RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN SYDNEY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume V, Issue 1308, 25 January 1868, Page 5

RAILWAY ACCIDENT IN SYDNEY.

COLLISION OF TRAINS AND LOSS OF LIFE. One of thouo d : stre'sing and terrible casualties occurring from time to time on railways—whien seem, in Rcmo inexplicable manner, suddenly to defeat every wiser precaution that cm bo devised by the most pngacious management, or be carried out by the most experienced subordinates—unhappily took nlare yesterday morning, at the railway station at Newtown, when, in an unexpected collision between K passenger train and a good* train (both running in the samo direction), a gentleman was killed on ilie spot, and novoral individuals very much injured ; a largo number of persons also sustaining hurts of more or less serious character, tho precise nature and extent of which wa cannot yet make known to our renders. Tho circumstances which ltd to this catastrophe will, of course, be made the Bubioct of strict investigation, the result of which must either tend to implicate certain parties, or to exonerate them altogether from that culpablo negligenco which some may bo ready to impute. It appears that the passenger train from tho intermediate stations—known at Newtown at tho half' past eight o'clock trnin—arrived yesterday morning at tho IS'owtown station as usual (if anything a minute or two earlier than customary), and stopped for passengers at tho waiting-shed on the "up-liue," about one hundred and fifty yards on tho Sydney side of the "Newtown station-house. It consisted of twelvo or thirteen carriages, and reached the fhed at thirty-ono minutos past oight o'olock, and was carrying a large number of pnßsongera. Several persons entored the carriages from the stone platform in front of tho shed, and the train was on tho point of starting—indeed it was alroady in actual motion, although there doos not appear to have been any " wny" upon it—when, at 833, a luggage, or goods train, consisting, as it io Btated, of ah jut twenty-fivo carriages, loadod'with wood and wool, &c., was seen to bo rapidly approaching from tho direction oi P* tersham. At that time, as wo are informed, the « caution" signal, at the distance of about half-it-milo from tho Newtown station, was duly adjusted ; the cfleet of which should have been to have caused tho parties in charge of the goods train to reduce speed,—which, however, was not done, for the goods train camo on from the end of the curve, up a Blight incline, at tho rate of from twenty to twenty-fivo miles an hour. At the Newtown Btation the somaplioro (visible from tho extremity of tho long curve of tho line, as it winds round from Petersham) was still up, signalling " dangera signal always maintained at tho station from the arrival of a train until after its departure. Tho advancing goods train, coming on as described, was Boen by Mr. Faloouer (tho Nowtown station-master) ai the passenger train was leaving tho Bhed on tho Sydney eido of his station, and he immediately ran towards tho gooda tr tin with upraised hands, willing upon them to stop. This it was clear tho driver of tho goods train (Fdward Dixon) was attempting to do, for he reversed tho engine at onco, and was seen by different persons putting tho break down with all his force. It was, howover, too late to he altogether effectual, aud tho goods train shot psst the station, and rushed withli diminished but still terrible momentum into the passenior train, driving it beforo it for a conei'leriiblo distance—oven beyond tho first bridge on the Sydney side of the station. The shock was, of course, tremendous. Almost all tho passengers were thrown violently forward, and, as we h:ive said moro or lcs4 hurt, nvmy severely injured, und one man, Mr. James Falconer (tho brother of tho .Newtown station mastcrl, who had just entered ono of the las" carriages was killed. It is hard to buy whothor, in tho excitement and consternation of the moment, those parties were, on tho wholo, most injured who remained in tho carriages (and so h jflerotho immediate effects of tho collision), or thoso who jumped out of the moving train. Several, however, who loappil out got clear of the carriages, and manned to escapo with inconsiderable injuries. It was in the last of tho carriages of the passenger train, and in the foremoßt ono to tho engine, that tho concussion was the greatest. In theso two carriages the shock is statod to havo burst up both vehicles with an awful crash ; tearing and smashing tho wood and iron work in a manner that can scarcoly be described Several passengers, having seen the hand signal of tho station-master, jumped out; amongst whom were Mr. Yarnton, of the District Court, and his eon (a gentleman in Mr. Dearie's office, in Elizabeth-street), Mr. Lawrence, and fio.ne otherß. Tho last carriage had just been entered by Mr. Rawson and two childro", a Mr. Harvey, the two Mr. Yabsleys, and another gent'oman. Fortunately, however, tho door had not been locked beforo tho alarm was givon, and all thus happily escaped. The lino from the end of tho waiting-shod to within a few yards of tho first bridge was strown, after tho accident, with piocos of broken carriages, railway chairs, and scew couplings wrenched off the carriages, but tho carriages were not forced off tho lino. The most lamentable marks of tho event were the patches of blood along tho line where poor Mr. Falconer had been killod and dragged along tho rails. He attempted, as it would appear, to jump out, as he saw others doing, but failing to get clear of the carriage lie foil violently to the ground, and being caught by tho wheels was literally cut and torn to pieces. ° The body was found frightfully lacerated and bruißed, the head cut, and tho walls of the abdomen severed right across. The poor fellow must havo died instantly. Tho body was carried to the station which he had left alive and well only a few minutes before. Judping from the marks on the faco of the wall, ho must havo boon killed where he fell. Immediately after tho accident, the trains having been brought to a standstill, the passengers who had been bruised and otherwise injured, wore lifted off the road and out of the carriages, and carried to the bank near tho bridge, whore every assistance was given to them by sympathising bystanders. Mr. John Sco't, Dr. Sedgewick, and other medical gentlemen, were promptly in attendanco, and all w.:s done that could bo done. In mOBt instances thoso who were injured ware taken away to their homes by peoplo of Nowtown, who wore made aware that some accidcnt had occurred hy the continuous scream of the engine whistles. Many distressing Bcenes of sorrow and anxiety wero witnessed, as friends Qnd relatives of pirtios who had been in tho train were attract d to the spot. Mr. Falconor, whoso melancholy death we havo to record, wan <19 years of age. He leaves a wife and seven children to deplore their lobs. The driver's name of the paesengora* train was John Nichols, the guard's name Alillor. of the luggage train, Edward JDixon. Mr. Smith (of Ash field) was hurt, Bpino injured, Mr. Stirason badly hurt, John Bryant hurt about the hoad, face, aud chest, Barton, solicitor, two ribs broke, Alfred Henderson much hurt, another Mr. Henderson badly injured. Wm. Dolman hurt, F. J. Thomas hurt on the knee, Joseph Allen (of New South Wales Bank) much hurt, George Rattray hurt, Edward Borthon severely injured, also Joseph Mi.ler, Phillips and j Gibbons severely bruised, and Xslip and Lawrence injured, Mr. Owen much bruised, Buttorfiold. Mrs. Brodie.' and Mrs. Smith also much injured, Elmis, Burgo, Gardner, Scott, Clarke, Henry Halloran, and Thomas Gill, all severely hurt; Mr. Hill wounded in the head (it was this gontloman who had tho presence of mind to warn tho next. Sydney train from running into tha crowd upon tho line). The carriages wore deeply stained with blood. On tho permanent way the dark death stains had (with a mute aud torrible significance) to be covered over with ashes. All the carriages of tho passenger train wore damaged, tha interior as well aa the oxternal panelings having been smashed. An inquest was held on the body of James Falconer, when the following vordict was roturned "We find tho said James Falconer, on the 6th Jan., IS6B, at tho Nowtown Railway Station, died from severe injuries received by the up goods train coming into collision with the up passenger train at 533 j a.m. ; and that the said collision wcb owing to tho want of due care and caution displayed by one William Henry Sutton, railway station master at Petersbam, and Edwin Dixon, engine-driver of the beforoinontioned up goods train, in the discharge of their respective duttios; and we therefore find that tho euid William Henry Button and Edwin Dixon on the said 6th day of January inatant, feloniously and unlawfully did kill and slay the said James Falconer, a«»ainst the peace of our Lady the Queen, her Crown and dignity."—Abridged from the Sydney Morning Herald, Jan. 7. j