NEWS OF THE WEEK
A FRIGHTFUL accident occurred on the Great Northern Rai- n_ way on Friday week, near the Abbot's Ripton signal station, six miles north of Huntingdon. A coal train of 33 waggons was being shunted, when, just after 6 p.m., the up Scotch express ran into it, and bounded off the line, the carriages overturned forming a block across it. Many passengers were seriously hurt, and those who lad escaped were endeavouring to extricate them, when, about 6.50, the down Leeds express dashed at full speed among the survivors and the wreck, literally riding over several of the carriages, and crushing their occupants, and one or two of those lending assistance. Twelve persons were killed, in- -eluding two daughters of Mr. Richard 13urdon Sanderson, of New- castle-on-Tyne ; a son of Mr. Dion Boucicault, the actor ; and three members of a family named Fosbery, a mother and two daughters. Twenty persons were wounded, some of them most dangerously, including Mr. Richard Burdon Sanderson himself, who was, so to speak, broken to pieces, but who is not dead ; and one was rendered temporarily insane. The Company are accused of having acted with great inhumanity, having refused to con- vey friends of the deceased persons and medical men to the scene of the accident ; but the Secretary has shown that he had. no option, as the line was reported to him blocked. He might have been more civil, but he could not risk trains. It is worthy of notice that the line is worked on "the abso- lute block-system," which in this instance failed, apparently through the inability of a signalman to see through a snowstorm. The accident, owing partly to the absence of other topics, but chiefly to some pathetic incidents of the catastrophe, and the ex- traordinary number of chances which accumulated ruin on the sufferers, has created unusual excitement.
