ON THE RAILWAYS.
Some incidents in connection with the suspension of the railway service
on every line connecting Plymouth with the rest of the world have
already been related. It is unnecessary to dwell at further length on
the terrible mental and physical suffering entailed by this state of
things. Facts need no comment that tell of passengers being snowed up
in a train for thirty-six hours on a stretch, and others being unable
to communicate with their friends for nearly a week, to say nothing of
all that the engine-drivers and other officials had to endure.
One of the first expeditions that set out into the dreary night in
search of the cause of delay was undertaken by Mr. C. E. Compton,
the divisional superintendent of the Great Western Railway Co., and
other gentlemen, who went out on a pilot engine as far as Camel's Head
Bridge between eight and nine o'clock on Monday night. The cause of the
interruption in the telegraph system was here ascertained, the poles
being blown down and lying across the line. Later in the evening Mr.
Compton pushed on as far as Hemerdon, on the main line, where a similar
state of things was encountered, and it was learned that at Kingsbridge
Road and at Brent Station the snow had drifted to such an extent as
to block the line. A train due from Penzance was known to be somewhere
on the Plymouth side of Truro, but its exact whereabouts could not be
discovered. There was some anxious looking out for the "Zulu" express
from Paddington, due at Plymouth early in the evening, but the train
was at Brent, with about ten feet of snow on the line, between it and
Plymouth, and, as will be presently seen, the passengers were meeting
with some novel and undesirable experiences.
The mail train from Plymouth for London left Millbay Station at
the usual time, 8·20, and Hemerdon Junction was reached with much
difficulty. Here the first deep cutting had to be encountered, and the
driver, approaching it at a reduced speed, observed that the drifting
snow had practically blocked the entrance. The seriousness of the
situation was realized by one and all of the passengers, and, although
there was an anxiety on their part to get to their destination as soon
as possible, they agreed that there was no alternative but to either
remain where they were or return to Plymouth. The latter course was
decided upon, and shunting was at once proceeded with. The drifts of
snow rendered this work very difficult, and the frequent jerkings
caused the passengers much inconvenience. Eventually the driver, after
most skilful handling of the locomotive, succeeded in reversing the
position of the engine, and a start was made for Plymouth. Much to
the relief of the passengers, the latter place was reached, after a
slow but sure journey, about half-past one next morning. The utmost
consideration was shown the passengers by the station officials, and
accommodation was found them for the night at the "Duke of Cornwall"
Hotel and in the station waiting-room.
All traffic on the London and South Western Railway below Okehampton
ceased soon after eight o'clock on Monday night. One of the slow
passenger trains from Okehampton was snowed up in a deep cutting
between Meldon Viaduct and Bridestowe, one of the bleakest spots on the
South Western system. The express due at North Road Station at 11·4 on
the same night was stopped at Okehampton. The ordinary seven o'clock
up-train was despatched on Tuesday morning from Mutley Station, and was
drawn by three engines. Considerable danger attended railway travelling
in consequence of the jolting and straining that occurred when the
numerous obstructions were met with. All the points at the Tavistock
Station were completely choked, and though for some hours a number of
men were employed in an effort to keep them clear, the task was found
impossible, and as a result the train that might have proceeded in the
direction of Plymouth remained where it was as the engine could not be
shunted to the Plymouth end of the train. The last up South Western
train on Monday night was snowed up at Lidford, but the passengers were
released. One of the vans of a goods train proceeding to Tavistock
early on Monday evening was blown away.
