EAILWAY ACCIDENTS. 



21. Rule XI. Do NOT ATTEMPT TO HAND AN ARTICLE INTO A 



TRAIN IN MOTION. 



On the London and Brighton railway, on the loth of February, 

 1847, a passenger, while handing a basket to the guard of a 

 passing train, had his coat caught by one of the carriages, and was 

 dragged under the wheels and killed. 



22. Rule XII. IF YOU TRAVEL WITH YOUR PRIVATE CARRIAGE, 



DO NOT SIT IN IT ON THE RAILWAY. TAKE YOUR PLACE BY 

 PREFERENCE IN ONE OF THE REGULAR RAILWAY CARRIAGES. 



The regular railway carriages are safer in case of accident 

 than a private carriage placed on a truck. They are stronger 

 and heavier. They are less liable to be thrown off the rails, or 

 to be crushed or overthrown in case of a collision. The cinders 

 ejected from the smoke funnel of the engine are generally in a 

 state of vivid ignition, and if they happen to fall on any com- 

 bustible object, are liable to set fire to it. The railway carriages 

 are constructed so as to be secured from such an accident, but 

 private carriages are not so, and, moreover, from their greater 

 elevation, when placed on a truck, are more exposed. Serious 

 accidents have sometimes occurred from this cause. 



The trucks which carry private carriages are also often placed 

 at the end of the train, the least safe position. (See Rule X.) 



23. On the 8th Dec., 1847, an accident happened to the 

 Countess of Zetland, while travelling in her private carriage on 

 the Midland Eailway, of which Lady Zetland herself gave the 

 following narrative. The accident occurred about 5 o'clock in 

 the afternoon, as the train was approaching Eugby from Derby, 

 en route to London, and at about six miles from Eugby. 



"Aske, Richmond, Yorkshire. 



" On the 8th of December, I left Darlington by the 9h. 25m. 

 train for London. I travelled in my chariot with my maid. The 

 carriage was strapped on to a truck, and placed with its back to 

 the engine, about the centre of the train, which was a long one. 

 Soon after leaving Leicester, I thought I smelt something 

 burning, and told my maid to look out of the window on her 

 side to see if anything was on fire. She let down the window, 

 and so many lumps of red-hot coal or coke were showering down 

 that she put it up again immediately. I still thought I smelt 

 something burning ; she put down the window again, and 

 exclaimed that the carriage was on fire. We then put down the 

 side-windows, and waved our handkerchiefs, screaming fire ' as 

 loud as we could. No one took any notice of us. I then pulled 

 up the windows, lest the current of air through the carriage 

 190 



