ALARMING RAILWAY ACCIDENT NEAR KENDAL An alarming accident occurred shortly after noon on Monday on the London and North Western Railway near Oxenholme, which but for the promptitude of an engine driver, could probably have resulted in a terrible disaster. A ballast train had just left Oxenholme for Wigan and had reached a point about 100 yards beyond the bridge which crosses the line south of the station and half or three-quarters of a mile from Oxenholme station when a coupling bar was drawn out of one the waggons and fell across the metals the five waggons which followed being thrown off the line one after the other . The accident was seen by one of the company men who was on the opposite side side of the line and so near that thinking the waggons would fall upon ran out of the way At the same time he noticed that the express from Manchester to Windermere which leaves Preston at 11.5 was approaching he ran towards the express which was advancing at a high speed and waved his arms to the driver who saw that the waggons were foul of his track and at once reversed his engine and applied the vacuam brake. The ballast train was at a point where it is usual for trains to stand so there was nothing to attract the attention of the express driver in the fact of the ballast train being there. He was about 100 yards away from the ballast train when the man by whom the accident was witnessed signalled to him to stop and but for his coolness and promptitude it is probable that a terrific smash would have followed, as it was he did not see the obstruction in time to bring his train to a complete standstill and the express ran into the waggons with great force the front wheels of the express engine left the rails , the buffer plate was torn off , the side of the boiler damaged the valves and pipes torn away and the engine otherwise seriously damaged On the right-hand side of the train every carriage with the exception of the guards van was more or less smashed , foot boards being torn off and doors and windows being broken The alarm of the passengers was of course very great and although fortunately no-one was injured the shock to their nerves was very severe and they were all keenly conscious of the narrow escape they had had, as soon as the driver applied the brake the passengers knew that something was amiss. One of them in conversation with a representative of the Westmorland Gazette stated that such was the grip of the brake , that as soon as it was applied the carriages were lifted up and they continued to rise and fall with a convulsive action until the collision, the jarring of the carriages being so great that the passengers luggage was shaken off the racks. Having been in a railway accident before , this gentleman knew that an accident was imminent . Those who were less well informed had not long to wait until they also knew what was the matter , for as may be inferred from the fact that the driver was unable to stop the train before it reached the waggons , the interval between the time when the brake was applied and the time when the train dashed into the obstruction was very brief. The passengers speak highly of the conduct of the driver of the express , whose name is Richmond , who lives at Patricroft, Manchester , both he and his fireman stuck to their engine with commendable pluck. The ballast waggons were smashed and one of them was piled on top of the passenger coaches by the force of the collision , some of the passengers narrowly escaped injury . One gentleman who had travelled from London was sitting in a third class compartment with a large portmanteau on the seat by his side when a large piece of timber crashed through the side of the compartment smashing into his portmanteau with terrific force. Both lines were completely blocked and gangs of men were soon at work and had cleared one line soon after three o`clock and the other an hour afterwards. The passengers , some of who complained of the effects of the shaking and all of whom were naturally alarmed walked onto Oxenholme Station where a relief train picked them up and took them to Kendal and Windermere. The stationmaster's at Oxenholme and Kendal were on the spot directing the work of clearing of the lines. A number of trains were brought to a standstill and seriously delayed , and the afternoon mails were several hours late. News of the occurrence soon spread around the neighbourhood and some alarming additions were made to the actual facts which were however happily disproved and general thankfulness was felt that the accident although sufficiently serious and alarming had not yet more serious results and that by self possession and prompt energy an appalling disaster had been averted. Westmorland Gazette November 21st
1891 |