Serious as was the condition of things on all the railways on Monday
night, on Tuesday matters became worse. During that day only two trains
reached Millbay Station, Plymouth, and these, which came from Cornwall,
should have arrived on Monday night. One account, of experiences as
unique as they were unpleasant, is thus given by the _Western Daily
Mercury_:--"The mail train from Cornwall, due at Plymouth at 8·10
on Monday night, reached Millbay at 9·30 A.M., bringing some eighty
passengers; amongst whom were Mr. Bolitho, banker, of Penzance, and
Mrs. Bolitho, who were wishful of getting to Ivybridge to attend the
hunt, and Mr. J. H. Hamblyn, of Buckfastleigh, who was _en route_ from
Liskeard to Bristol Fair. All went well with the mail until St. Germans
was reached at about 8 P.M. It was found that no further progress was
possible, and that there was no help for it but to pass the night in
the carriages under the shelter of the station. Mr. Gibbons, one of
the assistant-engineers of the line, and Inspector Scantlebury, who
were travelling in the train, resolved to walk to Saltash. The snow was
not so very deep at this time, and the block was due principally to
the wholesale destruction of telegraph poles. After a rough time of it
the two officials reached Saltash, and afterwards pushed on to Camel's
Head, where was the biggest block of all, fir trees and telegraph poles
and wires being scattered about broadcast. Meanwhile at St. Germans the
station-master (Mr. Priest) was doing his best to make the passengers
as comfortable as possible. In fact, all of those who reached Plymouth
after the night's adventure are loud in their praises of Mr. Priest.
Messengers were despatched by him to the village, and loaves, butter,
tea, and coffee were speedily bought up. At the station fires were
lit in all the available grates, and very soon the passengers were in
possession of hot tea and coffee, as well as bread and butter. This
modest fare was repeated at intervals during the night, and it goes
without saying was most welcome.
"After spending something like ten hours at St. Germans the mail was
able to leave at eight o'clock on Tuesday morning for Saltash, but
here another delay of nearly two hours took place, in consequence of
the block on the Devonport side of the Camel's Head bridge. To remove
this a breakdown train had been sent out from Plymouth at 6 A.M. in
charge of Mr. H. Quigley, the assistant divisional-superintendent. This
train got as far as Keyham Viaduct without much interruption. Here an
array of prostrate poles and fir-trees required removing, and then
the breakdown train forged ahead slowly to the Weston Mills Viaduct,
where there was a confused mass of poles and wires stretching from one
side of the creek to the other. This accomplished, a move was made to
Saltash, where the mail was met and safely escorted to Plymouth, which
all were glad to reach, after a novel but most unpleasant night's
adventure."
[Illustration: ROAD BETWEEN ST. CLEER AND LISKEARD.]
The difficulty that beset those that attempted to travel by road the
above view indicates, and is from a photograph by A. Leamon, Esq., of
Liskeard.
One of the passengers in the train snowed up between Princetown
and Plymouth in the evening mail has related the following
experiences:--"We left Princetown at 6·30 P.M. on Monday--the regular
time--with five bags of mails. The snow beat in our compartment through
closed doors, ventilators, and windows so much, that in a few minutes I
had two inches of snow on my umbrella. We stuffed paper, handkerchiefs,
and cloth into every hole or crevice we could find, and this remedied
matters a little. The coach we were in was a composite one--of four
third-class compartments, one second class, one first class, and
one guard's, and we were all in one compartment. Well, the wind was
blowing great guns, and we passed through two large drifts just after
leaving Princetown, but it required some heavy pulling. We had just
been congratulating ourselves on having been lucky in getting so
nicely through the storm, when we suddenly stopped, and we knew we had
stuck in the snow. The engine driver came and said, 'I was afraid of
it; we have got over a bar, and we cannot go on. We ought not to have
started.' The ladies became alarmed, and with that the driver, fireman,
and guard went to the front of the train with shovels to try and dig
a way for her, but it was no good. It is true that the place where we
stopped is on a bit of decline, but the engine was choked with snow.
The guard, having told us that we could not get on without assistance,
proceeded in the direction of Dousland to get help. He had been gone
about an hour, when he returned with the mournful intelligence that he
had lost his way, and that it was no use for him to attempt to reach
Dousland, as the snow blinded him. We decided to make ourselves as
comfortable as we possibly could under the painful conditions to which
we were subjected--six men and two ladies huddled together in one
compartment--the cold being most bitter, and none of us having anything
to eat or drink. We lived the night through, but in what way I can
hardly tell.
