LATER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 83, 10 April 1900, Page 5

LATER.

Hicks has been removed from trader the trucks. He has an arm and a leg broken. The accident happened on the Wellington side of the range to a train composed of one engine, two bralce vans, and 52 trucks, 43 of the trucks being- filled with sheep, consigned to the Gear Meat Company. In the ordinary course of events, the enginedriver should have stopped on the other side of Kaitoke station, and applied a number of brakes, in order to safely run over the curves and the steepest part of the down grades. The | rails, however, were, greasy, owing tc the drizzling rain, and the train gob clean away, and could not be pulled up. About two miles beyond Kaitoke, when rounding a curve on one of the steep grades, one of the trucks left the metals, and the whole train was quickly piled up on the lines. It was a terrible smash, 40 of the trucks splintered into matchwood, 2500 sheep were piled up with them, and of this number only 500 were got out alive. The most sensational incident was the disappearance of a guard named Stephen Hicks, who had been put on. to brake the middle van. After ths accident he could not be found any* where. Eventually the workmen no* ticed a plank of the guard's van stick" ing- in the pile of debris, and g-uided byi this they began clearing away in the hope of finding Hicks. After a time they heard him groaning, and after two hours of arduous work he was extricated more dead than alive. Hs was in a very sad plight, for his left arm was broken and fearfully lacen jated, while in addition his left leg wal I broken above the knee, and he also had received very £UTcr« saalp wouads. His recovery is s<3mcr*£iiiat doubtful. He was extricated fsroin a pfle of dead end dying sheep, which, no doubt, saved him from being at once crushed to death. A train, with the traffic manages and a large gang of men, arrived af the scene about nightfall, and goil quickly to work to remove the debris and repair the line. The scene at night was decidedly picturesque. The scenery at the spot is beautiful with wooded hill and dale, and huge bonfires made from the splintered timber of the trucks lit up the scene with a lurid light. Men had to be sent in among the debris to cut the throats of many of the maimed sheep. Before the accident occurred Guard Barrett, at the risk of his life, left the rear van and climbed along the three rear trucks, putting- the brake? hard down. He had just succeeded in breaking the third Avhen the smash occurred, but these three trucks and the end van remained on the line. The engine also remained on the line. The engine-driver states that the train was travelling at the rate of about 30 miles an hour on a doTvn grade of one in 33. As each truck is worth £100, the van £200, and the sheep at Jeast 12/. teach, the smash will cost the Department considerably over £7000. Stephen Hicks injured in the railway accident, has had one arm amputated at the Hospital. Otherwise he is .pro I gressing-favourably.