BUSH NEWS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4316, 28 May 1885, Page 2

BUSH NEWS.

A SENSATIONAL HACK. An accident occurred the other day on tho Tainaki Timber Company's tramway leading from Tahoraito station yard to the totara bu.sh which might Lave resulted in doing , a good deal more damage and mischief than what had boon done. It appears that tho only place as yet available for loading tho logs is alongside of an incline at the edge of the bush where a timber platform °is raised for loading the trucks*which are being generally left a few chains further up the line, where propelled by the steam motor from the station yard, being scotched and braked, and only eased down to the loading platform one by one as required for loading. On this unfortunate occasion, however, when easing down a truck as usually done, the brake lover, which was supposed to be defective, broke at the very timo it was most needed, under the pressure, and hence all control over the stoppage of the truck was suddenly lost, and running ; for several chains along a rather steep cline acquired sufficient velocity to send it much quicker than a man could run to stop it, and so passed a nearly level line for a distance of over half a mile, reaching the

long incline, a distance of nearly a mile, to the station yard, rushing onward with terrific velocity into tho station yard at tho rate of something over fifty miles an hour, coming into collision with an empty timber truck, both of which were completely -JSiashed, and so ended the sensational race, whilst only a few minutes previously the driver, Mr Gilmour, had an occasion to run the steam motor off tho train line to the engine shed, and consequently narrowly escaped being in the smash. Now, sir, well knowing the risk and danger always attending the loading of trucks on an inclined plane, and with a view of precluding the possibility of having a recurrence of a similar mishap—which might be attended with a thrillingftale and fatal consequences—l may bo permitted to suggest that sufficient attention and care were not taken by Mr (the logging contractor) men on the occasion, for if they hnd only used tho simple precaution of placing a stout block of wood, as a stopper, across the line in advance of whore the truck is wanted for loading, the progress of the truck would then under any circumstances be stopped, and then I should not have an opportunity of simply and briefly giving you an account of a sensational race. —(Occasional correspondent.)