"In the morning the wind was blowing as strong as ever, and the snow as
it fell melted on the window panes, and the lamp--our only light--was
extinguished at 7 A.M. Just at this time the guard and fireman left
us, saying they were going to try and reach Dousland with the 'staff,'
so as to let them know of the disaster, and see what help could be
rendered. It is true that the fireman was lame, but I understand they
had fearful trouble, as he was sadly knocked up and his foot badly
lacerated. Some little time afterwards the driver, who has, I believe,
been seriously ill, announced his intention of going to Dousland. We
then felt in a particularly sad condition, feeling our only hope was
gone now that the driver had abandoned us. The storm was raging as
fiercely as on the previous night, but at 3 P.M. we were agreeably
surprised to find three packers, who had tramped up from Dousland
with refreshments for us, knock at our door. We were heartily glad to
receive the refreshments, which, I believe, were sent from the railway
company to us in our forlorn position--although it only consisted of
cocoa, bread and butter, and cake, with a bottle of well-watered brandy
to follow. We found there was enough for us to have one piece of bread
and butter and one piece of cake each. This was not a very substantial
bill of fare for people who had had nothing to eat for over twenty
hours, but we were thankful for small mercies. There is one thing I
forgot: the packers were very kind, and brought us out the guard's lamp
from his van, which we afterwards lit. One of the party, I think Palk,
asked if the packer thought we could weather the journey back. The
packer replied, 'It will take you about two hours.' This was enough for
Palk, who said he thought he was better where he was. Besides, we asked
him to stay and not desert us in the time of trouble.
"We then awaited the result of events. The wind was fearful, and we
were all bitterly cold. We were nearly dead in the afternoon, and drank
all the brandy by eight o'clock. If it had not been for that some of
us would have given way. The weather was milder after midnight. About
seven o'clock this morning one of us looking out of the window saw Mr.
Hilson, of Horsford, farmer, whose farm is only about 250 yards from
where our train was lying, picking sheep out of the snow. We whistled
to him, and on his coming to us he was told of our predicament. He
expressed his astonishment that he knew nothing of the accident. We
do not see how he could have, because the snow had been so blinding
in character until that day that it was impossible to see anyone
ahead. He offered us the use of his farm, and we joyfully accepted
the same, leaving the train after being in her for 36 hours. Poor
Mrs. Watts was much distressed and we had to assist her down. We had
breakfast at Mr. Hilson's, and then four of us--Hancock, Viggers, Palk
and Worth--started to walk to Dousland, which we could see ahead of
us. We got on fairly well over the snow, which was very deep in some
places. We could not keep our eyes open owing to the snow when we left
Princetown, and when we asked the station-master for tickets he said,
'You can have them, but I cannot promise you will get there.' It did
not strike me at the time, but if a station-master had any doubts as
to the safety or otherwise of a train he should not allow the train to
travel. It is true the wind was in our favour when we started. Mrs.
Watts is very bad indeed, and also the engine-driver and stoker. The
engine of the train when we left was completely covered with snow,
and the snow had drifted as high as the carriage, with a blank space
between the body and the wheels. All the compartments into which I
looked before I left her--although the windows and ventilators were
closed and doors locked--were full of snow above the hat-racks. It was
the most horrible experience of my life."
[Illustration: EXPRESS TRAIN, G. W. RY., TEIGNMOUTH.]
Great anxiety was felt in Exeter and Plymouth on account of the sea
wall which carries the line of the Great Western Railway Company from
Dawlish to Teignmouth. In past years this piece of line has suffered
very severely, and rumours were in circulation that it had been
washed away in some places. Happily, however, it was found, as soon
as communication became opened up once more, that the line remained
intact, the damaged portion of the sea wall being a carriage-drive
close to the town. One of our views, from a photograph by Messrs.
Denney & Co., photographers, of Exeter and Teignmouth, gives an
admirable idea of the force of the sea in this district, during the
progress of a gale from the south-east.
