Railway accidents

A return of the number and nature of the accidents, and of the injuries to life and limb, which occurred on the various railways in the United Kingdom from the first of January to the 30th of June, 1847, has been presented to the new Parliament by Her Majesty's command. It shows, in brief, that of a grand total number of 23,119,412 passengers conveyed during the said half-year on railroads in England, Scotland, and Ireland, 101 were killed and 100 more or less injured, . . Moreover, it appears, from a careful analysis of the returns, that of the 101 persons killed and 100 injured, there were 14 passengers killed and 48 wounded from causes beyond their own control; 8 killed and 3 injured owing to their own folly or incautiousness; 8 servants of companies killed and 17 injured from causes beyond their own control; 51 servants killed and 24 injured owing to want of caution or recklessness (such as leaping from engines or carriages in rapid motion, and other similar acts of temerity); 19 trespassers killed and 7 injured; and 1 person killed and another injured while crossing the railways at level crossings.