William Shenton
William was the engine driver of a Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway (MS&LR) goods train involved in a serious railway accident at Sandal, just south of Wakefield.
YORKSHIRE EVENING POST Saturday, 28 November 1891
RAILWAY ACCIDENT NEAR WAKEFIELD
GOODS TRAINS IN COLLISION -TRAFFIC DELAYED Owing to the
dense fog that prevails in Leeds and district last night traffic both in the
thoroughfares of the borough and on the different lines of railway running into
it was conducted with very great difficulty. From about 9 o'clock vehicular
traffic was almost entirely suspended, and at times even pedestrians had
considerable trouble in finding their way about. It was, however on the railway
lines that the greatest inconvenience was experienced, trains having to be run
with exceptional care and being in consequence much retarded. Shortly before
ten o'clock a collision between two goods trains, by which the Great Northern
London express, due in Leeds a few minutes after ten o'clock, was considerably
delayed, occurred on the company's line at Sandal, a short distance south of
Wakefield. So far as could be ascertained it was not attended with any fatality
or serious personal accident, but the line both up and down was blocked for
some considerable time, and the express that was coming on to Leeds from King's
Cross was the detained. Immediately the accident was reported breakdown gangs
were sent onto the scene of the collision to clear the lines with as little
delay as possible. Passengers who were to have travelled from Wakefield to
Leeds by the express were covered by a special train from Westgate, reaching
Leeds at midnight. The passengers and Guard of this train brought to Leeds the
news that no one had been hurt in the Sandal casualty. The travellers from
London were, however delayed nearly three hours, reaching Leeds at twenty
minutes to one o'clock,
THE LINE BLOCKED TODAY
In consequence of the smash traffic on the line between
Leeds and Wakefield was to-day seriously impeded. The newspaper train from London, due at the
Central Station at half past nine did not arrive until close on noon, the papers in fact having to be sent forward
from Sandal on a light engine, and the passengers arriving shortly afterwards.
Later.
The line is now clear and traffic has been resumed for some
hours. A break-down gang under Mr. Doggitt, Assistant Inspector, proceeded to
the scene of the accident shortly after the occurrence, and they were hard at
work all night. When day dawned the spot where the goods trains collided
presented the gruesome appearance. The rails were covered with broken debris
and splinters, and some of the goods wagons were still smouldering. The
telegraph wires which run along the side of the embankment were smashed; couple
of wheels, some of them with the connecting axles doubled almost at right
angles, were lying about; and two large goods waggons had fallen down the
embankment into the ditch, where they lay with their ends upwards, and their
contents strewn around. The express train was as soon as possible drawn up on
the sliding near the station, where, with its two goods vans stove in, it
remained during the morning. Until about nine o'clock all trains to and from
the south had to proceed via Hair Park and Kirkgate, and many of them were
considerably delayed in consequence the London newspaper train, for instance
been one and a half hours late. Many of the railway sleepers and portions of
the lines from the scene of the collision to sandal station were displaced on
wrenched, and men were engaged until a late hour and hammering them in place.
Traffic is now proceeding over the line as usual but the wrecked wagons on the
embankment, and the damage train in the sidings, still remain to indicate that
an accident has occurred.