Difficulties and dangers on all the lines of railway multiplied as time
went on, and the horrors of the Monday night, of which the foregoing
narratives present only a partial view, were succeeded by some sad
instances of loss of life, besides great damage to the property of the
respective companies, and as a matter of course, a heavy falling off in
their traffic returns. The returns for the week, following March 9th,
on the Great Western system, showed a decrease of £12,980 as compared
with the corresponding week of the previous year, and the South-Western
Railway's decrease amounted to £3,662--all but £650 of which was lost
from the non-conveyance of passengers and parcels. This was regarded
as especially unfortunate in the case of the South-Western Railway,
as its traffic returns had previously been going up week by week, and
in the eleven weeks of the year had increased by £12,120, as compared
with the first eleven weeks of 1890. In addition to these losses heavy
expenses were incurred by all the companies by the efforts made to
clear away the snow, by means of snow ploughs, and the employment of
large gangs of men. The inadequacy of the snow ploughs, which dated
in England from the time of the heavy snow-fall in the early part of
1881, for clearing away heavy drifts, has been generally admitted. The
ploughs are quite competent to get rid of from 4 to 5 feet of snow, but
their capacity is not equal to depths ranging as high as 18 feet, such
as were dealt with in some places between Newton Abbott and Plymouth,
on the Great Western system, to say nothing of other sections and
branches. The ploughs, which are kept at Swindon, have an iron ram
in front, projecting like that of an ironclad, with a "cutter." The
attention of engineers has, however, been now directed to a new kind
of machine, with a revolving, spade-like apparatus, having a powerful
shaft, and a propeller that is designed to scatter the snow with which
it is brought into contact, and throw it clear of the rails on which
the engine is travelling. The work of cutting out engines that had been
absolutely embedded was very arduous, and in one case, lamentable loss
of life accompanied the other misfortunes brought about by the storm.
One or two instances of striking and unprecedented experiences of the
night of Monday must be recorded before this part of the subject, which
is, in itself, enough to fill a volume, is dismissed.
Passengers by the train which left Queen Street Station, Exeter, on
Monday evening at 6·38, and was in connection with the 2·20 from
Waterloo, had an exceptionally rough time. The train, a slow one, had
to make its way across Dartmoor from Okehampton to Tavistock, and on
starting, the guard, Mr. Moore, had orders to proceed as far as he
could. After cutting through the snow for some miles the train reached
Okehampton, and then attempted to brave the force of the storm that
was sweeping down from the Dartmoor hills. It got over the Meldon
Viaduct safely, and then it was attempted to go on over Sourton Down,
but in going through Youlditch cutting it ran into a snow-drift, and
about three miles to the west of Okehampton it was brought to a stop.
Efforts were made to run back to Okehampton, but the rapid drifts of
snow, which were from ten to twenty feet in height, prevented this
being done, and it was soon seen that there was nothing left but to
remain until help of some kind could be obtained. There were only
eleven passengers, including two ladies and two children. The ladies
and children, who were well supplied with wraps, were bestowed as
comfortably as circumstances would permit in a first-class carriage,
the male portion of the party, with the guard, Mr. Moore, the driver,
Mr. Bennett, and the fireman, Mr. Oates, trying to find some warmth
in the guard's van. This, however, was a matter of impossibility, the
bitter wind and the fine snow finding its way into the compartment,
to the great discomfort of the occupants. The engine fire was kept
alight, but was useless to impart warmth to the unfortunate party. It
was only on the following day, and just before relief arrived, that Mr.
Bennett had succeeded in getting a fire in the van by means of boring
holes in one of the engine-buckets, filling the bucket with coal and,
after much difficulty, kindling a flame, which the draught obtained
through the holes soon increased into a most welcome blaze. Mr. John
Powlesland, auctioneer, of Bow, was one of the belated travellers, and
was especially assiduous in his efforts to do all he could for his
fellow-sufferers.
When the train first showed signs of becoming embedded, a telegram
was sent from the nearest signal-box to Exeter for assistance, and
two engines were sent down. These approached within three-quarters of
a mile of the snowed-up train, but could not be taken nearer on that
line. They were then, with some difficulty, shunted on the up-line,
with the view of pushing their way to the carriages in that manner, but
the only result was that they became snowed-up in their turn.
