FATAL ACCIDENT TO RAILWAY PORTER.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 104, 29 October 1909, Page 4

FATAL ACCIDENT TO RAILWAY PORTER.

[BY TELEGEAFH. — i'HESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, 28th October. At the inquest concerning the death of John Taylor, a railway porter, who was _ killed at Southbrook yesterday morning, Richard Jolm Stone, who was driving the north express train, stated that when approaching Southbrook at a speed of from twelve to fifteen miles an hour, lie noticed the tablet porter walking along the patform towards the cabin. Tho porter went inside the cabin and got the tablet in a sling. Ho returned to the edge of the platform, held his tablet up in the proper way, and seemed .to overbalance himself as the cab. of the engino came level with him. He made a step to save himself, and the cab struck one of his arms, twisting him round, and before he could recover, the tablet on the engine struck him on the side of the head. As ho lay on tho platform, before the train could be pulled up, three eleps on the nearest carnages also struck him. The exchanger on the engine was of cast-iron, and tho blow snapped it off. The exchanger projected about one and a half inches from the engine. Taylor was probably dead before being put on the train for conveyance to Rangiora. The Coroner returned a verdict of "Death accidentally caused while exchanging tablet*"