1935-07-12 — Page 15

WELWYN DISASTER

INVESTIGATED

WITNESSES TELL OF

TERRIBLE SCENE

After preliminary evidence had been given at the Ministry, of Transport inquiry at Welwyn into the Welwyn train disaster in which fourteen people lost their lives, Colonel A. I. L Mount, who con- ducted the Inquiry, announced that the remainder of the evidence would be heard in private.

telephone to the local telephone ex change and asked them to call out ambulances and assistance."

THE

HONGKONG TELEGRAPH. FRIDAY, JULY 12, 1935.

with ordinary screw couplings the couplings were severed. Then, of course, these being broken, the car- ringen were free to move in any direction.

"We have a few carriages run- ning with steel bodies. I think that if the last carriage of the first train had been constructed in that way It would have concertinated far more readily." Mr. Gresley added that with the buck-eye coupling the whole of the shock was taken on very large indiarubber springs.. Undoubtedly these heavy rubber buffers absorbed a great deal of the shock.

WRECKED COACH CROWDED

Commenting on the number, of ambulances, doctors, nurses, police, and other volunteers who were soon on the spot, he remarked: "I do not think it can be said that there was any shortage of special assis A vivid description of what hap. He said that the Inquiry was intance. A special ambulance train pened Inside the coaches when the no way a court for the determina- was arranged at King's Cross, an crash occurred was given by Mr. tion of legal responsibility of any S.0.S. was sent to the Regal Free George Turner, district foreman of kind. The object of hearing any Hospital which promptly sent down the carriage and waggon depart- evidence in private would be to doctors and nurses, and this trainment, stationed at Peterborough, who was travelling in the fourth obtain the frankest statement pos-arrived at about 1.14 a.m.

sible from those concerned If they With regard to the light avail-coach from the end in the first were feeling apprehensive that they able, the station electric lights wore train. might be prejudiced in any subse-on and the lights of some of the

"I got a bump in the back, and quent inquiry that might take coaches were burning. Emergency we sort of bumped together," said place.

lamps were taken from the trains. There were twenty station hand-Turner. "The first ery in the coach lumps made use of, and the helpers was for water and brandy for the who came--the police and the fire people who had fainted. In

overturned conch there were about brigade made full use of their own electric apparatus.

Before the inquiry

opened Colonel Mount and officials made a close inspection of the scene of the crash, and also visited the signal- box at the north end of the station. Emphasising, in opening the in- quiry, that it would deal primarily with the technical aspect of the

Leslie Howard, English stage and serbon star, and New York favourite, is getting his daugh. lor also named Leslie, started in her dramatic career early, They're shown after her debut, made in a role opposite her father in a broadcast drama.

disaster, Colond Mount asked if there was gas on the train, and was told that there was.

Colonel Mount: Has there been any suggestion that there has been insufficient light 7-It has been sug- gested. Mr. Barrington Ward add ed that the men with fares got to the scene as soon as possible.

The first witness was Mr. F. II. Hodgson, the stationmaster ut Welwyn Garden City, who explained that the first ambulance went away from the

at 11.40. The majority of the deaths appeared to

srune

the

thirty people when we had a roll call."

Colonel Mount: Have you any idea of the speed of the train?- A little more than ten miles an hour.

Colonel Mount: You did not happen to notice how many pasaca- gers were in the last vehicle?-It was fail, otherwise I should have taken a sent in it.

"And you would not have been here now," observed Mr. Gresley. have occurred in the rear coach of "That carriage had three compart- the first train, and the majority ofments, and they were completely the injuries in the third coach of the second train.

Colonel Mount: Did you have any trouble with light-No. The difficulty was that there was a rain- storm and it was occasionally dark in the station. I think the light was adequate.

NO TELESCOPING

smushed. It all points to the fact that practically all the people were killed in that couch. No one.could possibly have survived.“,

R. E. Morris, the driver of the second half of the Newcastle train, said that he did not have any signal checks until he reached Welwyn Garden City. When approaching Welwyn he Raw the distant signal Mr. II. N. Gresley, chief mechani-was at danger and he shut off steam ent engineer, gave evidence of the and applied the brake. He had damage to the trains. The first passed through Hatfield at a speed train, the 18.63 from King's Cross, of 65 to 70 miles an hour and sight- consisted of an Atlantic-type engine oil the distant signal at roughly and eleven coaches, and the conches 400 yards. were entirely of modern stock with heavy steel underframes, he said. The last couch In the train-the van -bore the whole brunt of the im- pact. It was "concertinated." The next earriage-the last but one--it and he whistled again in acknow- went on with the rest of the train, ledgment. He also observed the but the impact caused it to lose its bogies and the surringe fell over on one side. The front end still remained coupled to the next vehl- ele, the third coach, which was held up almost on ila side, and was drug- ged forward about 120 yards.

He gave a long whistle when up- proaching the distant signal, which he passed at warning. He observed the home signal at clear when he was about two hundred yards from

starting signal at clear.

