John Haynes, engine driver 13 years, and 10 years of that time in I he service of the Brighton Company, states: 1 was driving tender engine No. 374 on the night or the 6th November, and I was on my way from London Bridge to Battersea Park yard. As I approached Balham junction from Streatham Hill the signals was on against me. I whistled for them, and the stop-signal was taken off and l ran forward and  stopped at the Balham station starting-signal, and got there about 14 minutes past eight o'clock. It was at clear night, but rather drizzly and wet. I had a tail light of the tender on the near side, the left-hand side. I did not whistle at Balham for the starting­ signal to be taken off as I saw a train going away in front. I stood at the starting signal about three or four minutes, and then it was taken off. The Wands­worth Common up-distant and up home-signals were both on at danger when I Started from Balham starting signals. I pulled up at the Wandsworth Common up stop-signal, and was there about two minutes. I had not moved when the collision took place. The Wandsworth Common up home or stop signal was on when the collision took place. It had not been taken off. I had whistled for that signal to be taken off just as we stopped at that signal. I was knocked off the engine by the collision, and the stop-signal was on when I was knocked off, and as I was lying on the ground, and when I turned over, I saw that it was still on. I think 1 was in the act of getting off the engine when I was knocked off it. I saw that a train was coming, and that made me attempt to get off, but I had not time. There was a long whistle from the coming train. I cannot say where the train was when the whistle was sounded, but it was owing to the whistle that we saw the train at all. In my opinion the steam was on, on the coming train engine. I should say that it was travelling rather fast, about 35 miles an hour. My mate saw the coming train first. He did not get off the engine at all. He called my attention to the light of this train. We had not time to put my engine in motion. I was thrown on the ground just opposite the spot where the collision took place. My engine was knocked some distance ahead. The funneL of my engine was just against the stop-signal at Wandsworth Common when we stopped at it. My off engine was knocked ahead about 250 yards. It was not thrown off the rails. This occurred about 8.21 p.m. The tender of my engine was much damaged. I was struck in the head and at the back of my ear, and on my back, and was five weeks off duty. When we heard the whistle my mate looked back. I did not take my eye off the signal; and when he looked back, he said, " What light is that on the main line?" the main line signal being off at the time. When I looked back 1 saw that the coming train was on the

same line as ourselves, and I then tried to get off.

The goods train at Wandsworth Common was standing in the siding at the down side, and it had to back out on the down line towards Balham station. The taillights of that train were coming towards me, but did not come back so far as the spot at which I was standing. It is not the practice for a train to be kept standing at the stop·signal when the line between the stop and starting signals is clear. We are not supposed to stand more than two minutes at a. stop-signal when the line ahead is clear. without whistling. I did whistle for that stop-signal to be taken off. After I reached t.he stop-signal at Wandsworth Common, the main line stop-signal was taken off, about one minute after we got to it.. We can see the taillight of the goods train when it is alongside of the platform at Wandsworth Common from Balham station. The tail-light on my tender, when standing at Wandsworth Common up slop-signal, can be seen from Balham station; and when my engine is  standing at the Balham station starting-signal, the tail light on the tender could l1e seen as soon as Streatham Hill station is passed; it could be seen from the Streatham Hill advanced starting signal. I think the steam was on on the London and North Western engine, because I saw steam issuing from the chimney. The hand break on the tender of my engine was o when my engine stopped at the stop signal. It was not taken off before the collision took place. In my opinion the London and North Western engine struck the back of my engine twice. I saw the London and North Western engine break loose from the train, and struck my engine a second time.

James Shirlock, fireman 5  8/12 years, states I was acting as fireman to John Haynes on the night of the 6th November on engine 374, on its way from London Bridge to Battersea Park. I rode on the right side of the engine. The junction signals at Balham junction were off as we approached, but the Balham station starting signal was on. We drew up to it, and stopped there. We whistled for it to be taken off. We stopped there about two minutes, as near as I can say, and the starting signal was then taken off. The Wandsworth common up distant and stop signals were both on when we left Balham station starting signal. The up stop signal, worked from Wandsworth Common, remained at "danger," and we stopped at it. We stayed there about two minutes. Haynes whistled for that stop signal to be taken off when about half way between Balham starting signal and the stop signal. I saw a North Western train coming. Our engine was standing at that time. I called my mate's attention to it. I heard the North Western train whistling. I thought it was coming on the main line. I think the North Western train was about the Balham station starting signal starting signal when I heard it whistle first. It was a continuous whistle. My mate saw that the North Western train was running on the same line as our engine was standing on before I saw it. My mate attempted to get off the engine, but I did not attempt to do so. The North Western train was running fast. I think it was running between 30 and 40 miles an hour. I do not know whether the steam was on or off. It was a very dark night. I think the London and North Western train was bout 300 yards from us when I looked at the signals. The main line stop signal was off. The local line up stop signal was on at danger. I cannot tell whether the local line up stop signal was on or off when the collision took place. Our engine was not knocked off the road; it was knocked ahead. The break on our tender was on when the collision took place. I do not know when the collision took place. I was hot in the knee and in the shoulder, and I was five weeks off duty on account of the hurt.

