MR. H. M. LYONS TRAGIC DEATH

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 22, 27 January 1911, Page 4

MR. H. M. LYONS TRAGIC DEATH

HOW THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED, EVIDENCE AT THE INQUEST. Dr. M'Arthur. S.M., «at as District Coroner yesterday afternoon to hold an enquiry into the death of Mr. H. M. Lyon, who was run over by a train at Trentham on Wednesday afternoon, under circumstances already detailed. Mr. H. Ostler appeared to represent the Railway Department, and Station-Sergeant Darby fox the police. oub. Boyle, engine driver, eaid he wae driving the tram arriving at Trentham at 3.30 p.m. on Wednesday. When, approaching thß station and within a short, distance of it he caw a man crowing the line from the racecourse siding towards the main line platform on the opposite side. He was walking with the aid of two sticks. Witness was two or three chains away when he firet noticed him, but he never oxpected that he would go across. When he caw that the man intended to cross he blew tho whistle and applied the emergency ' brake. It was, however, impossible to save the man. As soon as witness blew the whistle the man looked, round, and witness saw no more of him. The buffer must have caught him. To Mr. Ostler: He was about ten yards from deceased when he applied" the brake, and the train drew up about five and a half yards after he had passed deceased. The train was light and wae pulled up in the quickest possible time. Jas. Martin, employed in the Government Railways, said he was on the train driven by the former witness. He did not see* anything until the deceased was struck by the train. Then he saw a man. thrown on on« side by the engine on to the edge of the platform. He had heard ths^ engine whistle and felt the brake applied. P. J. M'llvride, electrical fitter in the Railway Department, said he ; wae in the guard's van of the train which struck deceased. He was standing up in the van preparatory to getting out and noticed the brake be>ng put on. He looked out towards the engine and saw a man rolling along the edge of the train, as if he had been struck by the engine Mr. Dawson was stooping over him. The man then fell between the carriage and the platform, and the wheels went over him. To Mr. Ostler: The train was pulled up very quickly. He did not think it could have been pulled up more quickly. Edward A. Dawson, traffic inspector of railways, said he was officer in charge at Trentham on Wednesday. About 3.30 p.m. Mr. Lyon came to his office, complaining that he was very tired, and did not feel well. Witness advised him to sit down. ■He asked when tho first train would leave for Wellington, and witness told him 5.5 p.m. He asked if there was any chance of getting away sooner if he went to Upper Hutt, and witness told him a train would be coming in in a few minutes for Upper Hutt, where he could join the 4 p.m. | train for Wellington. Witness looked along the line and saw the smoke of the Upper Hutt train just nearing Silverstream. He go A the tablet, and in about i minute assisted Mr. Lyon from the racecourse platform on to the rails of the racecourse,siding. He told Mr. Lyon he must not cross until the train arrived, when he was to go round the end of the van. Lyon said "All right," and witness left him standing there. Witness went in front of tha approaching train, which was then about 4UU yards away, to the up-pktform, and set the automatic exchanger. Up to that moment his back was towards deceased, but coming round with the arm of the exchanger he got again into view of deceased, who was then in the act of crossing the main line, with the train, between fifteen and twenty yards distant. At that moment the driver whistled and applied tha emergency brake. Mr. Lyon actually got one foot on the platform, but the engine caught either nis other foot pr his walking sticks —witness could not tell which. Witness was four feet away at the time. He tried to assist deceased, but lost his hold and fell back. The body | got twisted between the platform and the engine, and went under the carriage. Death must have been instantaneous. To Mr. Ostler: Mr. Lyon was very I lame, and was getting very frail. H© ■ had known him for some .years, and as- ! sisted him off the platform merely out of kindness. When he saw the danger Mr. Lyon was in he rushed forward. Mr. Ostler: At considerable risk to your own life? Witness: Yes. I didn't think of "it then, but I got a shock afterwards. He did not think that any blame was attachable to anybody. The driver pulled up the train within about twenty or twenty-five yards. He would not have crossed the line if Mr." Lyon had asked him to stay. Sir. Lyon would have been perfectly safe if he had stayed where witness left him. In another fraction of a second he would have been safe. Mr. Ostler: It is a fact that Mr. Dawson rushod forward and risked hi» lif». " HU Worthip returned z verdict of &o cidental death.

To jfefc drunk, it seems, isyt th« Titnaru Post, is but One Way of obtaining work. A -well'to-do farmer waited outside the local court on Tuesday to see if any of the "drunks" before the magistrate wera likely harvesters. There were three of them and none had money to pay his fine. Tho farmer inspected tho mon through the watch-holes in the coll doors and sorted one man, paid his fine, and arranged for his train fare to the farm. Tho face of one prisoner he did not like, and as> the other did not want work tho fanner motored away in search, of othejee.