TRAVELLING NEARLY “ROUND THE CLOCK”

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 284, 28 August 1935, Page 10

TRAVELLING NEARLY “ROUND THE CLOCK”

Slip Delays Main Trunk

Expresses

TRAINS REVERSED NEAR TAUMARUNUI

A journey which took them almost "round the clock.” was experienced yesterday by passengers on the Limited express from Auckland to Wellington. Because of a slip about 12 miles north of Taumarunui, they were held up for some hours and were nearly eight hours behind the scheduled time in reaching Wellington. The train left Auckland nt 7 p.m. the previous day, and arrived in Wellington at 5.30 p.m.

The slip was about two chains in length, and covered the track to a depth of about eight feet. The face, which had slipped away, was covered witli vegetation, but the exceptionally bad weather experienced recently in the locality had loosened the soil. The Monday afternoon express from Auckland ran to time, but the. same train from Wellington aud the Limited express from Wellington were both held up on the south side of the slip.

The Auckland Limited was halted shortly after midnight, and the guard went through the train telling passengers that it would be necessary for them to transfer because the track was blocked. Some of the passengers interpreted this as an order to change trains, and climbed out in the dark and scrambled along the track, laden with their luggage, crossing a couple of cattle stops and covering about a quarter of a mile. Deciding that tills was no fun, several deposited their bags beside the line and sat there till they were overtaken by an official, who explained that the slip was some distance ahead, and it would be some time before it was necessary to change trains.

Waiting for Daylight

Those passengers who had left the train returned and consumed the time reading, sleeping and talking till daylight, when the train moved on to the slip, on the opposite side of which the one from the south was drawn up, witli the mails and luggage all ready for transhipment.

The passengers, many of whom were carrying bags and pillows, made their way across the slip, and the mails and luggage were transferred by the railway officials. The Wellington train was carrying several bicycles owned by college boys returning home for the holidays, and the task of carrying these across the small mountain of spoil was no easy one. The train which had travelled north moved off in the reverse direction about G o’clock, and a stop was made for refreshments at Taumarunui. Extra carriages had been secured for the train proceeding to Auckland, because of the number of passengers travelling from Wellington. The train was at Raurimu, about 20 miles south of Taumarunui, when, according to the normal schedule, it should have been in Wellington. Lunch was taken at Marton.and good time was made on the rest of the run, the train being seven hours, 52 minutes late in reaching Wellington.

Everything Possible Done

“The Railway Department did everything that could be done to meet the circumstances, though actually not much was possible,” one of the passengers told a reporter. “AU the passengers took the occurrence in good part, and seemed to look on the hold-up as a rather interesting and amusing experience. It certainly had the advantage of allowing the passengers to see something of the scenery along the line, which is not possible on the usual run.”

The North Auckland basketball team, travelling to Wellington for the Dominion tournament and conference, was aboard. Some of the players, by one form of conveyance and another, had been travelling for three days by the time they reached Wellington.

The slip was cleared yesterday afternoon, and the line is now in normal working order again.

ANOTHER SUDDEN FALL

Two Men Buried, But Rescued

By Telegraph Press Association Taumarunui, August 27.

Nine men who were working at clearing the line, and who had just cleared several minor slips, were about, to signal the line clear for the Limited express from Auckland, when lhe hillside fell suddenly like an avalanche. Most of the men saw the slip coming and escaped. One man was thrown against a fence, and two gangers, Messrs. J. Casuey, of Te Koura, and W. J. Williams, of Ongarue, were swept down a bank. Mr. Casuey was buried to the neck, and Mr. Williams was partly buried. They were quickly extricated by their mates, and Mr. Casuey was sent to hospital suffering from bruises and shock. Mr. Williams was not injured.

The slip occurred through a seepage cf water through a pumice bank. Seven hundred, passengers from the, expresses were transferred in the night. A bonfire was lighted near the slip.

The Ongarue disaster o'f some years ago happened one mile further north, on the other side of the river,