James Blunder, head porter at Balham station 17 years states: I was on duty on the night of the 6th November. I saw the 8.0 p.m. London and North-Western passenger train from Croydon to Willesden pass. The Balham station starting-signal was off for the London and North-Western train. The up distant-signal (for the local !inn), worked from Wandsworth Common, was on. That signal was not taken off before the North-Western train passed it. I was standing on the down platform when the North Western train passed. The steam was on on engine of' the North-Western train, and the engine was whistling as it ran through the station. The up distant-signal worked from the Wandsworth Common station was not taken off. before the North-Western train passed it. The whistling continued until the train passed the up distant signal, and beyond it, and then the driver gave a short whistle, us drivers sometimes do when the signals are taken off. I heard the crash, and I looked towards Wandsworth Common, and saw that the up stop-signal for the local line was off. That might be three or four seconds after the short whistle was sounded. I cannot give any information as to when the steam was shut off before I heard the crash. While the North~Western train was running through the Balham station the steam was on. When I noticed the up local stop-signal was off I saw that the up main stop-signal was also off.

Conclusion

From the preceding statements, it appears that on the night in question, the 7.24 p.m. up passenger train from Sutton to Victoria, passed the Balham junction signal-box at 8.9 p.m. It was signalled forward from thence to Wandsworth Common station at the same time, and "Line clear" was received at Balham junction from Wandsworth Common signal-box for that train, at 8.18 p.m.

The passenger train had passed on to New Wandsworth station at 8.14 p.m., but the signalman at Wandsworth Common having to send on a goods train, which was standing in a siding on the down line at Wandsworth Common station, to New Wandsworth, did not give back "Line clear" to Balham junction, until that goods train had got away at 8.19 p.m., the clocks in the two signal-boxes appearing to differ by about one minute.

A warning signal from Streatham Hill was received at the Balham junction signal box for a light engine, at 8.10 p.m., and "Line clear" was given back to Streatham Hill for that engine to come on, at 8.13 p.m., and the Balham junction up-signals on the line to Streatham Hill were taken off for the light engine, and it entered the Balham station at 8.15 p.m. It is stated to have had a tail-light on, and the signalman noticed that it was burning brightly.

At that time, the "Line clear" from Wandsworth Common for the 7.24 p.m. up passenger train had not been received at Balham junction signal-box, and the light engine passed through the Balham station, and stopped at the starting signal.

The signalman on duty in Balham junction signal-box (J. Smith): had entered at the bottom of a page in the telegraph book, the entry of 8.18 as the time when he had received "line clear" from Wandsworth Common for the 7.24 p.m. up passenger train, and he had also  made an entry of 8.18 p.m. at the same place in the book, as the time when he had signalled forward the light engine to Wandsworth Common, as he ought to have done, but which he omitted to do, through a mistake, having forgotten that the light engine was then standing, waiting at the Balham station starting-signal for that signal to be taken off; that signal being 506 yards north- west of Iris signal-box, from which spot the tail lights on the light engine could not be seen.

The Balham junction signalman received a warning signal from Streatham Hill signal-box, for a Loudon and :North-Western up passenger train at 8.19 r.m., and he gave " Line clear " back to Streatham Hill for that train to come on, at 8.19 p.n1., and took off the up distant and up home signals on the line to Streatham Hill, and also the Balham. station up starting signal, and he supposes the light engine left Balham station when this signal was taken off for the London and North-Western up passenger train.

The London and North-Western up passenger train, 8.0 p.m. from Croydon to Willesden, was signalled forward to Wandsworth Common from Balham junction signal-box at 8.20 p.m., and it was acknowledged from Wandsworth Common at the same time.

The London and North-Western up passenger train consisted of a tank engine and six carriages: the engine having an hydraulic break on it, and the carriages were fitted throughout with the chain break, the three front carriage breaks being under the control of the engine-driver, and the breaks on the three last carriages under the control of the guard of the train riding in the last vehicle in the train.

