Straffan Rail Accident 1853
Encyclopedia
The Straffan Rail Disaster on October 5, 1853 occurred when a goods train ran into the back of a stationary passenger train a quarter of a mile south of Straffan
Station in County Kildare
.
line from Dublin to Cork
was only in operation six years when 18 people died in what is still the island’s third worst railway tragedy, having since been surpassed by the Armagh rail disaster
of 1889 (80 killed) and the Ballymacarret Junction (Belfast) disaster of 1945 (23 killed).
Edward Croker Barrington, a solicitor for the company who was a passenger on the train, directed John O’Hara, stoker on the train, to signal a warning to a 20-carriage goods train which had been passed in Portarlington and was approaching from behind that it might push the train into Dublin. He was gone 15 minutes when the goods train was seen approaching and, reassured, some of the passengers got back on the passenger train. But the goods train crashed into the stationary carriages at full speed, passing through the first class carriage at the back of the train, overturning the second class carriage, shearing the roof off another carriage and driving the rest a quarter of a mile the other side of Straffan Station, reduced to “a heap of ruins”.
William Hutchinson from Clownings was one of the first on the scene, having come to the rail bank to investigate the stalled train. Dr Geoghegan came to tend the injured, and Edward Kennedy who was hunting nearby helped summon aid. The injured were kept in the Station House and three orphaned children brought to Lyons House
.
. The victims came from Cork, Mallow, Kenmare, Birr, Laois, Kildare and Dublin, and included Jesse Hall from County Kildare, Daniel and Anastasia McSwiney of Kenmare, TW Jelly of Straboe, John Egan of Birr, Emma Pack of Birr, Kate Hamilton Haimes, (the wife of a mill owner from Mallow, originally identified from a note in her pocket by her maiden name, Kate Smith), Christopher McNally, a solicitor of Dublin, Claire Kirwan from 82 Lwr Abbey St in Dublin, Margaret Leathley from 62 Eccles St in Dublin, Joseph Sherwood a servant boy of the household of Richard Stokes, Cherry Agnes Knapp from London, Margaret Palmer, a cousin of Mrs Knapp, William Bateman a solicitor from Cork, Mrs Latham Blacker from London and four children. A total of £27,000 compensation was paid to victims, the equivalent of Eu2.37m nowadays.
The Dublin Unionist newspaper Evening Mail alleged that the bodies of the dead and the dying were plundered by the local peasantry, an allegation disproven by the inquest and condemned by the rival Freeman’s Journal: “the people did not plunder the dead and dying but, on the contrary, assisted with the greatest alacrity and to the utmost of their power.” The only criticism at the inquest was of a carter named Connor from Celbridge who refused to carry the wounded until he was given half a crown.
The enquiry found that no warning was given by either red light or detonator
s. The stoker John O’Hara, engine driver James Gass and James Prey, guard of the luggage train, were arrested.
, the Wexford-based weekly which reports the supernatural, the place has been haunted by a man with a red lamp ever since.
Nor hour nor distance heeds;
With heat and roar and whistle shrill,
On through the dusk it speeds.
Our friends in Dublin city gay,
Expectant name our names;
"The fog is out to-night," they say,
And stir the kindly flames.
Oh! chiller than October's touch
Is freezing many a smile!
Terror and mortal torments clutch
What love expects the while.
Love's self, however true and warm,
Might fail to recognise
The dear, the well-remember'd form,
If set before its eyes
'Mong twisted metal, splinter'd wood,
Half buried in the ground,
'Mong heaps of limbs crush'd up in blood,
Must wife, child, friend he found.
No hostile cannonade, or mine,
Perform'd the cruel wrong;
Through peaceful fields they sped to join
The city's sprightly throng.
Straffan
Sruthán was mistakenly cited by Thomas O'Connor in the Ordnance Survey Letters in 1837, and adopted as the Irish form of Straffan. Seosamh Laoide used it in his list of Irish names of post-offices published in Post-Sheanchas . An Sruthán gained currency among those involved in the Irish revival...
Station in County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
.
Background
The Great Southern and Western RailwayGreat Southern and Western Railway
The Great Southern and Western Railway was the largest Irish gauge railway company in Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
line from Dublin to Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
was only in operation six years when 18 people died in what is still the island’s third worst railway tragedy, having since been surpassed by the Armagh rail disaster
Armagh rail disaster
The Armagh rail disaster happened on 12 June 1889 near Armagh, Ireland when a crowded Sunday school excursion train had to negotiate a steep incline; the steam locomotive was unable to complete the climb and the train stalled. The train crew decided to divide the train and take forward the front...
of 1889 (80 killed) and the Ballymacarret Junction (Belfast) disaster of 1945 (23 killed).
