ROYAL SCOT" CRASH

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 114, 16 May 1931, Page 15

ROYAL SCOT" CRASH

STOUT- OF'DISASTER

WORLD'S FASTEST TRAIN

MASS OF,WRECKAGE

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 26th March.,Seven persons lvert killed and more 'than eighty injured—nine of them seriously—on Sunday when the "Royal Scot," the fastest train in the world, on its way from Euston to Glasgow and Edinburgh, leaped the rails. The express left .Euston at 11.30 a.m., '. and the accident occurred at 12.10, about 250 yards south of Leightoti Buzzard. Station at a crossing of the rails which leads from ' tlio down fast lino to the down slow line. Until this point was reached tho express hud been travelling on the down fast lino, but in consequence of repairs to the permanent way some distance beyond Leichton Buzzard it was necessary for tho°train to be turned, onto the down glow line. In making this crossing -the engine left the rails. . It ploughed its way forward for about 100. yards, and ; then turned over on. its right., side.. There were about 14 coaches on the train, and except four in the rear they all left the-' rails. . The first four ■ coaches behind the engine Wero smashed aliirost to splinters. These wero a. ' brake car, a kitchen car, a restaurant coach, ahd^ a-.-vestibule-, coach. - The brake car was thrown to. the left side, . ot; the track-with-such-force that it pierced1 a horse-box which was standing in a block-line, between tho_down> slow and fast lines. .The• steel kitchen car was turned upside down, with ono end in the, air, and the restaurant car was thrown on its side. ~ . . "...... i TRAPPED ■IN THE ' WRECKAGE.: The first coach was reduced to a mass of broken woodwork. The sec; ' ond coach, had somehow been piled on to the top of the first. The third and fourth, swivelled around in,an extra 1* ■ ordinaryl way,'.had crashed through the second. A fifth had toppled over; Of the length of that long trainonly four coaches in the, rear'were still on the metals. Fortunately ' .'the wreckage did not catch fire, and members of the Leighton Buzzard Fire Brigade were • able, to' join, in the general, rescue work. c From the" wreckage there arose groans 'and crieS; from' the.passengers; Many were able to extricate themselves without injury, but others,'and in the • main they, were those" who werci injured, 'were trapped in tho,wreckage. Mcdi- , cal assistance was .immediately. sum 1 ] irioiied, and the station.platform was transformeddnto a temporary dressing ' station.'-1' - ..;■';( ' -■' '-. ;' ; ; '■•' I . DRIVER AND FIREMAN.1 '. One of the-first duties of the rescue parties was to go. to' tho overturned ■;• locomotive. '■■■' Steam was hissing: forth .in scalding 'clouds which drove "back f those who sought to,.reach the. driver and the fireman. Not until : the steam had dispersed was it .possible to ; ap- - proach, and then it was to 'find that .Driver/Hudson", was' dead in his cabin. Bogers, the fireman, was lying in agony I'beneath the- enginei He was still clasping a piece of-, rag which he must ■have been using when the crash came. .Dauntless .efforts .were made to reach • him, but: death had come to put an end of his sufferings long before the engine 'could be moved, ■','■ '";■'.' ■ ■ , '

The; Scottish' amateur football team, ■'which played England-on Saturday at .•Stamford 'Bridge, -.was travelling in a .'reserved'coach, on "the" train, and; the adjoining coach was occupied by about //'half the members ;of Hhe .Glasgow? Or--phe'us Choir, which/had^ broa'dfeast! from ■'; the Queen*s Hall the'night, befors. The members of both these parties escaped injury. • ■ : ..'.''•■ • Sir George Saltmarsh, a former president of the London Corn Trade Association and a, member'of the- Port iof London 'Aiithority': from-1909, to 1023, ' was among the/killed. ' He had recent-. ;,ly returned from anlinquiry dnto' grain trade conditions in Australia. An Automobile Association card found on his , body led to hisidentincation. > " Miss Dorothy Lang (18), who died' . -in hospital on' Monday, showed spleh- : did fortitude. "■ She and her mother' "were, on their way home from a holiclay ,'iii Italy, and when the disaster happen;ed they were: pinned' down by the' ■/-wreckage-and could riot be.freed for ' three ■ houri. . : Oxygen >was given to them/as they lay in the'wreckage, and although- both were in agony ' each thought only of the other. Mrs. Lang Supported her. daughter's' ha/rid on her knees and did what she could'to ease :'h'er pairi; Dorothy continually tried to reassure her mother that >she was not really badly'injured. ' They wero, in a. state of collapse when'they were at 1 ]ast freed and taken to hospital. SURVIVORS' STORIES. ; .Graphic- stories.'-of-:'remarkablo ■'escapes were told by survivors., Mr. A. S. • Black, assistant manager of the General Electric .' Company in :~ Glasgow, stated": "There-was a party of four of us, and we had gone-to the dining ear. As we were approaching the station we .felt a sudden shock ami bumping. ~_■ ;I saw another carriage suddenly coming towards us. The crockery and plates .and . glass from., the, windows fell all 'round us. '. .Suddenly.' the floor gave 'way, beneath mo, and I found myself still sitting on my seat, on the permanent way —unhurt. The, three with me w.ere also unhurt.'' . : _.

Mr. Gibson, another Glasgow business man, said: "I was in the carriage next to the dining car. Suddenly the train began to bump, and the next mm■».ute I saw the.two huge wheels of the engine in front of me. ;■ There was a deafening "crash. iThe windows broke; and I saw another carriage coming towards inc. Suddenly, the approaching carriage lurched and stopped within six inches of me. '"A man opposite me was struck on the head by something, and the next moment his head was covered in blood." ■■•.-■ Mr. "W. S. Gallier, another Glasgow business man; -who had visited. London 'to see the boat race, stated' that he 'escaped by a miracle. "At Enston,'' he added, "a porter could only.find two first-class carriages, and they were ■right at the front of the train. He ■ put me into the second, but I did not like it, got out, and went in to the "first, so' I, was right against the engine; When the accident occurred I had just taken a stroll down the corridor. The roof and' Sides foil in, and I was thrown to ,the floor. There 'was a ,loud grinding noise and the hiss of steam. Then I discovered there was 'a hole about, two feet square in the floor, and I crawled.through uninjured, but my trousers were torn." IN THE DINING OAK. Vr. Bell, whose left hand was cut by flying glass, said: "With my mend, Kr. i&ackendrick, I had just gone along to the dining cbr in readiness for lunch. Suddec-ly the cutlery, glasses, plates, and other things on. the table were swept off, and we grabbed hold of the sides of the tables to prevent ourselves from falling. The dining car tilted until one end was high'in the air, and ■ when, it finally stopped rising we scrambled through the window and dropped about eight feet on .to the track. The metala had been torn up and sleepers flung tlirongh the air." ■ One'of the doctors stated:."Some of: the passengers wore pinned down mi.l helpless. The first niiin I saw lind'liis neck and head protruding from underneath a carriage which.had fallen upon him. It was impossible to. help him, I

but I spoke to iiim. ■ He. refused my nil], telling me that lie could feel no •pam and ill at I could do more good by iit tending to others. I gnve him an injection to oflso ilie pain I knew lie must bo enduring, although ho refused to admit it."