This train, according to the Balham junction signalman, passed his box at 8.21 p.m., running at from 40 to 45 miles an hour; the engine whistling as it ran through Balham station, as the Wandsworth Common up distant-signal for the local line was on at "danger" against it.

The Balham junction signalman found ~ut the mistake he had made about the light engine, when he thinks the London and North-Western up passenger train was close to Balham station starting-signal, but it was then too late to rectify the mistake.

The driver of the London and. North-Western up passenger train, Wm. Hornby, states that the up signals at the Balham junction were off, as well as the up starting signal for Balham station and he saw this just as he passed the advanced signal at Streatham Hill; that the starting-signal was taken off at the same time as the Balham junction. signals were taken off; and so far there is no contradictory evidence. He passed Balham junction at about from 28 to 30 miles an hour, with the steam off, as he bad shut it off at Streatham Hill; and he passed through Balham station the up distant-signal worked from Wandsworth Common was on at 'danger,' and the Wandsworth Common up home or stop signal was also on at 'danger'; that he had not turned on the steam again after shutting it off at Streatham Hill, and he passed the Wandsworth Common up distant-signal running­ at from 28 to 30 miles an hour; it might not have been so fast, as the gradient rises from Balham junction through the station ; that he whistled for the Wandsworth Common up distant and home signals to be taken off-three whistles, and he had just passed the up distant-signal when the up home-signal was taken off, but he did not put on the steam again. He had to cross the engine to get a sight of the Wandsworth Common up starting-signal, and when he saw it, that also was off; that he did not turn on the steam ; it was all down hill, and the steam was not required; that when he got back to the other side of the engine he saw something in front, but did not know what; they were close on it before he saw it, and he saw the tender of an engine first, and he saw that before he saw a red light which was on the right-hand side ; that red light was a tail-light; he had just caught sight of it before they came to it, and that w'1.s all; he thinks they might he still running about the same speed, as the signals were all off; he had not tin1e to do anything, and he had not time to speak to his mate before the collision occurred, and he had run into the tender of the Brighton engine..''

He says, He saw no tail-light or an engine standing at the Balham station up starting-signal, which is on the same post as the Wandsworth Common up distant- signal.

He also stated, That when he saw the Wandsworth Common up distant and up home signals both on at 'danger' he did not see the tail-light of an engine standing near them.

This man's fireman (J. Burn) says, His mate whistled as they ran through Balham station with the steam off, running at from 25 to 30 miles an hour; he did not notice the Wandsworth Common up distant-signal, but the up stop-signal was off when he first saw  it, when he was 100 yards on the Wandsworth Common side of the Balham station starting-signal; that he first saw the red light on the engine on the right-hand side of the buffers, and they were not above a couple of engines' length from it when he first saw it; that his mate had just put on the steam,.when he first saw it, and that they were running at from 20 to 25 miles an hour when he turned on the steam; that his mate put on the steam as soon as he saw that the up stop-signal at Wandsworth Common was off for them to proceed.

This train is not appointed to stop between the Crystal Palace and Clapham junction stations, and it is allowed sufficient time to require it to travel at an average rate of Speed of about 30 miles an hour.

The signalman on duty in the Balham junction signal-box estimates the speed at which the London and North-Western up passenger train  at from 40 to 45 miles an hour as  it passed his box. The head porter at Balham station says that while the North-Western train was running through the station the steam was on, and the train passed the Wandsworth Common up distant-signal whilst it was still on at 'danger;' that the engine was whistling as it ran through the station, and the whistling continued until the train passed the up distant signal and beyond it, and then the driver gave a, short whistle, as drivers some times do when the signals are taken off; that he heard the crash, and looked towards Wandsworth Common, and saw that the up stop-signal was off; that might be three or four seconds after the short whistle was sounded. He could not give any information as to when the steam was shut off before he heard the crash, but while the train was running through the Balham station the steam was on. 

A postman standing on the down platform at Balham station speaks to the London and North-Western train travelling through the station at an unusually fast Speed, and he did not believe the steam was off.

The driver of the light engine (J. Haynes) states that the Wandsworth Common up home or stop signal was on when the collision occurred. He thinks the steam was on, and that the London and North-Western train , was travelling ~about 35 miles an hour.

I have thus shown that the evidence is very contradictory as to what the engine- driver of the London and North-Western up train did between Streatham Hill and Wandsworth common; but there is no doubt whatever that the original cause of the collision was due to the failure in the block working, owing to the signalman at Balham junction having forgotten that he had admitted a light engine into Balham station, and had neglected by mistake to signal it forward to Wandsworth Common before he permitted the London and North-Western up passenger train to pass the Balham junction np signals, and to signal it forward to Wandsworth Common.