RAILWAY AND INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF THE SOUTH WEST BLACK COUNTRY

GENERAL NEWS

THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY:- Shareholders in the Great Western Railway will be glad to learn that the chairman and several directors are making a tour of inspection of all the companies lines, visiting every station, and making full enquires as to the duties performed and the staff maintained, with a view to effecting "important reforms in the management and expenditure". If this can be done without diminishing the efficiency of working, or even with some improvement therein, the public will rejoice.

CORRESPONDENCE
THE STOURBRIDGE EXTENSION LINE
Tu the EDITDR of the COUNTY EKPRES.

DEER CIR, I beg leaf tu sa a wurd or tu on the awlimportant subjek of raleway travlin. I think et the dewte of all men as thinks tu think a good deal about therselves and otherfokes tew; and as a part of sosiete it ort to bee, if it aint, the cheif delite of mann tu looke hafter is hone appenes and mak uther fokes kumfertable; and fer this reezun, I wish to draw atenshum of the Stourbridge Extenshun Raleway Cumpany tu the a pauling fakt that the onle hacomodashun tha affords tu passingers on there raleway is no akomodashun at awl. Now, Cir, if tranes was hawlways in the stashuns at the rite time, and peeple cu tell wot the rite raleway tim was (fer as won as notised klocks in a good mene stashuns, I think, without egsadgerashun, I kud sa that if 100 of em was plased in a rume a mite shave hesself without a luking glass while they was all a strikin 12) peeple mite go tu the stashun at the rite time, and the kumpane hav sum ekskuse for not errecktin watin rumes of sum sort fer respektabl persunt tu resort tu, tu wate for a trane as is behinde time, insted of standin aut in the peltin rane til all ther klothes waz a stikin tu there skin - a coffin and sneezin as if ther edds was about tu tumble off, and the big teers a rollin donne ther cheeks as big as thimbles - awatin for a late trane. I no sum fokes will sa as theres publick ouses neer the stashuns and tha hobviates such things bi goin in them and getting a glass or tu of grog and smokes a pipe or tw tu while awa the time. But, Cir, wee kant ekspekt delikate feemales to go tu publick ouses and smoke till a train kums in as is beehind time. Why, Cir, this seems revoltin to the hedukated and refined taste of the superior klass of beings as lives in the nineteanth senture, and enuf to make osses talk, and make he feel mad, persuns sa as the wot up raileway travlin and go their long jurneys on the "numatick talegraff!" or else get up a publick supkripshun for the purpose of bildin sumthing of the kind just out of charity; becos I heered a man sa the uther da as the line didnt pa, but I shud think it ort tu pa as hotels and publick ouses. Ef it dont pa I shud think it wont in the cumming winter, wen all the travelin peeple get the "rheum" or the "tic" through undue ekspozure tu kold and rane.

I am, deer cir, yore obeedient sevt.,
PALL JONES.
Kradley Eeth, Sept.,1867.

DUDLEY PORT

"FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT:- On Wednesday morning, about half past eight o'clock, a fatal accident occurred upon the North-Western Railway, at Dudley Port, to a man named Jabaz James a labourer, about fifty one years of age. It appears that the deceased was employed at a siding near the station to remove ballast from a boat into waggons. Whilst the ballast train was proceeding - as he thought, rather too fast - he ran to one of the waggons to put the brake on, when his feet slipped from under him, and his legs were literally cut off. He was at once removed in a cart to the General Hospital, Birmingham where every attention was paid to his sufferings, but he died about one o'clock, He leaves a wife and four children.