The Railway Accident

DuNEbiN, April 22. The cause of the railway accident was owing to the t»uard and the driver of the up train missing instructions. The down 1 train was running late, and the usual crossing place was altered from P^rera to Hindon. The puard of the up train was instructed at Wingatui to cross the, down train at Hindon. On arriving at Hindon he should have waited there till the other came through, bnt apparently confused these instructions with a message received ■ by telegraph at Hindon to cross another train at Barewood. At any rate, he proceeded on his way, and within a very few minuteß after leaving Hindon collided with - the down train. Though the trains ara sad to have been I , travelling slowly when tha collision occurred, they muat have come together with great force, from the fact that one of the carriages was telescoped into another. Within six feet of the end carriag9 that suffered most was the front one of the down train, and in the front compartment were several passengers In another compartment it appears that the only occupant was a man, i who had only one leg, but fortuuately he !, was sitting at the forward end when the 3 next carriage came crushing through. He had an almost miraculous escape. Immediately on receipt of the news of the accident a breakdown train was despatched from Dunedin conveying Dr Marshall Macdonald and ambulance appliances to the scene of the collision. This left Dunedin at 8 p.m., and arrived at the spot shortly before 9.30. No time was lost by Dr Mac Donald in setting to work to attend to the injured, and he soon found that nobody was dangerously hurt, with the exception of Fireman Ewart. Sergeant-Major Cardale sustained a cut above the eye, and had besides his left hand badly injured, one finger being completely smashed. It is stated that he was flung from the carriage platform over a cliff, and fell a distance of about 30 feet in the direction of the river. Ewart, fireman, who was at first supposed to have his leg fractured, sustained i" a dislocation of the hip, and was on arrival of the breakdown train at Dunedin, removed to the Hospital in the ambulance. Mrs Reid, who was one of the few ladies travelling, was cut about the head and face, and Mr Taylor was bruised about the leg. Martin, (driver of the up-train) was knocked about, but only very slightly hurt, and a few passengers other than those mentioned received a slight shaking.