THE BURNHAM FATALITY.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18263, 23 December 1924, Page 3

THE BURNHAM FATALITY.

Ts'O PROPER LOOK-OUT. . '"I don't think there was anybedy but themselves to blame for the accident; these two men were not keeping ii proper look-out." said the District Coroner, Mr "Wyvern Wilson, S.M.. at the inque.it. held yesterday, concerning; the death of Duncan Stewart arid Cyril i Henry Edward Reeves, -who were killed |in the recent Burnham crossing; fatality. The express from Dunedin crashed into a motor-cycle and sidecar at the crossing. Stewart being the driver and Reeves being the passenger. Mr A. W. Brown roprpsoiited the Railway Department, and Serpeant \V. T. KeDy appealed for the police. Dr. F. G. Ward, house surgeon at the Chnstchureh Hospital, said that Reeve* was admitted to the Christchurch Hospital on December 13th, at 8.10 p.m. He was unconscious and suffering from shock. His pulse was imperceptible. He had a elot of blood on the forehead and abrasions about the head. There was no evidence of a fractured skull. The beoond, third ;ind fourth, ribs on the right side wero fractnred near the- breastbone and there was a fracture of the pelvis. Reeves did not regain consciousness, and died at 5.&5 p.m. on the day of the accident. Tlie cause of death was shock following internal injuries. Stanley A. Knight. motor-lorry driver at Scott's sawmill, Bnraharri, said he knew both Stewart and Reeves, who worked at the sawmill. He last saw them alive at 6.30 p.m. on tlie day of the accident, when they left on a motor-cycle, Stewart was going to see his little girl. They had been adjusting the cycle for about 20 minutes. Stewart had owned the machine for seven or ejcht months. Both men. lived at the mill. Neither took any liquor. "Witness arrived at the scene of the acoident seven or eight minutes after the train stopped. There was nothing much to obstruct the view of the crossing. There was a row of trees about three chains from the line on the righthand side. To Mr Brown: The machine was a fairly old one and the side-car was not in very good order. The engine made a great doal of noise when running. Ernest Edward Mayes, a, linesman, stated that on December 13th he was a passenger on the express, which did not stop at Burnham. Ho was sitting in the first railway carriage on the left-hand side and looking out of the window facing the way the train was going. Just after the Burnham goodts-shed bad been passed lie noticed two men on a motorcycle. The driver of the machine appeared to be riding ■with one hand on the handle-bars. Just after passing the station, the whistle was blown. When he saw the two men first, lie thought they were going to pull up, but they did not. They went straigbt ahead, and his impression was that they both missed the engine. The train then, pulled up. He went half-way back along the train, and found one of the bodies under the train, between the rails, with the head facing the engine. The other man was a little farther back, over the fence. When he first saw them, the two men were about 100 yards away from the train. He did not tbjnk they saw the train, for they "were travelling n.t a fair pace, and he thought they were looking straight ahead. Peter Ealam, a surfaceman, of Burnham, said he was about three chains from the road, at the 6ide of the line, when the accident occurred. He noticed the motor-cycle approaching tlse crossing. Stewart was looking straight «head, and did not eeem to realise that he was going on to a railway-line at all. The men had a fairly good view of the line. Only a goods-shed was in the way. Thoy did not slacken their speed. Ho saw the two men when they went oft to the line. The engine whistled when six or seven chains from the crossing. He heard the motor-cycle corning! for it was making a. loud noise. To TVIr Brown: The train whistled twice—once in going into the f,ta,ticn, and once approaching the crossing. James Read Ferguson, a surfaceman, of Burnham, who was with Ealam at the time of the accident, corroborated Ealam'© evidence.

Frederick Watkina, the engine-driver of the express, said that he had had 38 years of Berviae as an engine-driver. The express was due at Burnham at about 7 o'clock. On the evenipg of tho aoddeTit the express was running on time. The engine was travelling at 45 miles an hour pa6t the Burnham cross-ing—-the usual speed there for the express. The usual long whistle was given entering tlw gtawon and. then the whistle for. the crossing was sounded at the station. Ho did not pee the two men before they wore hit. He was oil the right-hand side of the engine. The fireman on the left-hand ride. When almost up to the crossing the fireman called out "Stop!" Wttneas_ pnlleu tho train up in about two chains and a-half. The fireman merely called out "Stop!" and then said "We've struck something." Witness did not feel or hear any impact. When the express pulled nPi tbero was no eign of the motor-rcycle. There were two slight dents in the cowcatcher. Parts of the motor-cycle were found half-way along the train. The body of cme man. was under the train and that of tho other was thrown cloar, to the right. Arthur Stephen Da,vid lo Compte, the fireman on the express, said he saw tho men before they were hit. They wore about 10 yards off tbe crossing. There was nothing to make him think they were going to stop. Witness shouted to tbe driver to stop. Tlte motorists kept on. Witness did not tbii)k they saw the expreS3 coining. Witness was about lo yards from the crossing wren he first saw the men. Edward William Ayling, tho guard on the express, stated, that when th© train came to a standstill one of tho passengers stated that he was a doctor. The doctor attended to the man who had been thrown over the fence. Witness made arrangements to push the train back to recover the body which wa,s lying on the track. That man was still aiive. Tho Coroner said that tho evidonoo showed that it was obvious tho two meu. bad not been keeping a proper look-out. It was an open crossing, and thero Mas no reason why they should not- hare seen the train. He did not think anyone else had been to blaone for the accident He found that the two men died of injuries due to a collision between tl»e Dunodin express and a motor-cyclo at a crossing near the Burnham statfon.