RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 305, 29 June 1909, Page 5

RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

TRAIN DERAILED IN THE GORGE. As the train which leaves Palmerston at 5.10, on route for Dannevirke, was emerging from the Gorge last night it mot with an adventure which might easily have provided one of the most startling accidents which have occurred in' the dominion for some time. Tlie journey from Palmerston proceeded without incident until the tram was passing the point on the eastern side of the Gorge known as the "Limestone Quarry." Her© some men had been blasting yesterday, and their operations had presumably loosened some portion of the cliff, face, for as the engine emerged from one of the short tunnels Driver Burtenshaw observed a big slip lying across, the rails about , 40 yards away. He immediately applied the Westinghouse brake, but as he was then travelling at about 18 Sailes an hour, he was unable to bring the train to a standstill until the engine had crashed into the obstruction, although hip promptitude materially reduced the violence of the impact, ' Amongst the debris was a , huge rock of about ten tons weight, I | This bore the brunt of the shock, the engine rising over the top of it, but j as- it was mo6t fortunately lying on the outer rail it had the effect of turning the engine and the following trucks into the bank, and so prevented them being precipitated' 'into-. the river. As .it was the engine was' con- ! i siderably damaged, • the cowcatcher being torn .--off/ the tender being, partially wrenched off, while the WestVinghouse cylinder was found down ■'; the embankment, a distance of about 15 feet-v The three trucks immediate- i , ly tieaiitd the engine also capsized, j ■'-.and were considerably damaged; ;hut j the back part of the train, which, -wa&> still- in the tunnel when the accident ! occurred, was uninjured, and the passengers experienced no particular inconvenience, except a succession of severe shocks and. a little delay. ] When the news reached Woodville all the available cabs were run down to the scene of the accident, and the passengers, of whom there were a fair number, were brought up to the Woodville station, whence they were i brought on to Dannevirke- by the 5.35 train, which returned here with them, reaching town sliortty beforo 10 o'clock. ~ ._,-"-. Driver . Burtenshaw considers that it would have been quite impossible to have averted the accident even ' had it been daylight, as owing to the position of the slip he could not possibly have seen it sooner than he did, and he- attributes the miraculous es- ; cape of the train from a niost serious calamity to the power of the Westing- \ house brake. > Had it not been, for ' this he is satisfied that as the result of the impact- the carriages at the, rear of the train would have piled up on top of the and -a serious loss of life must have resulted. When the firos in the engine had been banked, and all chance of accident in that direction eliminated, a I gang of men was put on to clear the line. After working all night the engine was run on to asidingand the line cleared sufficiently "to., enable the] traffic to run through as usual this morning, but .considerable repairs will have to be effected to the ! rolling stock before it can again be brought into 'active service. — — ■ — — ! [PRESS ABBQOIA.TION.] ■ PALMERSTON N., to-day A special was sent to the scene of the mishap without delay. A gang I of men worked all night clearing the . track, some passengers returning to. i Palmorston, while .others went on to I Woodville. |

During the journey from the scene of the accident to^Voodville the trucks again left the line, owing to the disabled condition. Several passengCtfS wore greatly frightened by the sudden sifcoppage-of the train, and it is reported one man was stunned by the fall of a package from a -rack when the engine" hit the rock.