One hundred years ago
A horrible and novel accident occur- red to the Midland Scotch express on Sunday. After the train left Normanton, the Pullman sleeping-car, with four passengers in it, was discovered to be on fire. An effort was made to stop the train by signalling the driver, but it fail- ed; and when at length it was stopped, by signal from a station where the fire had been noticed, the car was full of flames, and one of the passengers, Dr Arthur, of Aberdeen, was found to be burned to death. At the inquest, three theories have been offered of the fire one, that the stove became superheated, and ignited some of the drapery about; another, that Dr Arthur was stupidly drunk, and lighted a cigar in bed; and a third, that a reading-lamp carried by a passenger, Mr Cranston, set fire to the curtains.
Spectator, 4 November 1882
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