A RAILWAY DISASTER.

Lake County Press, Issue 2137, 27 September 1906, Page 5

A RAILWAY DISASTER.

Five Bodies Extricated. A crowded Scotch express from King's Cross, instead of slopping at Grant ham (the brakes apparently failing), wen; slightly beyond the si ition towards a curve, when: llio engine and lendei parted from the rest: of the train and toppled over a steep embankment. The wrench cati.-td the derailment of several conches, which struck tW 1 coping of a bridge and followed the engine down the embankment. Several of (hu coaches were ablaze and burning furiously. I'p to Ihe t ime of telegraphing I't people had been extricated, including live—two ladies and three gentlemen who were dead. Two ot her do id bodies were seen in the wreckage. The number of injured people is unknown. The mail van superintendent is missing. Later. Twenty-Nine Casualties. The Horrors Of Fire. Four coaches were derailed at. Grantham. Nine passengers were killed amd twenty injured. The coaches, which were reduced to matchwood, blazed furiously and many piteous scenes were witnessed owing to inability to tender effective aid. 'twelve deaths are reported, including that of Mr Philips..n, a director of the North-I'listei'ii Railway Company. Sixteen ivere injured, eight severely. All the signals were against, the train, which tail through the points on the Nottingham line, and, being oil a sharp curve, was derailed as in the recent Salisbury accident. Forty bags of mails wuio burned. The brakes wore found to be perfect, and it is sup posed that a connecting rod of the engine broke approaching Grantham or that the driver forgot, to stop. The wreckage blazed for two hours. The lireinaii of the engine shouted wildly while it was traversing Grantham station. The Times says it was the lireman's duty when the engines were changed nfc Peterborough to see that the vacuum brake was coupled to the engine before restarting; if that was neglected the apparent inability to stop at Grantham is easily explained.