§ MR. SCHWANN (Manchester, N.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been drawn to a serious accident at the Great Northern Railway Company's goods station, Deansgate, Manchester, on Thursday last, by which Charles Kelly, porter, of Manor Street, Ashton Old Road, and Samuel Carter, of Mansfield Street, Oldham Road, Manchester, were caught by a rope in connection with a hydraulic capstan, and were seriously injured, and admitted to the Manchester Infirmary as in-patients; whether his attention has been drawn to the death of J. Cavanagh, at the end of December last, at the capstan situated in the goods yard of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, Oldham Road, Manchester, and to various other accidents which have occurred at the same place in the last few years, and would he send down a competent inspector to report on these capstans, and see if he could not suggest some improvements by applying treadles, so as to stop the revolution of the capstans, or otherwise, so as to diminish the losses of life and limbs which have unfortunately occurred at these two yards; and would he ascertain how many accidents, and their nature, have occurred during the last five years at the capstans at the two places indicated above?
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. C. T. RITCHIE,) CroydonThe Board of Trade are in communication with the companies on this subject. It appears that the Great Northern Railway goods station was only opened last July, and that the machinery is of the most modern pattern and already provided with a treadle. I shall be happy to furnish the honourable Member with the result of the communications and also the number of accidents at the two places indicated.