As day approached Mr. Moore and Mr. Oates made their way to the Sourton
Inn, which stood at no great distance, for the purpose of obtaining
food, but their endeavour met with but slight success, the inn being
also snowed-up, and the occupants having but little in the way of
provisions that they could spare. No help arrived until Tuesday, at
mid-day, when a search-party, headed by Mr. Prickman, the Mayor of
Okehampton, and consisting of some half-a-dozen gentlemen of that
locality, succeeded, after a difficult journey, in reaching the train.
They took with them food and liquid refreshment, and were most heartily
welcomed by the imprisoned travellers. By this time the train was
entirely buried on one side, the engine having forced the snow on the
left side up to a height of fully twenty feet. Only a small portion of
the engine and carriages was visible, and the scene is described as a
remarkable one.
The travellers were at once conducted by their rescuers to Youlditch
Farm, where Mr. Gard treated them with much kindness, and took care of
the ladies and children. The gentlemen subsequently made their way on
to Okehampton, where they were detained for several days. The guard,
engine-driver, and fireman were not able to leave the train until the
following day, when a breakdown gang was employed to cut a passage for
the train through the snow--a task that occupied nearly the whole of
the week.
[Illustration: SNOW DRIFT, ROBOROUGH DOWN, DARTMOOR.]
On the Launceston branch of the Great Western Railway, the down-train,
which left Tavistock at seven o'clock on Monday evening, remained
embedded in the snow outside Horrabridge for several days. Between
the Walkham Viaduct and Grenofen tunnel very heavy work had to be
done, a deep cutting being not only choked by the snow, but quite a
score of trees having been blown across the rails. The accompanying
illustration, depicting a snow-drift in this locality, from a
photograph by Mr. Sheath, of George-street, Plymouth, conveys an
excellent picture of the heavy masses of snow that had accumulated on
this part of Dartmoor.
A passenger by the train which left Penzance at 6·25 P.M. on Monday and
arrived at Plymouth at 3 P.M. on Tuesday, has supplied an interesting
account of the blockage near Grampound Road. The train, containing
about a dozen passengers, was only a quarter of a mile above Grampound
Road Station when it encountered a drift of snow fully twenty feet
high. It was impossible to proceed or to retreat, for the blinding
storm had drifted more snow on to the line behind, so that passengers
left the train and crossed some fields back to the village, and found
shelter at the Grampound Road Hotel. It was then about 10·30 P.M. The
guard Kelly remained on the train, and the under-guard Hammett walked
back to Grampound Road and wired to Liskeard for a relief engine. He
then walked on to meet an engine which had been sent for from Truro,
and returned to the train on it. A relief gang arrived from Lostwithiel
under engine-driver Harris, and the men dug at the drift until eleven
A.M. on Tuesday, when the train was able to proceed. One of the workers
described the cold as so intense that the snow froze on the men's
clothes, practically encasing them in ice, and the under-guard Hammett,
who had been at the work for over twenty years, said he never had such
an experience, and even in the terrific storm of 1881 the snow was not
so blinding.
Another passenger who travelled by the 6·50 Great Western up-train
from Plymouth on Monday returned by a somewhat roundabout route, and
he thus described his experiences: Hemerdon was reached without
any delay on the journey, but at that point the train was drawn up
for about three-quarters of an hour, to allow a down-train to pass.
It then proceeded slowly in face of a terrific gale, accompanied by
blinding snow. After leaving Cornwood, a grating sound on the roof of
the carriage suggested broken wires, and this was followed by a jerk
and a stoppage, and the interesting announcement that one coach and
the engine were off the rails, and embedded in a snowdrift. There was
nothing for it but to wait, and the "wait" lasted the whole night.
