Dreadful Accident at Harrington

Shortly before midnight on Friday, an accident, which resulted in the death of one man and injury to two others, and a great deal of damage to property, took place at Sir James Bain and Company’s ironworks at Harrington.
It appears that about a quarter to eleven that night two steamers, named the Maggy Ann and Yan Yen, lying in the harbour at Harrington, were being loaded with pig iron from the Messrs Bain’s works. After leaving their last load of iron at the harbour, the locomotive and wagons were being taken back to the works.
Robert MURRAY, the engine-driver, John McMULLEN, fireman, and Patrick MILLER, an engine-driver, were on the locomotive at the time. It was remarked, as the engine and empty wagons were being driven along the tramway which goes round by the wagon-way close by the sea shore, that the engine was going very fast, and that there might be an accident. Immediately afterwards Sergeant TITTERINGTON and other persons who were on the quay heard a great rush of steam from the direction of the ironworks. On going to the place they found the engine and empty wagons had run off the rails, the engine running into the concrete weigh-house. For some time nothing more could be seen for the smoke and steam of the engine, and it was quite expected that all the men would have been killed. Shortly afterwards the dead body of Patrick McMULLEN was found frightfully mutilated, his head having been struck by the slates of the house as the engine entered it. Robert Murray was found lying within the building near to the fire-box of the engine, with a large cut upon his head four or five inches long, his head had also been very much scalded or burnt, his lip was cut through and part of one of his fingers had been taken off. The fireman escaped with a bruise on the left hand, slight scalding, and a cut on the head. The body of McMullen was removed to his mother’s house in Quay-street. Murray, who is a married man with a family, and accounted one of the best men in the company’s service, was conveyed to the residence of Mrs HERBERT, in Stanley-square.
Dr CASTIES, of Distington, happened to be on a visit to Mr SIMPSON, manager for Messrs Bain, at Harrington, and at once proceeded to attend to the injured men. After the fireman had his wounds dressed he was able to proceed home. An examination was then made as to how the accident had occurred and the extent of the damage. The engine and wagons had evidently proceeded all right until reaching the point in front of No 4 furnace, which is within fifty yards of the weighing-house. The engine, it seemed, here got on one line of rails and the wagons on another. The engine then got dragged off the metals, rushed on, and dashing into the weighing-house completely wrecked it, carrying away one side of the building, and knocking a large piece of the concrete, estimated at a ton and a half weight, some half-a-dozen yards away. The weighing machine was smashed, and the locomotive, which had also received considerable damage, was found to be propping up part of the building. Four of the metal wagons were thrown over on their sides, and wheels and buffers were broken off them. This part of the structure had to be propped before the engine could be got out. On examining the points, a large piece of pig iron was found lying on the bar.
The points were then tried, and it was found that the lever would not fall whilst the piece of pig iron was lying on the rod. The probability is that the jerk after passing over the points closed them, and then the metal wagons taking the wrong rails caused the accident. The piece of pig iron, it is thought, must have fallen off one of the wagons which had previously passed over the same line of rails. It was extremely fortunate that the accident did not take place a few minutes earlier, otherwise there can be no doubt two more lives would have been lost. Robert BLAIR and John HERON, the two weighmen, had left the weighing-house only shortly before the accident occurred, there being no more metal to weigh that night.

On Saturday afternoon the inquest on the body of Patrick McMullen was opened at the Black Lion Inn, Harrington, before Mr W W Lumb, deputy-coroner, and jury, over which Mr Richard POTTS was foreman. Mr SIMPSON, manager for Messrs Bain, was also present. The inquest was adjourned after some evidence had been taken till Saturday next.