GENERAL REPORT TO THE BOARD OF TRADE UPON THE ACCIDENTS WHICH HAVE OCCURRED ON THE RAILWAYS OF THE UNITED KINGDOM During the Year 1879. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty, PRINTED BY GEORGE EDWARD EYRE AND WILLIAM SPOTTISWOODE, FOR HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE. 1880. TO THE SECRETARY, BOARD OF TRADE. SIR, 16th July 1880. I HAVE the honour to present to the Board of Trade a GENERAL REPORT on the accidents and collisions which have occurred in the working of the railways of the United Kingdom during the year 1879, founded principally on the returns made by the railway companies under the Act 34 & 35 Vict. c. 78. s. 6, and on the reports upon certain accidents and collisions, which have formed the subject of inquiry by Officers of this Department. Total killed and injured from all Causes in the working of Railways. The total number of persons returned to the Board of Trade as having been killed in the working of the railways during the year was 1,032, and the number of injured 3,513. Of these 160 persons killed, and 1,307 persons injured were passengers. Of the remainder 452 killed and 1,951 injured were officers or servants of the railway companies, or of contractors; and 420 killed, and 255 injured, were trespassers, and suicides, and other persons who met with accidents at level-crossings or from miscellaneous causes. Of the passengers, according to the returns made to the Board of Trade, 75 were killed, including 73 supposed to have been lost in the Tay Bridge disaster, and 602 were injured from accidents to trains. In addition to the above, the companies have returned 42 persons killed, and 2,314 injured from accidents which occurred on their premises, but in which the movement of vehicles on railways was not concerned, and which consequently cannot be considered as "Railway Accidents.' Proportion of Passengers killed and injured from all Causes in the working of Railways. The total number of passenger-journeys, exclusive of journeys by season-ticket holders, was 562,732,890 for the year 1879, or 2,291,565 less than in the previous year. Calculated on these figures, the proportions of passengers killed and injured in 1879, from all causes, were in round numbers, 1 in 3,517,000 killed, and 1 in 430,000 injured. In 1878, the proportions were 1 in 4,520,000 killed, and 1 in 322,000 injured. Proportion of Passengers killed and injured from Causes beyond their own control. The proportion of passengers returned as killed and injured from causes beyond their own control was in 1879 1 in 7,503,000 killed,* and 1 in 934,700 injured; but if the Tay Bridge disaster is excluded from the computation, the proportion killed would only be 1 in 281,366,500, or less than in any year on record. In 1878, the proportion was 1 in 23,540,000 killed, and 1 in 481,600 injured. Thus, whilst the proportion of passengers returned as killed from causes beyond their own control during 1879 shows a large increase (if the Tay Bridge disaster is included) when compared with that of the year 1878, the proportion of passengers injured shows a large decrease. The following statement shows the proportion of passengers, returned as killed from causes beyond their own control, in passenger-journeys for the three years ending 1849, the four years ending 1859, the four years ending 1869, the four years ending 1873, and the four years ending 1877, and for the years 1878 and 1879 respectively: Excluding 10 inquiries under the head of miscellaneous, 101 train-accidents on railways have formed subjects of inquiry, and have been reported on, by officers of the Board of Trade during the past year, against 108 for the previous year, 1878. *If the journeys of season-ticket-holders are included the proportion would be nearly 1 in 9,000,000. The investigated train-accidents, in which loss of life occurred to passengers from causes beyond their own control, were, including the Tay Bridge disaster, three in number. In the Tay Bridge disaster it is supposed that 73 persons, passengers and servants of the company, lost their lives. This disaster, the most deplorable in the history of railway accidents, having been made the subject of a special inquiry, will not be referred to further in this Report than to express the hope that the lessons which may be learnt from the inquiry may lead to the adoption of such safeguards in all works of a like nature as may effectually guard against the recurrence of any similar disaster on any railway in this country. In the other two cases of train accidents attended with fatal results, only 2 passengers were killed, a number far less than in any preceding year. One of these cases was that of a collision between a passenger train and a light engine, to which reference will be more particularly made under class F, and which occasioned the death of one and serious injury to five passengers. The other case was that of a passenger train coming into collision with a pilot engine standing at a station, during a dense fog, in which one passenger (since dead) and two servants of the company were injured. Other accidents and collisions of a serious nature were also inquired into during the year. In some cases, although a large number of passengers were reported as injured, it was also frequently stated that the injuries were of a slight or by no means of a serious nature. It may be here also mentioned in regard to the accidents and collisions inquired into, that the number of passengers injured, whatever the nature of their injuries, was considerably less than in the previous year, not being much in excess of one half; namely, 505 injured in the year 1879, against 992 in the year 1878. The number of inquiries into accidents are classified as follows for the past year, and the corresponding inquiries for the previous nine years are given, for the purpose of comparison. 