There was nothing to eat for anybody, and the forty or more passengers
(amongst whom were several ladies) had to make their night watches as
comfortably as was possible under the circumstances in the Langham
cutting! It seems that the driver and one of the guards succeeded in
reaching Ivybridge, about a mile away, in the late evening, but no
notice of the proximity of the village was given to the passengers. On
Tuesday morning a small party from Ivybridge, under Messrs. Brown and
Greenhough, two engineers superintending the alterations to the line
in the neighbourhood, came to the rescue of all who were willing to
face the blinding storm. Only four consented to go, and they were very
thankful to exchange the cold comfort of the railway carriage for the
hearty hospitality offered by these gentlemen in Ivybridge.
The officials here do not seem generally to have been equal to the
exigencies of the situation, no notice of their whereabouts being
given to the passengers, nor any organised attempt made at rescue or
provisioning, but a porter and a packer from Ivybridge station arrived
about daybreak with whisky and brandy. When the four passengers
referred to were leaving at about 9·30 on the Tuesday morning, bread
and butter and tea were being dispensed. Many of the remaining
passengers were hospitably accommodated by Miss Glanville at her house
close to the half-buried train, the ladies being assisted thither by
the engineers and their party. Another train was detained at Ivybridge
Station, and the passengers from it were lodged in the village.
In West Cornwall three trains were snowed up. The train which left
Plymouth at five o'clock on Monday night and should have reached
Penzance at 8·45, arrived there at eleven. The "Dutchman" which should
have, in the ordinary course of things, followed within fifteen
minutes of this train, did not arrive at all, and news soon reached
Penzance that the fast train was snowed up, but in what spot was only
ascertained with much difficulty. A train was at once got ready, and
on it Mr. Blair, the station-master, Mr. Ivey, the superintendent of
the locomotive department, Mr. Glover, and a breakdown gang, proceeded
to Camborne, which was reached about noon on Tuesday, it having taken
about nine hours to accomplish a journey of thirteen miles. All the
way along huge drifts of snow were met with, completely blocking
the passage, and at frequent intervals the way had to be literally
cut through the drifts by the men of the breakdown gang. Thus, with
great difficulty, Hayle was reached, and from thence to Camborne the
task became almost overpowering. Here the open country favoured the
accumulation of snow, and the drifts were immense. In a deep cutting,
close to Gwinear Station, was encountered a drift of about eighty yards
long and nine feet deep.
On at length reaching Camborne it was discovered that the missing 8·45
train had left Redruth at about ten o'clock on Monday night--an hour
and a half late. The storm was then at its height, and the snow was
driving with such force that only very slight progress could be made.
The train passed Carn Brea safely, but when within sight of Camborne
Station, close to Stray Park, the engine left the metals, running on
the south side, and finally bringing up at a hedge against which it
lay on its side. Fortunately, at the time of the occurrence, speed was
slow, and nothing more serious than some damage to the rolling stock,
and the inconvenient detention of the twenty or thirty passengers
occurred. These included five ladies, who were taken to the house of
Mr. Maurice Reed, the Station Master at Camborne, the gentlemen of the
party having good opportunities of finding comfortable quarters in the
hotels of the town. Another train was embedded in fifteen feet of snow
on the Helston branch line from Gwinear Road to Helston, and the guard,
engine-driver, and stoker, with their one passenger, were compelled to
abandon the train and seek shelter in a neighbouring farm-house.
While great inconvenience and discomfort was caused by the blizzard
on the Cornish railways as a whole, no fatalities were reported, and
the work of clearing the lines, great and arduous as it was, was
accomplished in less time than in the districts above Plymouth, and in
the vicinity of Dartmoor. Communication between Plymouth and Cornwall
was opened up some days earlier than that with Totnes, Exeter, and
other towns. The scene here depicted shows the depth of snow in this
neighbourhood, and is from a photograph by A. Leamon, Esq., of Liskeard.
[Illustration: MAIN ROAD BETWEEN LISKEARD AND TORPOINT.]
