Mr. O. Stanleybegged to ask the right hon. Gentleman the President of the Board of Trade a question respecting a serious accident which had recently occurred on the Great Western Railway, although fortunately it was not attended with loss of life. A few days after that accident another took place; and, as it appeared, on the same part of the line. He understood that the Board of Trade, being desirous of obtaining an opinion as to the cause of these two accidents, had sent the Inspector-General, General Pasley, to view the line. The question he wished to ask the right hon. Gentleman was, whether the Board of Trade had received General Pasley's Report; and if so, whether the right hon. Gentleman had it in his power to give the House any information as to the cause of the accident, and whether that cause still remained? It was of great public importance that a full inquiry should be made into the subject; for an impression pre- 1032 vailed out of doors that the rails were not altogether safe, considering the velocity with which the trains proceeded.
§ Sir George Clerksaid, that information having been received by the Board of Trade, that a serious accident had occurred on Tuesday on the Great Western Railway between Drayton and Slough, the Inspector General of Railways was immediately directed to visit the spot, in order to ascertain and report, as fully as he could, the cause of the accident, so that on receiving the Report, the Board might consider what measures should be taken to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents. General Pasley had made his Report, and it appeared by that Gentleman's statement, that the accident was owing to the elasticity of the rails in that particular part of the line. They were the rails which were originally laid down by the Company, and which were much lighter, and the sleepers of less size than those which were afterwards found necessary to be used. The Company had, in consequence, been laying down new rails of much greater weight, and new sleepers of greater size and strength, which it was believed would prevent that elasticity of the rails which was the immediate cause of the accident. It would be recollected that some few years ago, in consequence of some serious accidents having occurred by the first carriages in the train being too near to the engine, it was suggested that a luggage-van should be placed between the first carriage and the engine. That course had been adopted on the Great Western, as well as on the other railways. But in the express train, which had been running within the last three or four months, it was a matter of importance that it should carry as little weight as possible; accordingly, the luggage-van following immediately after the engine was a very light carriage, with only four wheels. The consequence was, that the engine being of greater weight than the luggage-van, caused the elastic rails to be somewhat depressed, and then the van coming immediately after, being lighter than the engine, was raised by the rebound of the rails, and was thus thrown off the rails; and this happening, the other carriages were also dragged off the rails. The Inspector-General, General Pasley, had called the attention of the Company to the subject, and the Company had, in consequence, determined to 1033 have a heavier luggage-van, of six wheels, instead of four, which would be much less likely to be thrown off the rails; and they had also determined that the van should be loaded to such an extent as to be of equal weight with the passengers' carriages. These arrangements, General Pasley was of opinion, would prevent similar accidents in future. That the accident of Tuesday did occur from the cause stated by General Pasley, appeared almost certain from the circumstances attending the second accident, which happened on Friday, because the luggage-van was placed the last carriage in the train. But it did so happen that that carriage was also thrown off the rail; but, under the circumstances, it was not productive of any accident. He hoped that, from the cautions which the Company were now taking there would be fewer accidents in future. He understood that, in the course of a very short time—in the course of this summer—the whole of these rails and sleepers would be repaired, and a heavier luggage van employed. Under these circumstances, the Inspector-General was of opinion that no danger would arise from the speed of the express train. The accident did not arise from the velocity of the train, which, at the time the accident occurred, was going at the rate of sixty miles an hour.