ABSTRACT

ON the evening of 25 January, 1882 —about six weeks, that is tosay, after the accident in the Canonbury tunnel-a dense bank of fog arose, it is impossible to say where, and approached London from the north. Until about 5.10 that evening the atmosphere at Hornsey Station was perfectly clear, but then all on a sudden the fog-bank arrived there, with the result that people on the "down " platform could not see the lamps on the " up " side, though a moment before they had been shining brightly enough. Travelling slowly southwards along the course of the Great Northern line, the fog encountered about 5.20, not far beyond Hornsey Station, the 4.23 train from Victoria (London) to Enfield, the passengers in which were thereupon astonished to find the perfectly clear atmosphere in which up to this point they had performed their journey become changed to the thickest blackness. Owing to the breakdown of a "goods" at Wood Green, their train, as luck wrould have it, was detained in Hornsey Station by signal. Meanwhile the following train-the 4.59 from Moorgate Street also bound for Enfield —left Finsbury Park, and pursued its journey in absolutely clear weather, up to and past the Finsbury Park No. 5 signal-box.