Above Exeter things were not so bad. In the Tiverton district the
effects of the blizzard were rather severely felt, and communication
between some towns was for the time cut off. The railway authorities
were very active, and gangs of men were sent up from Exeter on Tuesday
to clear the lines, but they could do little more than keep the points
clear for shunting, watch the signals, and fix detonators where
required, the driving snow being so blinding, and the coldness of the
bitter wind so intense. The difficulties of the neighbourhood commenced
on Monday evening at the Whitehall tunnel, when the pilot, in front of
the express, got off the line. Daylight came before a gang of packers
sent from Taunton could effect a clearance, and instead of passing at
ten o'clock on Monday night, the express only struggled into Tiverton
Junction, with two engines attached, at half-past six on Tuesday
morning. The night mail, and the North mail followed some hours after,
and managed to get through to Exeter, but after that, until Wednesday
morning at eleven o'clock, no train could leave the junction.
After being snowed up for some hours at Burlescombe, the first part
of the newspaper train reached Tiverton at half-past ten on Tuesday
night. The train was stopped at the home signal, and so intense was the
cold that the machinery was, in a few minutes, frozen, and the train
could not enter the station. The ladies--mostly for Plymouth--who were
in the train, were carried on chairs by porters and packers to the
adjacent Railway Hotel, where they, and some of the male passengers,
were able to obtain beds for the night. The train remained in the
same position until Wednesday morning. In a siding also stood a slow
train, which should have reached Tiverton on Tuesday at ten in the
morning, but which did not get in until the afternoon. The passengers
by this train were transferred to the first down-train that was got
out from Tiverton on Wednesday. The second part of the newspaper train
remained at Burlescombe all Monday night. The store of provisions in
the hamlet was already exhausted, and although as much as a guinea was
offered for a bed by some of the passengers, neither food nor sleeping
accommodation could be obtained. A very uncomfortable night was passed
in consequence, and many of the ladies suffered severely from hunger
and exposure.
H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh, on his way to Devonport, was snow-bound
at Taunton on Tuesday night, but with about two hundred other
passengers, was able to proceed on his journey at the end of the week.
His Royal Highness afterwards conveyed to the Directors of the
Company his appreciation of the courtesy and attention he received
from the officials and servants of the Great Western Railway, on his
journey during the gale and snowstorm, and during his detention at
Taunton, on March 11th and 12th, and particularly thanked the Taunton
station-master for his services.
At Brent, one of the most exposed railway towns on Dartmoor, the Zulu,
from London, which was due at Plymouth at 8·55 on Monday night, came to
grief, and a number of passengers spent several days of that week in
this very bleak locality. Especial discomfort appears to have prevailed
here, probably on account of the difficulty of obtaining assistance or
information from any neighbouring town, and from the limited resources
for personal comfort that the town afforded. There can be no doubt
that the experiences of the first two days and nights must have been
wretched in the extreme. After two hours waiting in the carriages, in
a state of considerable doubt as to what was to happen, the travellers
found themselves at length at the Brent station. Here there was neither
refreshment nor accommodation, but the hotels of the town were made
for. Quarters were difficult to obtain, however, as a large number of
contractors men working on the new line of railway were residing in the
place. On Monday night many passengers lay upon the floor, using their
overcoats for pillows, and their rugs for coverings. A Mr. Stumbles, a
commercial traveller, who was one of the Brent unfortunates, gave an
account of his experiences to a representative of the _Western Morning
News_, which has led to much subsequent controversy, and to a shower of
letters, conveying many diverse opinions, being sent in to the editor
of that paper. It appears that there were about forty passengers in the
train, and that many of these remained at the station all night, either
in the train or in the waiting-room. Next day Brent was visited, and
refreshments were bought at, as Mr. Stumbles says, famine prices.
