IN GOOD ORDER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 99, 29 April 1938, Page 8

IN GOOD ORDER.

EXCURSION ENGINE.

EVIDENCE AT INQUIRY. RATANA HAIL DISASTER. (Bj- Tf'li-srni.h.— lTesa Association.) WELLINGTON', this day. Mining tin , Katana railway di-a*ter inquiry to-day Sir b'rani 1 ')- I'razcr mentioned tluit a letter had ln-cn received from a resident at Paraparaiiinu the names of two people who mi-lit lie ahle to iiive valuable e\ iilence concerning the actual time of the derailment. I The I,.iter would he passed on to the ■ seeiTtary of the hoard >o that he could I cominuiiicale with the people mentioned! ill tile letter, I out inniii'j liis evidence. E\ere-I (iaiiilix .-aid Ihe engine \\a- in lir-l <la-> order. Mr. I'erriviil had driven il ipiite a lot. He had 24 limn s oir duty l ip(We cominir on on Kridny, March ■}:>.

Witness -aid lie had driven with speedometer-, hut personally he did not need them to know whnl speed the engine w<i* Join**. The engine's headlights wore very μ-oiid indeed. When a driver was employed on a run regularly lie had no need to look at his working time-talde. If he was put on ■i rin portion of which, although lie niirrht be acquainted with it. lie did not cover regularly, he would look up his time-table to freshen his memory.

The right was reserved to Mr. C. G.I Watson, who is appearing for the Rnginedrivers' Association, to crossexamine Mr. Gamby at a Inter stage if necessary. The difficulty was. lie said, that Mr Gainhy spoke of conversations with Mr. Percival two or three clays before the- derailment. It might be that when Mr. Percival was able to give evidence his account of the events might give a different version to sonic matters.

Sir Francis Frazer agreed that the best course to adopt would be that when the I>oiu - d was sitting at Wanganui any of the witnesses whose evidence should be contradicted could be made available again. Looked at Watch. Mr. G. J. Mullins, a Wellington tramway conductor, said he had been requested by the board to come forward. He was a, passenger on the train with his wife. They occupied seats in the fifth carriage. The* last statiou he remembered before the accident was Marton, where the train stopped. He remembered that at one station afterwards, which he now knew was Tiirakina, the train passed another. He was awake and he did not notice the train ascending the grade after passing Turakina.

At 2.10 a.m. he looked at his watch. He was trying to figure out with the aid of a, time-table at what time the train would be at Aramoho. The train seemed to be travelling at normal speed. The train on which they came back did not appear to travel any faster. The speed appeared to be from 25 to 30 miles an hour. It might have been a shade more or less.

The first of anything of an uutoward nature that he noticed was some blasts of the whistle and then a screeching of the brakes. Their carriage appeared to be running over the sleepers. His wife asked what had happened, and he told her to sit tight. In a few seconds the carriage came to a standstill.

When the train stopped he wanted to get out, but found the rear door would not open. The door had to be forced by people in the sixth carriage. Eventually he got out and saw what had happened. The'n he returned to the carriage, telling the women folk not to be alarmed as they were quite safe.

Subsequently, after attending his wife he went outside and assisted the injured.

Yesterday'.-; proceedings reported on page nine.