The Board of Trade reports of Railway accidents in 1853,
speciaityinqiiirect into by the Board's civin officers, have been .printed as a Parliamentary paper. The number of accidents which occurred in the Three Kingdoms was 103; and of these 76 underwent special investigation. Besides 305 persons who lost their lives, 449 were injured. The list includes 64 pas- sengers killed and 300 injured; and of these 36 lost their lives, and 280 were hurt from causes beyond their control. The aim of 'the official reporters is to detect the causes which led to these results. It appears from the table of contents, that during the year, ten investigations were tailed for on the Great Northern line, eight on the London and North-Western, sin on the South-Eastern., nine on the Midland, one on the -Great Western, one On the Eastern Counties, two on the London and South-Western; three on the Lon- don, Brighton, and South Coast, five on the Lancashire and Yorkshire. Ins quiriea varying froth one to two occurred on other. linos. The causes of the 76 accidents are ranged under different heads but the following is the sum —5 from purely accidental circumstances, 11- from- accidental- and- other causes Combined, 28 from the negligence of inferior servants, 32 frOti ilhduo economy, and inefficient and defective discipline. Seventeen reports upon accidents which have eccurred between tannery 1 and February 28 of the current year, appear as a separate paper. Thirteen of the accidents arise from collisions ; and the results of the investigations point to the same causes as those more formally put forth in the report for 1853.
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