RAILWAY DISASTER. Nineteen People Killed and Forty Injured. London, July 17.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 65, 30 August 1884, Page 6

RAILWAY DISASTER. Nineteen People Killed and Forty Injured. London, July 17.

Yesterday will be memorable in railway annals for one ot the most appalling accidents recorded for years past. When 1 tell you that in a moment nineteen pei.sons lo.st their lives and ?>0 or 40 more were seriously injured, you will see that it is no ordinal y calamity that has htartled v.-. on the ovo of the departure of the mail. The passengers, whoso journey. so abruptly ended in death and ruin, left Manchester at half-past twelve. They were bound some for London and others for towns in the North, and the train which bore them x-an on the Manchester, Sheflield, and Lincolnshire line. They had gone on prosperously through the long Woodhead Tunnel, and were moving swiftly down the beautiful valley of the Don, where Nature at this season presents her most agreeable aspect. The train was nearing Ponistonc, which if an important junction, and had reached the Bullhouse Colliery. Suddenly a clergyman, whose narrative we print elsewhere, noticed a slight oscillation, not rougher, however, than that usually experienced when passing through the points. Ho had scarcely felt the sensation, when the coach in which he sat fell on its side and rolled over several times until it reached ground. How any persons within it escaped death is miraculous; but the reverend gentleman states that they wevo saved. Being undermost, he handed up a railway key, which, like a provident man, he had in his pocket, and the wounded let themselves out. Though hurt and bleeding, with great presence of mind he ran up to the nearest

