The accident that occurred on the 20th February, at the Littlehampton station, on the London-Brighton-and-South-Coast Railway. In this case, the 10.15 p.m. passenger-train from Ford to Littlehampton, came into collision, in running into the Littlehampton station, with the wooden buffer-stop at the end of the passenger-line at that station. Neither the engine nor the tender nor any of the carriages left the rails, nor were they in any way damaged, but the buffer-stop was slightly damaged, and four passengers have complained of injury.
The passenger-platform at the Littlehampton station is at one side of the station only, and the line adjacent to that platform, on which the passenger trains arrive and from which they start, is terminated by a wooden buffer-stop of ordinary construction. There is a loop- line, connected at both ends with the platform-line; and it is the practice, in the ease of all trains arriving at the station, to bring them to a stand in such a position that the engine, on being detached from the front of them, may run round them to be re-attached at the other end of them, in readiness for the return journey. The distance at which the engine thus brought to a stand would be from the buffer-stop, is 69 yards in the case of a tender-engine, and 73 yards in the case of a tank-engine. There are the usual distant and home signals for the protection of the trains standing at the station. The line for 700 yards between the distant-signal and the station is level.
Evidence.
The train in question consisted of a tender-engine, running tender first, a break van next behind the engine, a first, a second, and a third class carriages. This was the usual formation of the train which runs backwards and forwards daily between Littlehampton and Ford.
The engine-driver, Charles Prescott, states that he had coma on duty on the morning of the 20th February at 6.0 a.m., as usual on Sunday mornings, and that he was at work until 11.0 a.m. He re- commenced work about 3.0 o'clock in the afternoon, and was running backwards and forwards between Littlehampton and Ford, with one trip to Arundel, until 10.30 pan., with the exception of about an hour, allowed for his tea. There are three men working the branch as engine-drivers. Their average day's work is 10 hours a day per week of seven days, lint they work individually 14 hours and even 16 hours a day, because they arrange amongst themselves and with their superiors to take two days of heavy duty and the third day off duty. They thus work regu- larly 14 or 16 hours each of them for two days, and then each of them have a holiday on the third day. He did not carry any watch himself, and therefore does not know at what time he left Ford on the evening of the 20th February. He ran between Ford and Littlehampton at the usual speed, and approached Littlehampton also at the usual speed ; but the rails were very slippery, and the tender break did not appear to take so much effect as usual in stopping the train. He therefore reversed the engine about a hundred yards from the point at which it ought to have been brought to a stand, and he applied steam against the engine, and was still holding on by his lever when his tender came into collision with the buffer-stop. He had Isis back to the fireman, and could not see what he was doing with the break- handle. He drank nothing but beer during the day, having had one half-pint at dinner-time, and one about a quarter past 6, and one about. 10.15. The fireman who was with the engine-driver had gone away to Portsmouth, apparently in search of other work, and could not be found to give evidence at the inquiry.
An engine-cleaner, William King, joined the engine at Ford, and rode to Littlehampton. He rides backwards and forwards between Littlehampton and Ford, on his way to and from his home and his work. Ile saw the engine-driver shut oft' his steam in passing the distant-signal on the approach to Littlehampton, and he saw the fireman turning the break-handle, though he cannot say in which direction, just before he reached the signal-cabin. He noticed that the break did not take much effect, and that the speed was too high ; and he saw the driver reversing the engine between the goods-shed and the water-crane. He noticed when they were half way down the plat- form, that the fireman was screwing on his break the right way. He noticed it particularly then, but cannot say whether it was being screwed the same way as before. He stood still, and remained on the engine, as well its the driver and fireman, till the collision occurred. The driver wits, he considered, sober.
The guard of the train, John Grant, was riding in the break-van next behind the engine. He is head- porter at the Littlehampton station, and takes duty as guard every other Sunday. He has done so for about seven years. He left Ford at 10.21 p.m., and there was nothing unusual on the journey to Littlehampton. In approaching the signal-cabin at that station, which 'is about 300 yards from the station, he began to apply his break, and at the same time to look out of the window of the raised portion of the van. He saw the train was running much too fast, and as soon as he had applied his break, he opened his van-door• ready to jump out. About half way down the platform he fell and cut his knee and his face, and he has been off work ever since. He had some conversation at Ford with the driver at about 10 minutes before 10 o'clock, and he saw him afterwards from time to time before the collision occurred; and he feels certain that the engine-driver was not any the worse for liquor. The engine-driver had spoken to him once or twice in the course of the day, telling him to be very careful in applying his break, as the rails had been very slippery all the day.
Mr. Briggs, the station-master at Littlehampton, was not on the platform when the collision occurred; but he heard the train approaching at unusual speed. He went at once towards the platform, and he reached it immediately after the collision occurred. He went at once to the engine-driver, and asked him how it occurred, and the engine-driver replied that the guard had omitted to put the break on. He went to the guard's break, and found it applied, and the chain on. He found either the fireman or the cleaner turning the handle of the break. Ho considered the engine- driver to be perfectly sober.
The locomotive foreman at Littlehampton, William Huggins, was in his bedroom preparing for his bed; but looking out of his window, he saw the passenger-train running down by the station-platform at too high a speed. He put ou his coat and boots, and went out and examined the train, and the servants of the Company with it. He also met Mr. Briggs. He found the tender-break tightly applied, but he did not look at the van-break. The engine-driver appeared to him to be perfectly sober, as well as the fireman and cleaner, but he did not speak to the guard. The tender-break was in good order.
The signalman on duty at the Littlehampton cabin, Charles Dewey, noticed that the last train in the evening was travelling a trifle faster than usual, but it did not occur to him that the engine driver would have any difficulty at pulling up at the station platform.
Conclusion
This collision has occurred in consequence of engine driver having approached the Littlehampton station at too high a speed, and of the fireman and guard not having applied their breaks sufficiently soon, having regard to the speed of the train, and the condition of the rails, which is admitted to have been very bad during the whole of the day and on the night in question.
The engine-driver has been in the Company's service, off and on, since the year 1846; but he does not bear a good character. Various offences are re- corded against him, and he has twice, previously to the appointment of the present locomotive-superin- tendent, viz., in 1847 and 1866, been dismissed from the Company's service. The fireman entered the service of the Company in September 1873, and was promoted to be fireman in August 1875. there is no record against him in the fine-book. The acting guard has been foreman-porter at Littlehampton for the last five or six years, and bears a good character, as a steady and careful man.
Having reference to the evidence given of the en- gine-driver's hours of duty, it is right to remark that it would appear to be better, both for the men them- selves and for the service in which they are engaged, that they should be employed more regularly, than that they should thus be permitted to work for 14 or 16 hours on two days and have nothing to do on the third day.