SCENE OF WRECKAGE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 125, 27 May 1914, Page 6

SCENE OF WRECKAGE.

TKI ENGINE OVERTURMD. TWO CARS TELESCOPED. THE GUARDS STORY. (f\v felegraph.—Special Hepnrtpr.i MKIUT.i;. uiis .l,iy. W i..ni'-':imarin,. station, the scene of '<•■ '■ 'lU.-IMH. i- a pi un hntwen nine an,l •" Hiilw ir.,m M.tct. Tin. accident was "'■ I" \h- inaizi trunk -xpr-,. ~,,,1 1np " " r ' jl "' i ""' »iH' •. mixed -cuds and ■•' '■'• tram. »l.i-i| » ; ,s 1,,. m ,. 8 i,|... - •■ ■<'.- witli rcs;:ird u> tin M-naU. ihc 1 ■ " ;r.vi*>!!iny .m .;:, m iU- iM , !,,,„,-. ■ - ■'■ '•■•- ' '■■ ' i' , !"■■(■ Inc. ' I h'n "\ X " a ' ' : " v > ■ ' i: ■■• .. ' ! '-','■ ni.nl ■ f":'"' ,, i" i ;'■,: ■■■;' ~; ) ~,.

<hir representative, on arrival at. the 1 scone of tho accident, found everything j in a hopeless state of wreckage. The big ! engine of the express had complctrir overturned, and -was lying in the • swamp six feet below the track. On the I engine itself rested the remains of a J cattle truck end up. while the postal van I and sleeping ear had been completely I telescoped. A REMARKABLE ESCAPE. i The roof of the postal van -was quite intact after the accident, the sleeping cur behind having telescoped over the van --o completely that th e car-roof fitted neatly on to the van roof. In the sleeper nil the compartment,* wore ja-mme<l con-ccrtina-wiHc into one tangle of wrcok<i£<\ from which .the injured passengers i had to be extricated. .Among some rei ma-rkable f«:oaprs recorded that oiTablet : I'orter William Ikwialdpnn wan probably 1 tho most pxtraordinarr. He -wn rt in - char-.> «,;' ihe Whfl.nga.mnrino station ■•i-t nijsrht. and when s«pn by a 'Star' , - representative thi- mornrnpVhad an ex- <■ iranrdinary story t.. tell. Tie declined ■■ '■•■ say how the sienaU stood .it the time ■ ■■! tit.- a.vidmt, but said that when the Mi,.!,-, mvurred he « ;l s siitiny m, the '■ p.mit>. side-tracking i he snorts train with ' n-iioi tne ovprei* collided. It was while 'j ">' »:>-_ llnu .i.-.ii|.i,.,| thai the express '' - ; - ■"' ' •■' '■■:■ T h P l,jg ;; -. I "I. k- ~f i •:.. •>,.-..".. ~r " .,n.! |~,.^7ri . :i o i; '-'■": ;i ■'•>*■ J If »»: carried come

distance amid the debris. an,l was found afterward* in an unconscious condition, lyin;.' .imunjr-t the wreckage of the dv>'troye<l pood., and cattle tnu-ki-. He .-ii-tained a broken arm and was badly fill about the fa<-e and body, .but his escape from instant death and mangling was truly rcni-arkal)!r. Kqually sensational and equally provi- | dcntiiLl -v\cre Uie escapes of 1". ' P.'irkinpt.on and .1. Stone. lireman and driver mi the cpre>-. and of Mc-sr-. Scott and Bristol, th-e oflieers in the mail van. When the collision <»-■ enrred the train was travellinpr at a speed of well over 30 miles .in hour. After passing throu<rli t.he poods train, it leaped into -pace and furneil tiirtU- in the swjimp Im'low. I'nder tho the ex-ajve 01 Injt.h driver iin.l fireman was miraculous. They were luith thrown clear of the o.ib of the engine into ihe swamp, and escaped ahn.i-t .-ei ; nch|. ss. Die officers in the mail van i which \vas immediately behind the enffim-. and which telescoped with the sleeper, al-o <--ca|i.-d without, seriou.- injiin-. Tlie driver and Hrerosn of the pH->ds train. Hill and Colleit.. al-.i .-si-aped injtirA-. GUARD WILSON'S STORY. The puard. .Tames Wilson, when inter viewed at "the soene of the accident, said thjit. the first intimation of anything wrong was when the W(istin{rhou-e brake was suddenly applied. It ua.- a remarkable thini. however, that even when the collision took place, practically no impact to speak of was felt liv those at hi.- end of the train, a-cribed thi- t" the effect nf Uie AVi-stin-hou-e brake. When the exprei-fi had come to a. Ptandptill he im mod lately went t>> the front of the train, wlwre lie wu< surprised to find the expn-ss lyinjr on its hick, and the two front cure telescoped. CRIES OF THE SUFFERERS. Piteous cries came from the occupant* of the wrecked sleeping carriage. The guard rushed lu.k to the guard van for ii light CTo-i-bar and ax?.-. The interior of the sleeping ear was but a heap of wreckage. All the compartments had been jammed together, and i-ev-era! of the passenger- were