Events
At 6:20 pm on October 5, 1853 the piston rod on a locomotive snapped, stranding the newly operating noon express train from Cork at a place 974 yards south of Straffan Station, towards Baronrath in a dense fog and gathering twilight. There were a total of 45 passengers in the two first and three second class carriages.Edward Croker Barrington, a solicitor for the company who was a passenger on the train, directed John O’Hara, stoker on the train, to signal a warning to a 20-carriage goods train which had been passed in Portarlington and was approaching from behind that it might push the train into Dublin. He was gone 15 minutes when the goods train was seen approaching and, reassured, some of the passengers got back on the passenger train. But the goods train crashed into the stationary carriages at full speed, passing through the first class carriage at the back of the train, overturning the second class carriage, shearing the roof off another carriage and driving the rest a quarter of a mile the other side of Straffan Station, reduced to “a heap of ruins”.
William Hutchinson from Clownings was one of the first on the scene, having come to the rail bank to investigate the stalled train. Dr Geoghegan came to tend the injured, and Edward Kennedy who was hunting nearby helped summon aid. The injured were kept in the Station House and three orphaned children brought to Lyons House
Lyons Hill
Lyons Hill is a restored village, and former parish with church, now part of the community of Ardclough in north County Kildare. At a time when canal passenger boats travelled at Lyons was the nearest overnight stop to Dublin on the Grand Canal. On the hilltop is a trigonometrical point used by...
.
Inquest and enquiry
The inquest was performed initially at Straffan Station House and adjourned to Barry’s Hotel at Thirteenth LockLyons Hill
Lyons Hill is a restored village, and former parish with church, now part of the community of Ardclough in north County Kildare. At a time when canal passenger boats travelled at Lyons was the nearest overnight stop to Dublin on the Grand Canal. On the hilltop is a trigonometrical point used by...
. The victims came from Cork, Mallow, Kenmare, Birr, Laois, Kildare and Dublin, and included Jesse Hall from County Kildare, Daniel and Anastasia McSwiney of Kenmare, TW Jelly of Straboe, John Egan of Birr, Emma Pack of Birr, Kate Hamilton Haimes, (the wife of a mill owner from Mallow, originally identified from a note in her pocket by her maiden name, Kate Smith), Christopher McNally, a solicitor of Dublin, Claire Kirwan from 82 Lwr Abbey St in Dublin, Margaret Leathley from 62 Eccles St in Dublin, Joseph Sherwood a servant boy of the household of Richard Stokes, Cherry Agnes Knapp from London, Margaret Palmer, a cousin of Mrs Knapp, William Bateman a solicitor from Cork, Mrs Latham Blacker from London and four children. A total of £27,000 compensation was paid to victims, the equivalent of Eu2.37m nowadays.
The Dublin Unionist newspaper Evening Mail alleged that the bodies of the dead and the dying were plundered by the local peasantry, an allegation disproven by the inquest and condemned by the rival Freeman’s Journal: “the people did not plunder the dead and dying but, on the contrary, assisted with the greatest alacrity and to the utmost of their power.” The only criticism at the inquest was of a carter named Connor from Celbridge who refused to carry the wounded until he was given half a crown.
The enquiry found that no warning was given by either red light or detonator
Detonator (railway)
A railway detonator is a device used to make a loud sound as a warning signal to train drivers. The detonator is the size of a large coin with two lead straps, one on each side. The detonator is placed on the top of the rail and the straps are used to secure it...
s. The stoker John O’Hara, engine driver James Gass and James Prey, guard of the luggage train, were arrested.
Folklore: The Ghost Story
According to Ireland's OwnIreland's Own
Ireland's Own is a family magazine published weekly in Ireland. It specialises in lightweight content, traditional stories, knitting patterns, and uncontroversial family content, including puzzles and recipes. It was launched in 26 November 1902 by John M...
, the Wexford-based weekly which reports the supernatural, the place has been haunted by a man with a red lamp ever since.
Allingham Poem
The magic car of modern skill,Nor hour nor distance heeds;
With heat and roar and whistle shrill,
On through the dusk it speeds.
Our friends in Dublin city gay,
Expectant name our names;
"The fog is out to-night," they say,
And stir the kindly flames.
Oh! chiller than October's touch
Is freezing many a smile!
Terror and mortal torments clutch
What love expects the while.
Love's self, however true and warm,
Might fail to recognise
The dear, the well-remember'd form,
If set before its eyes
'Mong twisted metal, splinter'd wood,
Half buried in the ground,
'Mong heaps of limbs crush'd up in blood,
Must wife, child, friend he found.
No hostile cannonade, or mine,
Perform'd the cruel wrong;
Through peaceful fields they sped to join
The city's sprightly throng.
- William AllinghamWilliam AllinghamWilliam Allingham was an Irish man of letters and a poet.-Biography:He was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland and was the son of the manager of a local bank who was of English descent...
(included in Day and Night Songs, 1854).