DERAILED

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1168, 1 July 1911, Page 6

DERAILED

EXPRESS JUMPS SIDING POINTS. A VERY NEAR THING. FOUR CARRIAGES THROWN OFF. " (By TeleerapU—Press Association.! Auckland, Juno 30. The express train leaving Auckland at 9.15 last night, when Hearing Tokauwkata station about 11 p.m., caught the siding points. The engine and mail vim ran down the tiding points, and the rest of the train travelled along the main line. The four first carriages wero dragged diagonally across by the engine and derailed. The driver shut off steam and stopped in fifty yards, jarring the passengers and breaking" two windows, but injuring no one, except a lady, who was cut on tho arm until broken glass.

The passengers wero detained over seven hours, when they wero transferred to the morning express from Wellington, and, with the mail van, proceeded on their wav. , Tho disaster might have been very serious but tor the driver's promptitude. Traffic will bo seriously impeded on tho line all to-day. In connection with tho accident, two men have been .cuspeuclcd. The delayed train will not reach \\ ollington till 10 to-night. The accident was apparently duo to au irregularity at the points. NORTH EXPRESS DELAYED. MESSAGE FROM MERCER. The following message was received from ; Mercer yesterday morning:— "Tho Auckland to Wellington express jumped tho points, and' three carriages wero derailed at Te Knuwhata at 11.30 last night. The passengers and mail-van proceeded south at 5.30 this morning. The Wellington to Auckland express will bo delayed at Te Kauwhata until 9.43 a.m. No one injured." To Kauwhata is a-flag-station ten miles south of Mercer, and fifty-two .miles from Auckland. It is only 34ft. above sea-level, so that tho running would most probably bo on tho level. , Some of the' passengers on the derailed train had booked to leave for Sydney by tho Ulimaroa, which was timed to leave Wellington at 5 o'clock last evening, and wires were received during the day asking that the steamer bo delayed. As they would arrive in Wellington nearly eight hours after schedule time, it was not practicable to delay the steamer for that length of time, as she is under contract to connect at Sydney with next Tuesday s mail for Melbourne and England and the Continent. . „ ~ , , The Auckland, English, and Continental mails will therefore be forwarded on by the Maitai by wav of San Francisco, and the Australian portion by tho boat leaving Auckland for Sydney on Monday next.

NO "SCENE." A PASSENGER'S STORY. A through passenger from Auckland, who was on the Main Trunk express, part of which was derailed as abovo related, was interviewed last night by a Domin'ton reporter. , . "There was no fuss—no scene—nothing sensational," said our informant. "Apparently the cxotcss was taking the points at a reduced rate of speed, for if it had been going at anything like top speed there must have been an awful smash up." "How did it occur?" , "Well, what I was told-and I give it to you only for what it .is worth—was that a north-bound train had passed over tho line, and that the points went wrong after it had passed. . ■ , . , v "What happened was this: Thecngino: and tho first three carriages took the siding, and tho first two wheels of tho fourth carriago (second-class) followed. Then tho points opened out, and the lost two wheels stuck to the main track, and

were pulled sideways on for a distance across tho tract There was nothing very abrupt about tho pull-up, and certainly no ono nceived anything like a shock in my carriage. I believe that the peopto in the front carriage were jarred a little, but it was only thoso in the fourth carriage that experienced a jolt. All the carriages maintained their perpendicular, and the car which left the track was, the ono which spread-eagled. No one that I know of was injured. "Tho railway peoplo did all in their power to make things easy for us—l think that ought to be noted." The delayed train arrived at 10 p.m. It was thought that it would be at least an hour later, but a good deal of titno was pulled up between Waiouru and Wellington. [In June last year tho express was dorailed at Koputoroa, and in April last a "bolt" occurred near Otahuhu in connection with which the Governor's special carriage would, but tho presence of mind of an onlooker (the lato Mr. Claude), havo probably been seriously involved.]