cnuprht ihotwppii the shattered frignienw of woodwork ami tin , i-eiling. Tin , pn*--Trojnns to in reselling ilm-p injured. eaujrl t in tlip <lvl.r:<. ami who were .-till cnn-cionn, were calling Mr •help, and urpins tlip rcucuer.* to nvo every )>o. e «rblp haste in tlwir work. GETTING OUT THE DEAD. Mr Petersen was one of tlip first to whom assistance was rendered. Ho was caught between the shattered walls of tin* par. with his head projecting through one of the compartment windows. Crow-bars and axes bad to bo used io release him. Death occurred shortly alter Mr Petersen was jot out. Mr Stevens had evidently died before anyone could fret to him, ' TERKTBLE INJURIES OF VICTIMS. The bodies were conveyed to the little wayside station, whore it could be seen that both had been terribly injured. Mr Stevens hail sustained a terrible crushing, his .skull being almost crushed in. Mr Petersen had also been fearfully crushed, unit there ■would have been no hope for either, it was clear, even had no time whatever been lost in recovering them from the wrecked ear. Cuiird Wilson added that everything possible was done by the officials on the scene and the willing helpers from the passenger car?. Doctors Unite, of i'ukckohe. and' C'liPCßeinan were first on the scene. Dr. Waite told a "Star" representative Unit they had had a very busy time, and had devoted their attention to the men whose condition was most sr-rious. They had to administer chloroform to two "of the patients while their injuries were being attended tn; while morphia had to lie given to both Messrs. Swinson and Orimst.mc. the former suffering from internal injuries, while Mr C.rimslone had a broken thigh, besides having sustained other serious injuries. The?p two men were sent on 10 the Hamilton Hospital. HOW THE BERTHS WERE . OCCUPIED. The injuries were confined to the oocupanbs of iho sleeping oar. The berth near the T-nd ear ne-arest the engine w-as occupies! iby Mr. liam, the others in order Wivtrs. Fox, Grknetime, fetensen, Maekay, Swinson. Howard Stevens. Hill. Sutherland, and Barrie. The fourth berth was vacant. Mr. Stevens ha%inj; apked to be mnr\ - ed to a cotmpartnienl wfth 1-epri oeeupante. Ue -went to No. 0. The berth* from 10 to 17 were vacant. There were no lady occupante .in "the sleeping car. CAB ATTENDANT'S STORY. If. Scott. Kleep?n<T ear attendant, told a reporter he "n-aa standing i>y xhv. <-;\.bin door a.bou+. tiir middleof the ear next the door of the compartment occupied 'by Mr. Stevene. illc had' just come through from thp train after chanirinir tciwrln, when, without the «lijrhti*t. warning, there was a tcrritie c.rath. 'He felt a weight against hie Ixvk and "was jammed into a corner with yiilrri of . 1 <il>ris on top of him. Aftvr rei-nverinj !iis tenses, he worked hiti .f.-et. free, and snmeh-od a window, railing for liolp. Ouani Wilson, who wae pacing at the time, handed- in a lamp, the light from which revealed a terrible ki-ctic of crmfnKion. Sco.it saw a pair of lejrs (probably Stevens) Tinar him In I!ip debris. Help fnon arrived, and "the bodies of ;lie killed and injured wvrc f-und under the debris in tW centre of "the <Mr. Splendid relief work waM done by all present. When t'ne bodies wTre extrioatifl, Mr. Stevenfi was found to be dead from head wounds and abdominal injuries, the latter presumably having caused death. Mr. Peters'Pn. dead, had a eevere. wound on the top of th-e head. Tt 5-ecmeri as thnngh h-e had survived its shock for stoip minutes.