hignal-post and blocked tho lino— a most creditable act of coolness and good sense ( In the monnwhilo the road below tho embankment and tho permanent way wero strewn with broken carnages, and with tho dead, dying, and wounded crushed and en- J tanglee* in tho debris. It is not possible even to imagine tho scene. Nono can re- j alise what a fiolcl of battle i« like oxcopt those who have seen its horrid surfaco, and io One who has not been couajht in a railway accident can conceive its similar yet ever-varying fcatvuos. A tragedy like that at tho Tay Bridge is over in an instant, and leaves no wreck of agony behind. There the waters swallowed up locomotive, carriages, passengers, and thoy were seen no more, tho aw ful gap in tho sU'ueturo above alone telling tho heartrending tale. But at Abergelo there was fire inilicting its tormonts ; at the ('lay ton Tunnel, misery and anguish in darkness ; and at Shipton the pangs of sudden ruin wore vi&iblo and audible om a cold Docem bor day. So it was at Bullhousc. In the afternoon of summer tho wreck, and vhat was beneath or within it, si ruck diroctly on the eye and emote Ihe oar with moans and shrieks ot sult'ering humanity. Ono by one, a.s s\\ iftly as might he, tho corpbes were drawn, forth, and tho wounded vclie\cd fiom imther peiil. The engine driver and stoker and the Uev. Mr "Williams, though wounded, and one medical gentleman' who was near the spot, assisted by othcus, behaved manfully in tho work of rescue. Fortunately aid soon came, though to tho helplessly injured the minutes seemed long which passed by before tho succour anived. So far, however, thcie does not appear to havo been wanting the best a^is-tanee which could be altorded. Many su floret's were transported by tiain to SholHeld and Manchc«r(er, where they leceivecl prompt attention in excellent hospital*, and iniirmaties, while the dead weie carefully collected and left near the *-pot, awaiting that sad yet necessary inquiiy which will search into the remote as well as the immediate causes or this sanguinary citasti ophe. Amongst the other passengers- wa<* the Rev. Venablox William-, oi Colwyn Bay, Notth Wales, who gi\es tho following details of the accident : I was travelling from Whitchurrh to Gainsborough via Manehe-aei. We lcit Manchester at 12 30, and piocecded at a rapid rate till we reached the scene of the di>astcr. In the carnage with myself ucte seven other passenger, most of whom weie (Joimans They weic tinselling to theii native eount)y\ia (liiinsby, which plan they ought to haVo left tins afternoon. Wv notn eiTa slight oscillation ot the caniagi a .similar *-cn*-ation to th.it of tiding o\et | lailv. ay points -anil then in an almo-t im [perceptible *>paco ot time we were throw t: together in a heap. The carnage fell to out «uTe-- actually turning over several time* as it rolled down the embankment, whicl: at this spot is about as high as four car tiage*-. When the caniage came to rest J was at thu bottom. A (ieitnan lady spokt of this at once, ; ml a*>kod her companions to liberate me, as I was in a veiy dangerou* I position, with my head bent back, and walosing blood. (The lcscicnd gentleman* face was bruised and cut severely, and one eye was .swollen.) A passenger got out ol tho upper window, and 1 fortunately had a railway key in my pocket, which I handed to those abo^e me. With this the door w a*- opened, and we got out, [at once went back to the nearest signal bo\ and blocked the line. I then returned. The .screams, cries, and shouts were tctriblc, and in some cases the pu*.*-cngei*> were literally smashed. fdo not like to speak of the awful occurrence. I saw sonu laboureis on an adjoining road, and sent them at once ior carts and sttaw to iemo\t tho dead and d^ ing. One medical man wa. 1 soon thete, and lie and J attended tonoail} all the pa-.-engorh, but 1 believe many dioci befote help could be rendered. It sccmeci a long time before aid arrived from I'enistone. i pulled a great many su floret I.*,1 .*, out of the caniage*;, and I fear at lea*.t thirty H\e*i will be lost. Mr Chatles Wilson, of Park Place, Arclwick, Manchester, who was one of tho pas> sengem in the ill- fated train, has furnished a succinct account of the disaster. Ho had a nariow escape from death, and is now lying at home with a badly-broken thigh, He states that he was travelling to Barnsley. and would have left tho express at Pettistone. The accident, however, occuriecl s feu minutes bcfoie leaching the place. He thus describes tho cata*-ttophe : We started punctually fiom Manchc-tei at 12 30, and tiavellcd very well up to the time we hail passed Ha/lehead Station and were close to the Bullhou.se Colliery, between Thurlston and Lang*«eU, when suddenly the brakes weie applied at full powu. land another gentleman whowa* in the carnage with mo weie thrown fron: our scats. The carriage seemed to take a leap, and immediately theie was a terrible crash, bora moment J \wh .stunned, but ] must have iccovered almost instantaneously, for w hen I camo to my-clt we were falling over a biidge upon a road w Inch goes undo the railway at that point. The depth fron: the budge to the road is 10ft. to IS't,, and when our carnage reached tho bottom ii was smashed to pieces, and none of the lcmains would have coveted the body of ;i man. I was jam bed with my legs between the seat ot the caniage and some cushions which were pressed upon my legs by some woodwork, my right thigh was broken, and I could not move, although I found that the carriage which iollowcd the one in which I was tiding was hanging over tho bridge, anc threatened to fall upon me. I got m> poeket-kniic and cut the cushions, and re liovedihe pressure a little, but could not get out, and in tho meantime some of the unfortunate people who wore in the over hanging cariiago were thrown out, and fel upon iTie road near me. Amongst their were three ladies, -who su tiered terrible agony ; while 1, fastened between th< woodwork, could render no assistance. Tw( of them died before my eyes in fcarfu agony, and I am told that tho other lady who was tichly dressed, and appeared to b< in vciy good ciicnmstances of life, dice before'she was put into a train. The siglv was one of the most sickening and heart rending it is possible to conceive. W< lay thero for some time before anyon< camo to our assistance, as, indeed, hoy could they in that out-of-the-way place and then some of the officials very kindh. and tenderly helped mo out of my crampec position and laid me on the road, whore '. lay for quite an hour. From hero I coulc see that the ongine and teneler had kept th< metals, but that all the other carriages hae loft the rails. The first and second carriagei were lying smashed on tho road below thi bridge, tho third hung over the parapet and tho others were scattered anc smashed along the hide of the embank ment. The poor peoplo woro mixec up in tho debris in a most horribli manner, and some of thorn seemed t< he mangled out of all human shape. Tin cries of the wounded were fearful, and i' was ueeossai'ily «ome timo beforo anj medical aid could arrive. When th< doctors did come we received every poasibl< attention, but it seemed a fearful time t( wait. No one seemed to be able to accoun for the accident, or to assign ony cause. Ii occurred on the best bit of lino betweer Manchester and Sheffield. There aremanj sparp curves, but at Bullhouse the lino u

Quito straight. Thero is a biding there, but it in on the down lino, and in no way interferes wiih tho lino on which we were travelling. 1 had a miraculous escape. Several miraculous escapes are reported. One lady was flitting in a third-class carriage with a child on each side of her The mother was very badly injured, and the children escaped with only a few bruwos. i They are all now at the infirmary, and it is' doubtful whether the mother will recover.