GREAT RAILWAY DISASTER.

Thames Star, Volume VI, Issue 1859, 17 December 1874, Page 2

GREAT RAILWAY DISASTER.

The monotony of the month has b:»e*n broken by a terrible railway collision l at Thorpe, near Norwich. We have had no such fatal disaster since the Abergale catastrophe, some years ago, although accidents hare multiplied since that time in alarming numbers." There is a considerable traffic, especially at (hip teason of the year, between the capital of the eastern counties and the coast so celebrated^ for" its'-'-Herring- fisheries. A inaH train" leaves Great \armouth every evening at 8.40, and is joined some little distance out i by another train from Lowestoft, a seaside: town munh frequented in the summer time. Tkis junction effected, it is the rule for the combined train to proceed to Brundall, three stations further on, and, there being from that point but a single line of rails, to await the arrival of the evening express frotix Norwich. It hot unfrequently happened that the express which started from London was late at Norwich, and 'on such occasions it was the custom to telegraph to Brundall,for the mail train to come on first. The express was late on the evening of the accident, and the night inspector at Norwich had just given instructions to call up the mail train, when, sit 25 minute I past 2 tho express entered the station. According to his own account he called out not to telegraph, so cancelling his. order, and hurried to get the express train on its way again. According to the telegraph cleric (a lad-1 of 18), he gave the . instruction, and neyer recalled it. 1 It is certainy however, that'"fie did not sign, the message, as the rule of the'company required, before its despatch, and r that Ike cleric therefore exceeded his duty in sending it. The possibility of a mistake seems to have flashed, upon the, inspector almost as the last carriage of the express disappeared, from sight. j; He,,ran back to the telegraph office, and was hor-ror-stricken to learn that the mail had been ordered on. Instantly the two words were telegraphed to Brundall, *'Stop mail," but it was to late; the answer came quickly back, ." Mail gone." The two trains were launched in the darkness against each other, and everybody knew what must be the result. The dismay .'of the-moment, and the awful suspense that followed, are described as something never to be forgotton. The atationmaster was equal to the emergency; he ordered an engine and carraiges to be got ready immediately, and sent round to collect a body of surgeons. The dreaded news soon came. C

The Yarmouth train was speeding on at the rate of from 30 to 35 miles an hour, and had 'scarcely cleared.the •bridge,. over the Biver Yare, near Thorpe." The evening was dark, the rain falling, and there was a curve in the line which hid all lights in front. It Was not more than two ■miles from Norwich, but the express had already reached a pace of from 20 to 25 mdes. The drivers could see nothing till the trains were close together. Then suddenly there was an awful crash, that was mistaken for a thunder peal by people livingnear, followed by frantic shrieks which; told the terrible story. The two engines, magnificent specimens of engineering skill, were shattered under the shock, carriages were broken to pieces, or heaped up one-on'the: other; only the end carriages remained uainjured on the bridge; which happily the others had crossed. A body of men were quickly oh the spot, fires were kindled from the debris, and the work of rescuing the passengers at once commenced. The village inn was turned into a dead house. There were 20 killed, and many others frightfully maimed. Two more have since died, bringing up the total of deaths to, 22. Sixty persons have been more or less seriously injured^-some have- been maimed for life, many have broken limbs, and others have sustained internal injuries of the most dangerous kind. The work of extricating the victims was extremely difficult. Out of the 27 carriages contposing the two trains (excluding engines and tenders), 12 were completely smashed, and six greatly damaged. From underneath this wreck came groans and cries for help, which could not bo answered without much labour. One gentleman from Norwich remained under a pile, to the top of which towered, the mailcarriage of the combined mail train, some 60ft. from the ground. Fortunately, a beam relieved the pressure upon him, and ho was kept from fainting by brandy soaked in a handkerchief; which - was placed on a stick, and held to his mouth, so as to induce him to suck ; but it was three hours and a half before he could be extricated. There were several marvellous escapes. Mr E. England, of Freethorpe, .Norfolk, was in one of the carriages heaped on the top of the engine, but was unhurt; he has since given£loo to one of the hospitals as a thankoffering. Several escaped by the carriages in which they wero seated splitting in two, so that they were thrown out. The shock,* it appears, was hardly felt in the last carriage of the Lowestoft train, the occupants of which did not realise the nature of the accident till they saw the ruin. In the pile of which I have spoken were a couple who had been married but thp day before. The bride says.she thought the train had been struck by a thunderbolt. Both she and her husband were saved, Another young woman was travelling with her sweetheart, but was not so fortunate ;he escaped with a broken leg, but she was jammed into one of the engines, and injured internally. Great efforts were made to free her, but as she grew, weaker and weaker, she said with courage; "Now, my friepds, for a great effort," but died almost immediately after.

A full investigation into all the circumstances of this melancholy catastrophe is now being made. The. unfortunate inspector, to whose orders ifc wa3 due, was immediately suspended. He had been 15 years in the same post, and held a good character. It is said he was

recently ill. But the public are not so much concerned with him as with the which can be thrown into such frightful confusion by a momentary lapse r- Tof judgment or memory. Another line of rails was already in process of construction between Norwich 1 and Brundall, and will be rapidly completed, but there are still on olher railways many miles of single lines, on which we need to enforce a more rigid check.

The coroner's inquest at Norwich, on the.victims" of ther collision at Thorpe, - who died within the^ JUiijT- pwcinßts, ended in a verdict of manslaughter against the night inspecfc6fr"Mr."Cwp«fr"' and the telegraph clerk, Mr.;Bfcbßon,r although the jury attached the greater blame to the former. The county jury has taken, a slightly different view ir .and found Hobson guilty of manslaughter and Cooper of "negligence, though 1 not of a criminal character. The Board of Trade' inquiry is not completed, "^fc Captain Tyler recommends that the jconxpany should preserve stricter discipline, and appoint special officers to despatch trains and alter passing places. Three more deaths have resulted from the accident, bringing ,up the total, number ta 25; it' is feared that.of tfre injured^>erf sons, now reckoned at 70,' others will yet succumb.-—English ~Pa£er. . " . \-\-u