A CHILD'S NARROW ESCAPE.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10450, 14 September 1899, Page 5

A CHILD'S NARROW ESCAPE.

A miraculous escape is reported by the West Coast papers. A child named Dorothy Wild, aged eighteen months, wandered on to the railway line near Hokitika. The driver of an approaching train saw the eh and managed to bring the train to a standstill, but not until the cowcatcher had struck the child and the foramaet wheels had gone over the place where it had been. The greatest alarm" was felt ky those who witnessed the incident, as it seemed, humanly speaking, impossible that the child's life could be saved. It appears, however, that there is a slight depsesvion on the line at. the spot, and tWcowcateber Btruck the child at itm depression. As it was, a portion of the sleeve had been cut off by tho -wheel of tho emjine, and Oβ rWiit thigh was fractured. Any adult peracm or a larger child would probably have been killed, •» the cowcatcher could not have passed wer the body. A LIVELY COACH JOURNEY. Twwtflßre by oosca frequently complak* lI I ■■ iuwnliaj ~^—' of tocomo-

tion. In Central Otago, however, a journey is Sometimes as full of incident as anyone can desire. During the frost last month the strip of quagmire that winds round the hiii> from Alexandra, to Lawrence, as an apology for a road, solidified <o a state offlait. Getting round some of the curves, higa up, where the roadside drops away * couple of hundred feet,' was more exciting than wholesome. But even in fine weather there are elements of risk, end on Saturday lasi (reports the Daily Times") the ccach went down the last hill en the Lawrence side of Bae's Junction -with a broken king-bolt. Although it was suspected that something was wrong, it was cot till tiet stopping place was reached tbtt the ccach wai examined, and this slight matter rectified. When the passengers saw it, most of them decided that it was necessary to visit the Rae's Junction Hotel, presumably to offer a Mbation for their narrow escape.