, aud how the inspector at Norwich, being aware that the down train was either going or gone upon it, could have sent instructions to the people at Brundall to send on the up train is a seemingly unaccountable thing that needs explanation. The total number of deaths are now stated at 21, while over 50 persons are suffering from wounds, broken limbs, fractures, and contusions. A verdict of manslaughter has been returned against Alfred Cooper, the inspector, and John liobson, the telegraph clerk. Two more deaths have occurred since the inquest was held.