Genre:

Essay; Reportage, Spoof

Subjects:

Railways, Accidents, Transport

    Noting railway companies' tendency to 'diminish' the truth about railway accidents, compares and contrasts two imaginary reports of one such event. The first, a 'Non-Official Report' of a 'Frightful Collision on the Slap-dash Railway', describes the collision between a late up-train and a much delayed early luggage train in the 'Great Hearse Tunnel'. The second, the 'Official Report' into the 'Temporary Stoppage of a Train on the Slap-Dash Railway', claims that the up-train was punctual and merely 'met with a slight check' from a luggage train. Other areas of disagreement include the explosion of the up-train's boiler, whether the company acted promptly, and the injuries inflicted on passengers.