Colonel Mount: Where were you when you saw, the starting ainul clear?About three hundred yards away.

What speed were you travelling at when you passed through the station 7-1 should say when the collision occurred I was travelling at twenty-five miles an hour.

Joseph Glenn, the fireman, sald that he noticed the Welwyn Garden City-distant signal at danger, and the driver noticed it too, and shut off steam and applied the brakes, reducing the speed, which had been 65 to 70 m.p.h,, to about 20 m.p.h. When the home signal came into view he saw that it was off. When they were about one hundred yards from the starting signal they were run into from the rear.

The remarkable thing is that notwithstanding this tremendous shock the back-eye coupler held firm and kept this carriage from falling right-over-on-its side," said Mr. Gresley. "I am told that in that Ward, particular carriage nobody was kill Mr. V. M. Barrington superintendent of the western sec-ed, and the passengers were able to tion of the London and North East-get out of the doors nearly facing ern Railway, said that on the night to the sky. There was no telescop- of the disuster there were three ing whatever. Beyond these two trains running. "First, the 10.45 carriages there was no damage to down, an express which left King's the rest of the train. This was Cross and carried passengers for entirely due to the heavy steel Newcastle direct. Following at frames and buckeye couplers. If

A young porter at Welwyn Gar- 10.53 was a second part of this the last van had been made of steel den City Station, A. J. Perry, said train, which was in fact a special panels instead of tenk panels it that the first train looked as though and conveyed passengers to New could not possibly have withstood it had been checked and was going cuntle via the coast. What has the shock, because the steel panels slowly, "I was astonished to see been known as the parcels train are thin and would have crumpled this other train in the same sec

5." left King's Cross at 10.58-five up."

tion," he said, "and I dropped the The 10.58 train consisted of an hamper which I was carrying, and minutes behind the second portion. This third train-the passenger and engine and eleven vehicles, but it ran to Mr. Hodgson, the station- parcels train overran the second was not entirely composed of mod-master, straight away." portion of the 10.45 at Welwyn ern stock. The first three coaches He estimated the second train's Garden City.

were modern vehicles with heavy speed as being between 35 and 40 atcel underframes and buckeye miles an hour. "That train usually couplers. The first two were al- seems to go faster than any other most undamaged, and the third was-I don't know why," added Per- damaged at the rear end. There ry.

NO LACK of help

"According to the stationmaster, the accident occurred at or about 11.28. At 11.20-a minute after the collision-a taxi-driver who was standing outside Welwyn Garden "Every vehicle coupled together At the close of the evidence of City Station anw what happened with buck-eye couplings remained this witness the court sat in pri und gave an emergency call on the coupled," he said. "On the vehicles vate.

were three brake vans, gas-lighted, Colonel Mount: You think it is and these were wrecked. They had one of the fastest trains you see?--- wooden underframes.

Yes

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A herd of African buffalo in full flight before the plane of Mr.. and Mrs.Martin Johnson, whose latest film, “Baboons,” comes to the

King's Theatre soon.

TARE AND THAN DA HAPPY VALLEY BUD.

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A CONJECTURED LAND

This map shows the region that Lincoln Ellsworth, noted ax- plorer, shown in Inset, hopes to explore in the Antarctic from the air next fall. Ninety per cent, of the continent, me large ne Europs and Australia combined, has never been explored. The solid How, above, Indicates the route of the projected flight and the dotted line represents the route of the expedition's supply ship, the Wyatt Earp.

Sir Hubert Wilkins, Australian explorer, will accompany Ellsworth, who has made two other axpeditions to the Antarelle, Two Canadian Allers, Hallick-Konyon and, Lymburner, will be chief pilots.

Graduating exercises were held on May 4 at the Wuhu General Hopsita School of Nursing, when four graudates received their diplomas from Mrs. Irane Chu Shih, superintendent of nurses. Dr. Robert E. Brown, superintendent of the Hospital, welcomed many guests and introduced the sponkurs.

SOCIALISATION OF MEDICINE

"PRO'S AND CONS”

NEW YORK

the state." Dr. Blerring said.

"Care for the individual at the expense of the state, except for communicable diseases, is an un- justifiable encroachment upon in- dividual liberty, undermining ini- INtiative, and having a gubversivo influence tending toward pauperi- antion.

Albany, N.Y., July 1. "The state owes the citizens Socialisation of medicine and all education, leadership toward per- forms of compulsory sickness in-sonal health, and protection against Aurance are opposed by the House community Influence beyond the of Delegates representing 13.000 control of the individual." members of the Medical Society The Women's Medical Society of the State of New York.

transmitted to the House of Dele- The President-elect Mr. Frederic gates a resolution extending to E. Sondern, and Dr. Walter L. state medical society "unanimous Blerring of Des Moines, Iowa, and hearty support" of a proposed president of the American Medical birth control resolution that a Association aasailed pocialisation special committee be appointed by

the delegates of medicine.

American of the "Illness which does not menace Medical Association "to study the the community should be the con- problems surrounding human re- cern of the individual and not of production."-United Press.

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