The late Accident on the Clutha Line.

Bruce Herald, Volume VII, Issue 649, 13 November 1874, Page 7

The late Accident on the Clutha Line.

Mr Bafciigate has delivered judgement in the prosecution of the engiue foreman on wniinfc of this accident. In doing so he i> ad the report made by the defendant to the manager. In it he stated that had the four empties been coupled he would have beer, able to getaway in time.

The learned counsel also alluded to the frfcr that the officials in connection with the railway linos regulated their time by the Uujverory clock, which, ha s» ; rf, was cnly fit; to keep the time o£ the Greek Kalends. This being the caae he contended that it was quite possible that the Green Island train had arrived at Hillside five minutes too suun.

Uia \V<irship Raid that it wa3 right to tell railway employe* that an error in judgment would not iree them fr m prosecution and punishment, and that good faith and honesty of intention* were not a sufficient excuse should accidents occur. A collision had Viken place, and the question arose, who was responsible ? A train was started from the Dunedin station in a short interval between the arrival of one train and the departure of another. There were three points in the case involving negligence. The first was that of a train leaving the station in the facn of an incoming one, a thing that should never be dono on a sipgle line. He would hold such an act as one of negligence. The second point was that a train was allowed to l«*ve> the station without a guard. The third point was that no signal was given to the Green Island train After reierring to what was the dn'y of the defendant, he said fchafc» though of opi^tta. that negligence had takes Diane oil, the points to which he referred, he cpyla not in fairness hold the defendant «K sppnsjble for itj and dismissed the «M»,