1870. 1871. 1872. 1873. 1874. 1875. 1876. 1877. 1878. 1879. Whilst the numbers of investigated accidents were, respectively, 131 for 1870, 171 for 1871, 246 for 1872, 247 for 1873, 168 for 1874, 164 for 1875, 150 for 1876, 155 for 1877, 118 for 1878, and 110 for 1879, the numbers of passengers killed in those accidents varied during the same years, from 66 for 1870, to 12 for 1871, 21 for 1872, 43 for 1873, 80 for 1874, 19 for 1875, 35 for 1876, 16 for 1877, 30 for 1878, and 4 for 1879; and the numbers of passengers and others, exclusive of servants, injured by these accidents were, for the several years, 1,084, 821, 1,183, 1,379, 1,373, 1,043, 1,101, 563, 992, and 505. The passengers killed in the accidents, which were investigated in the past year, comprised 2 killed, from causes beyond their own control, and in addition, one in attempting to get out of a train, and one killed at a level-crossing. From the above table, it will be seen that the number of inquiries show a large decrease as compared with the preceding nine years, and that the number of accidents from collisions, though larger than in the preceding year, has also much decreased. It will be observed that of the above 100 train-accidents for 1878, (ten of the casualties under the head of Miscellaneous being excluded from consideration,) 62 per cent., were cases of collision under different classes, in addition to certain collisions which occurred on inclines or in connexion with facing-points; whilst 9 per cent, were from passenger trains being wrongly turned into sidings, or otherwise through facing-points; 8 per cent. were from engines or vehicles meeting with or leaving the rails in consequence of obstructions on, or defects in, the permanent way; 9 per cent. were from boilerexplosions, or failures of axles or tyres, or from other defects of rolling-stock; and 3 per cent. were on inclines. Classification of Accidents and Collisions inquired into. A classification of the accidents and collisions which have formed the subject of inquiry, similar to those made in previous years, will be found in Appendices Nos. 1 and 2 of this Report. The circumstances will be found fully given in the reports of the inquiries themselves, printed in length and appended to the returns presented to Parliament. In the following pages a summary of the several accidents will be given under the respective classes to which they belong, with remarks as to the causes which led to them, and as to the measures necessary for prevention of like accidents in future. A.-Accidents from Engines or Vehicles meeting with Obstructions or leaving the Rails, in consequence of Defects in connexion with the Permanent Way or Works. Eight investigated accidents in this class occurred from obstructions on, or defects. in, the permanent way or works, resulting in the death of 1 servant of a company, and injury to 21 passengers and 8 servants of companies. In four cases there was defective maintenance, and in four cases defective construction of road or works. In one case there was negligence of the servants, and in two cases excessive speed having regard to the condition of the permanent way. The most severe of these accidents, by which one servant of the company was killed, and 4 passengers and 2 servants injured, occurred to a train provided with Barker's continuous automatic break, which left the rails when travelling at a speed of from 40 to 50 miles an hour; the engine, tender, and three first vehicles going down the bank. The cause was attributed to too high a speed, over a newly re-laid line, in which the ballast, owing to the severe frost, had not been properly restored. The automaticity of the brakes did good service in keeping the seven remaining vehicles on the bank. A second accident, causing injury to 4 passengers and 2 of the company's servants, occurred by a train leaving the rails when travelling at a speed of 30 miles an hour, appeared to have been due to a tightness of gauge, and the state of the permanent way induced by the wet weather. A third accident, causing injury to 1 passenger and 3 of the company's servants, occurred by a passenger train leaving the rails when travelling at a speed of 50 to 60 miles an hour, was attributed to the existence of a broken steel rail. Had the train been fitted with continuous brakes, they would have prevented the train from being so broken up. In two instances passenger trains left the rails, the one at a scissors-crossing, which was too short, and the other at an objectionable and dangerous diamond-crossing, causing injury to 1 and 3 passengers respectively. In the first case, had the train been |