TRAGEDY ON HUTT LINE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1242, 26 September 1911, Page 4

TRAGEDY ON HUTT LINE.

WOMAN LOSES HER LIFE, Shortly before 9 o'clock last evening <v shocking accident occurred ou tho Hutt railway line by which a woman whos-a name is at present unknown lost her life. The accident occurred about twenty yards on the city side of the croisi'ng opposite tho foplunadc Hotel The (rain in question l?ft Lower Hutt at three minutes past eight. When Hearing the crossing the usual whisllo was blown by Driver Hulchings, and, as far as could bo teen, by tho aid of the headlight, the. lino was apparently clear. At (ho timo of the occurrence tho fireman Arthur Hastings, was leaning out of the window of tho cab and keeping the usual look-out. He slates that his attention was attracted by hearing certain sounds underneath (lie wagons. The train wos at once stopped 16 ascertain the cause, and the driver alighted and went back to ascertain what was wrong, and then made, the shocking discovery indicated above. How it all happened is as yet unknown. Driver Rutchings state.?;—"l felt something; about tiventy yards m the south side of tho cattle-stop. It was a slight jar in tho ongiuc, nnd then we hciml (he shingle on the track making a noise underneath the wagons. Previous to this I lmd not sren anything on tho line, a.nd, as is the usual custom, I bl-ew.mv whistle on approaching tho crossing. We were at the usual speed at tin's point— that is about twenty miles an hour—and when we heard the noise the train was stopped, and I went back a considerable dishv.ico and found that a woman had been run over."

The driver added that the woman must have been lying down alongside tho track, because, had she been standing up, either lie or the fireman must have seen her.

The wind at the timo was blowing from the north, and, in the opinion of railway officials, this might have been the enusts of her not bearing the approaching train or its whistle.