A terrible railway accident occurred early last Saturday morning to
the Midland Scotch express, which left St. Pancras at midnight, when it was running between Hawes Junction and Kirkby Stephen. It dashed into two light engines. By some mistake the line had been signalled as clear. The express was travelling at about sixty miles an hour. The light engines were thrown off the line, and the express was wrecked. Tie gas used either in lamps or cooking apparatus appears to have set fire to the carriages, and seven out of nine were completely burned. Several passengers were pinned down by the wreckage, and, in spite of all the efforts of the rescuers, who worked with quite inadequate instruments, some could not be released. The fire spread quickly, and the flames drove off the workers. One poor fellow bade good-bye to those who were trying to extricate him, and sent a farewell message to his relations ; and a father and mother, according to one account, saw their child burned and could do nothing. Altogether at least ten lives were lost. The accident recalls the Abergele disaster of 1868, when the wrecked train was completely burned by petroleum. It seems that it should be possible to carry in trains some serviceable tools for emergencies.
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