THE STYX CROSSING TRAGEDY.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14275, 10 February 1912, Page 3

THE STYX CROSSING TRAGEDY.

INQUEST ON THE VICTIMS

VERDICT OF 'ACCIDENTAL DEATH."

The inquest on the bodies of the victims of the Styx railway crossing accident, Marshall Brown and Peter Fransdon, was held by the Coroner (Mr 11. AY. Bishop, S.M.) this morning. Mr T. W. .Stringer, K.C., f.ppeared for the Ilailway Department, and Mr Johnston for the relatives of the deceased Brown. •John Thomas Brown, father of the decease.! Brown,' said deceased was '28 years of aye. He was a motor-car salesman, employed by Mr Kibblewhite, in connection with the New Zealand Farmers' Co-op. Deceased was exceptionally steady, and was a total abstainer. He was married, but had no family. Fritz Claudius Fransden. brother ot the deceased Fransden, said deceased was a traveller for the Dresden Piano Company. He was 35 years of age, and a single man. He was an intimnto friend of Brown. As far as witness knew deceased was only having a casual drive.with Brown when the accident occurred. To Mr Johnston: He had seen his brother drive a motor-car. Mr' Stringer: AVas he an experienced driver? AA'itness: He. only drove occasionallyRobert Pringlo, railway enginedriver, said he was in charge of the midday train from Christchurch to Rangiora on Wednesday. Three hundred yards from the crossing witness blf.v the whistle, and then again fifty yards from the crossing. The last whistle was in answer to the stationmaster's signals. Immediately before the engine entered the crossing the fireman sang out, '"Look out!" AA'itness ipplied the brake, and the next he saw was the motor-car and the cow-catcher meeting. To Mr Johnston: He shut off the steam before coming to the crossing. That was the usual procedure. Witness stopped the train approximately in its own length. The train was a short one of three carriages and a brake van. The rear end of the train was just over the cattle stop. Witness was on the right-hand side of tho engine. He would not have an opportunity of seeing an ' object coming from Rangiora. He could not 'ay whether the high hedge at the side of the crossing should be removed, because he was on the right-hand side cf the engine, not the left. Ho had ro view of the road. They were running to time that day, not making up time. They- wore going at twenty miles an hour when approaching the crossing. There was no speed • regulation ior trains- approaching the crossing. Hβ did not consider it necessary to slacken •speed. He did not recognise the crossing was a dangerous one,, any more than other crossings in Canterbury, provided ordinary precautions were taken. He did not consider a crossing at Fendalton any more dangerous than others, provided care was exercised. He considered it would be safer for a motor-car to pull up and reduce its rate of speed to five miles an hour when approaching a crossing. To Mr Stringer: The engine's brakes wore, in good order, having been tested before leaving the Christchurch railway station. To Mr Johnston: One of the bodies was dragged by the cow-catcher. Albert John Skcrten, acting-fireman, said he was fireman on the train which collided with the car. They first sounded the whistle 300 yards • from the crossing and again about an engine's length from the crossing. Just as they were on the crossing witness saw a motor-car flash up. It was almost m tho rails before witness, saw it. Witness immediately called v to the driver: "Look out!' , and he applied tho. brakes. Witness.', saw no more till the train; was' bVoitght to a.standstill. ■■ ' i To Mr Johnston: It' was somewhere about the cattle-stop that witness called outto the driver. Witness could not form an idea of the speed the car was travelling, owing to the near view. The car was practically on the rails when he' saw it. Tho train was travelling at the rate of about 20 miles an hour. He had not discussed, with Pringle what evidence they were to give. . He had never had close shaves at the crossing before/ but he had noticed vehicles from ilangiora pulling up when about a chain away. He was not in a position to state whether some precaution other than that followed should not be taken to minimise the clanger. At the Fendalton crossing a bad view was obtained. Benjamin Rushmore iSword, stationmaster 'at Styx, said he was on duty for the midday train from Christchurch to Ilangiora on Wednesday. The train whistled for the crossing at about 300 yards, the regulation distance. ..Witness went out on to the platform, signalled the train, and received an acknowledging signal from the driver. Witness went into the office, replaced the flag, and again went on to tho platform. By this time tho engine would bo well on tho cattlestops on the south-side of the crossing, and the motor-car approximately about two lengths of the car from the rails. The train engine struck the car somewhere about the middle. '. The car was thrown to the right-hand side of the track in the direction the train was travelling, carried over the* cattle-stop, smashed against the points lever and ;the points box, .and distributed in j pieces along the line. The two occuj pants of tho car were apparently (.thrown out of the car and carried on j the cow-catcher, one for a distance of j about 30 yards, after which he fell on 1 the left-hand side of the line, and the j other for about -iO yards on tho other j side. • He was not in ' a position "to J iudgo the- speed of the motor-car. He was also not able to state exactly the vositidn of -, the engine, as he was in the middle of the rails. To Mr Johnston: Slowing down at the crossing would affect the time-table, but he could not say to what extent. The high gorse fence on tho side had arown lately, and to a certain extent : obstructed the road. The work of inspecting these crossings was in the hands of the District Engineer, whose , subordinates looked after it. I Sarah Jane Martin said that on AVednesday she had gone to scrub the verandah of Sword's house. She was watching the train como down. It was right on the cattle-stop before she saw the car. She.saw the car go on to the line and the engine strike the body of it. She had only an instantaneous view of the car. She formed no opinion as to the speed the car was going. Charles Ural Milner, letter-carrier, said ho was at the corner of Styx Mill road and Worth road when the accident happened. He did not see the accident, but he heard the crash. He was travelling towards Christchurch on a motorcycle. The car passed witness on tho Styx hill, about a quarter of a miio from the crossing. It was a black car with two persons in it t the smaller one of the two driving. Witness was going i at a speed of between 14 and 18 miles 1 an hour. When witness got to the cori ncr he heard tho train whistle. He had just pulled up his cycle. The car passed him going at a speed of about thirty miles an hour. It simply left witness. The occupants blew tho horn as they passed him. To Mr Johnston: They passed witness on the down grade. There was a slight up-grade after, that. Witness did not see them after they passed the corner. He nulled up owing to a loose nut. Mrs Stead passed witness also, and" he thousht either she or Brown would strike the engine. Mrs .Stead pulled up. Witness just got down..to.tighten.the nut when he heard tho. smash. Mrs Stead pulled up dead.

To Mr Stringer: Mrs Stead pulled up | within 50 or 60 yards of the line cm ! the right hand side of the road. AVit- • ness was in the habit of going over the ! crossing. He always nulled iii> when going over all crossings. j The Coroner said he did not think it ! neces«iry to carry the enquiry any ■ further. It- was quite clear it was one • of "these unfortunate accidents." j Whatever. ?roed might bo proved did ] not alter the fact that there had been i h calamity. He had himself been over ! the crossing scores of times, and it was • a dangerous cue. All crossings were t dangerous. In reply to an interjection from Mr i Stringer the Coroner said he knew the | Railway Department had a statutory right with regard to crossings, and cars \ should pull up when approaching them : ■ "but we all take risks, said lie. j

Mr Stringer said he wished to point : out a fact which the public generally , and probably even the Automobile As- ' son.ition did not know. It was that tin' Public Works Amendment Act. ; 1911. 'throw 117011 the lotpl authority the duty of seeing that f uces. hedges, j etc., of the nature in oucstion, were ! removed. " • The Coroner returned a verdict that ' Ihe deceased met their death by acci- ) dentally colliding with a train* when: travelling in their motor-car from , , Ilangiora to Christchureli.