TERRIBLE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4350, 27 February 1875, Page 2

TERRIBLE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

(From the London Times, December 25.) A dreadful railway accident, in which thirtyone persons were killed and upwards of seventy wounded, occurred yesterday morning on the Great Western railway line, a few hundred yards from the village of Hampton Gay, and close to Shipton-on-Cherwell, near Oxford. The train, like most of those despatched at this season, contained a large number of passengers, most of whom were visiting friends for the Christmas. They were being conveyed in thirteen carriages, with two engines, from the Great Western station at Oxford at 11.40 to Birmingham and the north. The train, which was half-an-hour late, proceeded safely for about six miles, when the tire of a wheel of a third-class carriage broke, and immediately left the metals, and for at least 300 yards plunged along over the sleepers, many of which were cut in two, and rushed over a wooden bridge across the Biver Cherwell. Between this bridge and a similar bridge over the Oxford and Birmingham Canal tlie carriage was thrown down the embankment, as was evident from a deep soar cut in the ground, and dragged after it several others. It was here -that the accident occurred. The tram was travelling at the rate of forty miles an hour, and the impetus given to the carriages as they left the rails, carried them with terrible force for a long distance until they were finally dashed to pieces in the meadows below. Three carriages and a luggage van were deposited beyond the canal. One carriage carried away one of the stone abutments of the bridge and fell in splinters into the water. The fragments of two carriages, turned wheels upwards, were literally strewn about the embankment, and one carriage was hurled right across the up line on to the bank. The front part of the train continued its course for some distance. There can be no doubt whatever that in the case of the majority of the victims death was instantaneous. , The overturned carnages, the heartrending shrieks of the injured, the dead bodies seen in all directions, and the scattered luggage combined to render the spectacle horrible in the extreme. The more slightly injured at once set to work with praiseworthy alacrity to help their distressed fellowtraveller’s. Large fires were lighted along the embankment from the broken carriages, and thither the wounded went in dismal groups, while others sat disconsolately in the snow, apparently overcome with the magnitude of the disaster and their own providential escape .from a fearful death. The sad occurrence was witnessed from the Hampton Gay papermill by the workmen, who apprised their master, Mr. B. Langton Pearson of it,, and. the mill was immediately stopped and they proceeded to the spot, about a quarter of a mile from the mill. Mr. Pearson and his men at once proceeded to rescue the sufferers, some of whom they conveyed as fast as possible to the manor-house at Hampton Gay. Owing to the distance, however, from this place, great difficulty was experienced by Mr. Pear-son', in removing" them, while; hardly any assistance was sent to him from the neighboring stations, two of which were within sight of the accident. Mr. Pearson 1 gives the time that elapsed before any of the officials arrived as upwards of an hour, but it is charitable to suppose that he is in error. " Probably' the delay arose through its being the workmen's dinner hour. At the earliest opportunity telegrams were despatched to Oxford and other places for medical assistance ; but here, again, there was ■ considerable . delay, and l it was about an hour 'and a . half before a doctor appeared, Mr. Mallam, surgeon, of Oxford, being the first on the spot. He was followed by Mr. Parry, of Kidlington, Mr. F. Symonds and Mr. F. Hatchings, of Oxford, who were most unremitting in their attention upon the unfortunate sufferers, whom; they caused to be conveyed in a special train as quickly as possible to ;the Badcliffe Infirmary .at -Oxford, The scene at the Oxford station was most exciting, as it had: by this time become known throughout the city that a dreadful accident had happened, and hundreds of persons presented themselves in the fear that relatives and friends had been victims. On the arrival of the train it was discovered that four of the wounded had succumbed, three men and a child, Most of the wounded and dying were. .con-, veyed 1 without ‘ loss of time ‘to that excellent institution the Badcliffe Infirmary, while 'others were .sent to New College, Jones’s 1 Railway Hotel, the ’ Randolph Hotel, the King’s Arms Hotel, &c., where they received the best medical: assistance. At the infirmary fifty patients were counted, of whom most are known. - Some wonderful escapes were mentioned in Oxford last evening, and among them is that of a gentleman sitting with his nephew between his knees, who was unhurt, while the young man was killed. JKa compartment containing eleven persons, five of .whom were relatives, ' the’. latter ■ are said to.. have, escaped totally, while of the remaining six none survived. Two ladies were thrown on to the up line out of a carriage, which was immediately shattered to pieces. The work of extricating the dead and wounded from the rubbish was a most difficult and painful one. Not only were they got out one by one, but by threes and fours, and underneath the fragments of one carriage no less than thirteen dead bodies were found. One man was jammed into the ground across the loins by the buffer of a third-class carriage, and it’Was three hours before the fragments could be raised sufficiently to extricate him. As they were removed from the wreck, they were, placed on the side of the line, and were then conveyed on hurdles and other extemporised biers to a shed adjoining the paper-mill. Here in an hour or two lay a row of dead bodiessome mutilated'beyond description, from the old man to the child of tender years. The dead were carried across a ditch, over which the side of a carriage served as a bridge, and in the shed above alluded to the shocking task was performed of searching the bodies with a view to identification. Here Captain Owen, the chief constable of the county, General Devereux, from Oxford, and Mr. Majoribanks, a resident in the neighborhood, rendered invaluable aid, and it was about a couple of hours before the painful duty was accomplished. Lord Randolph Churchill and several ladies from Blenheim Palace, with a Christian feelin" which entitles them to the heartiest gratitude administered nourishment and stimulants to those who stood in need of them. While the ghastly work of identification was proceeding the police, under the direction of Inspector Bowen, had great difficulty in keeping the crowd out of the place, and the thanks of ‘the press are deservedly due to Captain Owen and his subordinates for their readiness in supply, ing information, and for their courtesy. The canal bridge, curious to say, although carriages have been hurled right and left of it, is still standing, but its timbers have sustained a fearful shaking. While the work of getting out the dead was in progress, a well-dressed man attempted to steal the watch of a gentleman, who is one of a respectable firm of solicitors at Woodstock, and, being detected in the act, he was roughly treated by the crowd. He was safely handed over to the custody of the police and locked up. As darkness fell rtpon the scene the exertions on the part of the workmen were suspended for the night. The repairing of the fine was, however, actively proceeded with.