The guard Wray looked out of the window of his van, and replied that the driver was to push the train back to the station, which, owing to the falling incline, he might have done; but the driver, very properly refused to push back the train, it being dangerous to do so, and directly contrary to the regulations of the Great Northern Railway Company. The guard Wray should have got out of' his van and gone back to protect his train, but he neglected this important duty, and was killed by the first collision. Rawlins, a servant of the Metropolitan Railway Company, who had formerly been employed at New England on the Great Northern Railway, was travelling in the van with the guard. He was so severely injured, that he died on the morning of the 12th inst. His travelling in the van was contrary to the regulations of' the Great Northern Railway Company.

About 11.36 p.m. a Midland goods train, consisting of an engine and tender, 26 goods waggons, and a guard's van arrived from London. The signals at Welwyn were at danger as this train approached Welwyn. and the driver slackened his speed, but when he got about 300 yards from the distant signal both it and the station signal were lowered for him to pass, and he stated that he entered the tunnel at speed of about 20 or 25 miles per hour, and ran into the train of empties when he got about a third of the way through the second tunnel. The tunnel was full of' smoke and steam, and the Midland driver got no notice of the danger, as he could not see the red lights on the guard's van, at the tail of the train of empties, till the moment that his engine struck the train."