RAILWAY ACCIDENTS. 



34. Although, in most cases of derailment,* it is the engine 

 which escapes from the rails, yet it occasionally happens that 

 while the engine maintains its position, one or more of the 

 carriages forming the train are derailed. 



This happens frequently when an axle or wheel breaks, but 

 it sometimes happens that a defect of the rail throws a carriage 

 off after the engine and preceding carriages have passed over it. 



On the 16th September, 1847, on the Manchester and Liverpool 

 Eailway, the last carriage of the express train, having two 

 passengers in it, was derailed, the other carriages being un- 

 disturbed, and was dragged a considerable distance before the 

 engine-driver was made aware of the accident. The two pas- 

 sengers it contained were killed. 



This accident was ascribed to a defect in the rails. It was 

 supposed that the weight of the engine being too great for the 

 strength of the road, it had deranged the rails in passing over 

 them, and that the succeeding carriages increasing the injury, 

 the displacement only became great enough to derail the wheels 

 on the arrival of the last coach at the point. 



* We have adopted this word from the French : it expresses an effect 

 which is often necessary to mention, but for which we have not yet had 

 any term in onr railway nomenclature. By deraillement is meant the 

 escape of the wheels of the engine or carriage from the rails ; and the verb 

 to derail or to be derailed may be used in a corresponding sense. 



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