the skull. Had the train been worked with a proper
break, it could have been brought to a stand, or, at all
events, its speed down the incline would have been so
reduced as to avoid the fearful results of the catastrophe.

A Collision on the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
took place on the 29th ult. at Newton-heath, near
Manchester, by which one person was killed and eight
to twelve others severely injured. A train leaves
Manchester every morning for Rochdale and Yorkshire at
9·40, stopping at Mills Platting (two miles) and Newton-
heath station (four miles), and another train leaves at
9·45 for Oldham, which runs past both the stations
without stopping. These trains left Manchester about
the usual time. The morning was frosty, with snow
on the ground, which had fallen on the previous day,
and a dense fog in the atmosphere, which obscured
objects at fifteen or twenty yards distance. The first
train had reached the Newton-heath station, and,
having neither passengers to put down or take up, was
about moving forwards, when the second (Oldham
train) ran into it behind, at the rate of about fifteen
miles per hour, dashing it forward about fifty yards,
when the engine of the second train, being partly
thrown off the line, was fortunately brought to a stand.
The last carriage of the Yorkshire train, a second class,
and used also as a break waggon, was broken to pieces
and driven off the rails, its passengers being thrown
about the line or down the embankment. The first
of the injured passengers taken up, as soon as the
station-keeper and uninjured passengers and servants of
the train could get to their assistance, was Miss Jane
Sykes, a young lady from Lindley, near Huddersfield,
who, on being carried into the station-house, sobbed
two or three times and almost immediately expired.
Her grandmother, Mrs. Ellen Lord, aged sixty-nine,
wife of Mr. Richard Lord, tailor and draper, of Preston,
was next carried to the station, and appeared to be at
the point of death, having received severe contusions
about the head and stomach; but she afterwards rallied
a little, and was taken to the Manchester Infirmary.
Several other persons were more or less hurt. The
guard of the Yorkshire train was thrown out of his
van, and was insensible for some minutes after he had
been carried into the station. He was afterwards
removed to his home. An inquest on the body of Miss
Sykes was held on the 31st ult. Among other evidence,
the following was given: Saturday. W. Whittaker,
clerk in charge of Newton-heath station, said, "I was
at the station when the accident occurred. The
Yorkshire passenger train arrived at about 10·2, and was
going to stop. It had to stop at all the stations, and
had done so at Miles Platting, the first station from
Manchester. I am not certain whether it had quite
stopped, or whether it was moving, but as the last
carriage came opposite to me as I stood upon the platform,
I saw a train for Oldham coming up in the same
direction, and on the same line of rails. It could not
be more than twenty or twenty-five yards from me, and
I knew that it did not stop at either Miles Platting or
Newton-heath, or Middleton stations. It is called the Oldham
express. The morning was very foggy, and I had not either
heard or seen the express train before I saw it close
upon the station. I was aware that the train was due,
but it is not included in the time-table for Newton-
heath station, and therefore I cannot say to a minute as
to the time it should pass there. I do not know at
what time the Yorkshire train left Manchester, but it
was behind time at my station; it should arrive at nine
minutes before ten. . . . . When I heard the
Yorkshire train coming, I put on the signal. It was a
stopping signal, and a caution to trains that were
following not to pass the station. I cannot say at what
distance the signal is off the station, but it is 400 yards
or more. In clear weather such a signal can be seen at
a considerable distance when the line is straight. On
Thursday morning, foggy as it was, I should say an
engine-man could not see it when he was twenty-five
yards from it. I should think the Yorkshire train was
from 100 to 150 yards off when I heard it coming, and
put up the signal. The Yorkshire train had barely
stopped, if it had stopped at all, when the other
came up; and, in my opinion, the Oldham train
was within 400 yards when I put up the signal;
that, in fact, the driver had passed it." Mr.
Worthington, the driver of the Yorkshire train said he
could not say exactly what time it left Manchester.
It should have left at 9·40, but it was about
five to seven minutes later, owing to a detention in a
previous journey from Yorkshire. The train lost some
time in going up the incline to Miles Platting, the line
being slippery from frost. At Miles Platting the
signal was on, and the train was detained about five
minutes before it could enter the station, probably to
allow a previous train to leave. At the station it stopped
only about a minute, and after that the train went
at the usual speed up to Newton-heath, and there
slackened speed. It had not quite got to a stand when the
other train ran into it. Witness could not have heard
that train even if he had known it was coming, owing
to the noise of the engine. The guard of his train,
H. Tidy, was injured and unable to attend this inquiry.
Witness thought the accident was owing to the fog. From
Miles Platting to Newton-heath the speed of that train
would be from twenty-five to thirty miles an hour,
but could scarcely have reached the regular speed
before it would have to commence pulling up again,
in such a short distance. They did not run the full
speed in foggy weather.—The Coroner asked how it
was that an express train started five minutes after
a stopping train, it being certain that an express train
must overtake the other before it got to Newton-heath?
—Mr. Blackmore, the superintendent of the line, replied
that they had never worked it so. The express had never
started at the time. They had always given either an
interval of from twelve to fifteen minutes. He added:
"If the Oldham train is in the station, or the bell has
rung for it, it is to take the lead of the Yorkshire
train."—The jury returned a verdict as follows:—
"We find that the death of Jane Sykes was caused
by the collision of the express train to Oldham with
the Yorkshire train, and that the death was accidental,
and the jury take this opportunity of expressing their
regret at the apparent carelessness of the Lancashire
and Yorkshire Railway Company in allowing the
express train to start at so short a time after the above
train, and would suggest that in future more care be
exercised, especially in foggy weather."

A Great Fire took place in the City on the night of
the 31st of December. It broke out about half-past ten,
in the premises occupied by Messrs. Townend, hat-
manufacturers, and Messrs. Hutchinson and Spiller,
carpet-warehousemen, No. 5, Bread Street. This very
large and lofty building was entirely destroyed, together
with No. 4, occupied by Messrs. Broughton and Son and
several other firms, and No. 5½, occupied by Messrs.
Carrow and Son; while many contiguous buildings
were much damaged. The origin of the disaster is not
known: the last person who left No. 5 had hardly got
into Old Change before the alarm of fire was raised; all
had appeared safe when he left the house. The loss is
estimated at £80,000. The City coroner held an inquest
to inquire into the cause of the fire; but, after hearing
many witnesses, the jury were unable to pronounce how
it originated.

Two serious Railway Accidents occurred on the 2nd
inst. The first was on the Runcorn Gap Railway. The
12.40 p.m. train, with about thirty passengers, from St.
Helen's, was a few minutes behind its time reaching the
Oak Tree station, where the Runcorn line crosses the
St. Helen's, and just as the passenger-train from the
latter place reached the crossing, it was met by a
luggage-train proceeding to Parr. The engine-driver of
the luggage-train, which at the moment was descending
the incline, upon seeing the passenger-train instantly
endeavoured to stop the engine, but owing to the
slippery state of the rails the break would not act, and a
violent collision occurred. The engine of the luggage-
train struck the other engine, shattering it almost to
pieces, causing a great concussion of the carriages, and
severely injuring several passengers. The Rev. Dr.
Burton, of St. Helen's, sustained a severe injury to his
nose. A young lady had a severe contusion on her lip,
and was taken to the hotel, where she had a succession
of fits. One man was in the act of taking a pinch of
snuff when the collision took place, and his teeth striking
against the carriage, two of them were knocked into his