Railway accidents

RAILWAY ACCIDENTS. As the locomotive engine on the Bolton railway was going up the lower inclined plane, with a heavy load of goods, it ran off the road, was overturned against the bank, and fell upon the engineer and fireman, who were killed upon the spot. Two other men were riding on the tender, one of whom was dangerously hurt, the other scalded. The engine was one with wheels of six feet diameter, a size considered objectionable by Mr. Stephenson, and not used on the Liverpool and Manchester line.

A few days before, on the Liverpool and Manchester railway, the endless rope, by which goods are drawn up the great tunnel to the station at Edge-hill, broke, and a fireman employed at the stationary engine-house, incautiously went upon the wheel, round which the rope is passed, for the purpose of taking off the old rope that it might be replaced by a new one. The wheel was at the time unconnected with the engine, so that no danger was apprehended from that quarter. Unfortunately, however, on the loose end of the rope being extricated, the other end naturally became tight, and caused the wheel to revolve with considerable force, carrying the unfortunate youth along with it. At the first revolution his head was squeezed between the wheel and the frame, and was instantly crushed to atoms.

Only three days afterwards another accident happened. The engine called the Mercury, was proceeding to Manchester, with a load of merchandise, and had reached the foot of the Whiston incline. It is usual for the engines to take only half of their load up the inclined plane at once, and then return for the other half. On reaching the foot of the plane, the engineer stopped the engine, and, according to the usual practice, caused it to retrograde for a few feet, in order that the chains connecting the waggons being slackened, the first half of the train might be more easily detached from the rest. Before this was done, however, a fireman, leaned forward between the two centre waggons, and attempted to detach them, although the chains were not yet slackened. On the engine being backed, the waggons fell against each other, and the head of the unfortunate man, who was stooping very low at the time, was caught between the projecting bars of the two waggons, and crushed so dreadfully, that he expired on the spot.