RAILWAY COLLISION IN OTAGO.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIII, Issue 94, 22 April 1902, Page 2

RAILWAY COLLISION IN OTAGO.

SEVERAL PERSONS INJURED.

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

(Continued from page 4.)

DUNEDIN, this day

CAUSE OP THE ACCIDENT

The accident was caused ' through the guard and driver of the uptrain missing the instructions. The' down train' was running late, and the usual crossing-place was altered from Paera to Hindon. The guard 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, but apparently confiised these instructions with a message received by telephone at Hindo-n to cross another train at Barewood. At any rate, he proceeded on his way, and within a very few minutes after leaving Hindon' collided with the down train.

Though the trains are said to have been travelling- slowly when the collision occurred they must have come tog-ether with great force, from the fact that one of the carriages was telescoped into another within 6ft. of the end. The carriage that suffered most was the front one of the down train, and in the front compartment were several passengers. In the second compartment,. it appears, the only occupant was a man, who had lost one leg, but fortunately he was sitting at the. forward end when the next carriage came crashing through. He had an almost miraculous escape.

A RELIEF TRAIN

Immediately on receipt of the news of the accident a train was despatched from Dunedin, conveying Dr. Marshall McDonald and ambulance appliances for the scene of the collision. This train left Dunedin at 8 p.m., and arrived there shortly before 9.30.

No time was lost by Dr. McDonald in setting to work to attend to the injured, and he soon found nobody was dangerously hurt, with the exception of the fireman (Ewart).

THE INJURED PEOPLE

Sergeant-Major Cardale sustained a cut above the eye, and had besides his left hand badly injured. One finger was completely smashed. He stated that he was flung from the carriage platform over the cliff, and fell a distance of about 30ft in the direction of the river.

Ewart, the fireman, who. was at first supposed to have had his leg fractured, sustained 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 Indies travelling, was slightly cut about the head and face, and Taylor was bruised about the leg.

Martin (driver of the up-train) got a bit of a knocking about, but was only.very slightly hurt, and a few passengers other than those mentioned received a slight shaking.