The account referred to goes on to say:--"One gentleman bought a bottle
of brandy, for which he had to pay 6_s._, the inns charged us double
price for ordinary meals, and some establishments refused to supply us
at all, probably thinking that a famine was impending. We returned to
the station as best we could, through the great drifts of snow, and,
with such provisions as we could buy, did the best we could, cooking
such things as bloaters in the station waiting-room. Our scanty
supply, I must say, was most generously supplemented from the small
stores which the railway officials, such as signalmen and others,
had with them. There were a number of sailors and soldiers amongst
the passengers, and most of them were without means. One gentleman
gave them a sovereign, and ladies from Brent also brought them money,
tobacco, and provisions during our stay. On the following monotonous
days we spent our time in smoking and in conversation, and also in
'chaffing' the station-master, whom we christened 'Dr. Parr.' On
Wednesday an enterprising amateur photographer from Brent took several
views of our snowed-up train, with the eighteen or twenty passengers
who stuck by it perched in various prominent positions upon it. We all
united in praising the minor officials, and the men in charge of the
train, for remaining faithful to us, and excused the want of sympathy
of 'Dr. Parr' on account of his age. The driver kept the fires of his
engine going all the time, but his boilers had to be filled with water
by hand, and in this work valuable assistance was readily given by
the soldiers and marines in the train. Just before we were enabled to
leave Brent, we were visited for the first time by the clergyman of the
parish, and our final leave-taking was celebrated by three sarcastic
cheers for 'Dr. Parr' and for 'Brent.' The passengers in this train
included Lieutenant Rice, of the Essex Regiment; Mr. R. Bayly, J.P., of
Plymouth (who succeeded in getting through to his home on Wednesday)
Miss Sykes, and a nurse who was travelling from Scarborough to the
South Devon and East Cornwall Hospital, Plymouth."
It is only fair to the station-master at Brent, and to the residents
of the town generally, to repeat that this description has been
extensively contradicted, and among others, by Mr. Robert Bayly, of
Plymouth, who was another of the detained passengers. Mr. Stumbles,
however, has adhered to his description, and in more than one instance
his version has been supported. Among other interesting details of the
week in Brent, is the account of the arrival of the first newspaper, a
copy of the _Western Morning News_, which was brought over from Totnes
on the Thursday morning by an adventurous policeman, who successfully
undertook the dangerous walk. This paper was eagerly sought after, it
having been the first account of the doings in the outer world seen
since Monday, and one of the enforced sojourners in Brent is said to
have paid five shillings for the use of the paper for one hour. The
fortunate possessor of the journal declared that he had been offered
two pounds for it, and had declined to trade.
At Totnes a number of passengers were detained, among them being a
reporter of the _Western Morning News_, who went to the town on Monday
to report a meeting, and was only released on the following Friday
night. A number of passengers who left Friary Station, Plymouth, by the
3·47 P.M. South Western train on Thursday, were taken into Tavistock on
the following day, after having spent the night at Lydford. Instances
innumerable of the same character occurring on the Launceston and other
lines could be related, but as their points of interest bear such a
strong resemblance to each other, it is unnecessary to proceed further
with them.
Thursday, March 12th, was a day of very severe weather, and the efforts
of the hundreds of men working on the various lines to clear the snow
and also to release some of the buried trains were seriously retarded.
By the end of the week, however, things were beginning to assume their
normal aspect, and the trains were running with tolerable punctuality.
The telegraph service, in a deplorable condition of collapse throughout
the week, was restored, and the masses of accumulated correspondence
in the post offices were sent on to their destinations. The labour of
clearing the lines was as dangerous as it was arduous, and unhappily
an accident, proving fatal to one man, occurred during the operations
on the Great Western Railway at Ivybridge. Work was being carried on
at this spot under the superintendence of Mr. C. E. Compton, and a
number of men were engaged in getting an engine on to the line, when
a train dashed round a curve among the workmen killing one, named
William Stentiford, of Plymouth, and seriously injuring two others. The
lamentable occurrence was purely accidental, and that this was the only
fatal occurrence during the whole of the operations of this most trying
week indicates the care that was taken by all those engaged on the
railways from the highest officials downwards. Such an experience was
never before met with, and it was a matter of congratulation that those
in power were able to cope with the difficulties as well as they did.
No doubt some practical lessons were learnt during the operations, and
should such a visitation unhappily occur in the West of England on any
future occasion, the experience gained during this terrible week will
not be without value.