RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Evening Star, Issue 12732, 5 August 1907, Page 4

RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

ONE MAN KILLED. THREE INJURED. [Per Unttbp Prbss Association.] ROTORUA, August 4.

A serious accident occurred between eight and nine o'clock on Saturday night to the goods train bound from Auckland to Rotorua. The train, which waa a long one, consisting of two engines and a large number of trucks and a passenger carriage, was ascending a steep grade three miles on the Rotorua side of Putaruni. All the trucks, the carriage, and the -guard's van became detached from the engines, and went down the hill at a terrific pace till reaching a culvert, when they wont over the embankment into the gully 40ft below. J. Lowe, guard, was killed. He never became conscious, and died three-quarters of an hour later. James Dwycr, guard, curtained a broken arm and other injuries. Tver, an assistant guard, had a broken arm and other injuries. Kingdon, a platelayer, was injured internally, and received concussion of the brain.

Dwyer resides at Mount Eden, Tver, at Auckland, and Kingdon at Putaruni. Of the four passengers, none were injured, although the carriage went over the embankment. One of the engines brought the injured men here, arriving at four this morning. The injured men were received at the sanatorium.

Several of the trucks contained cattle, and mauy of thes:e were injured.

August 5. The runaway train attained a speed of over seventy an hour. After the first dangerous curve was rafcly paissid Lowe said: "If we get round the"next we are all right," but it was there-the crash occurred. The guard's van suffered most, being sk*>d on end. The brakes were jammed on at. the start, but would not act prop. ily. M'Commons, a passenger, said ho could have jumped off. He' knew there was something wrong when the engine whistled but a friend ivould not ht him get out, trough the pace then was only four niile>; an hour The next ten minutes were awful Wh"n the train took the last plunge he went through the partition, and \va> struck pretty hard on the shoulder and in the eye.

AUCKLAND. August 5. Information received by the Auckland railway officer in regard *to the Rntorua train accident is to life effect that when the train started to move buck die Westinghouse buike, which should have held it, came off. The train quii k.y gathered speed, rushing down hill about tight miles. The train consisted of two guards' vans, a passenger car, and ab .ut twenty-eight waggons. All the vehid-'s left the rails, and were very much f-maehed and .shattered by the fall. The side t'ack was'broken at. the scene of the. accident, but a special tiain le:t Auckland yci-teruay at 2 a.m. for the place. Mr Wait-3 (traffic manager) was on board. At Frankton the train picked tip an inspector and a large gang of men. l..:ut night word came that the line was c'.ear again. Ordinary traffic would be resumed to-day.

Guard Lowe was thirty-three years of age. He had been sixteen years in the Kail way Department's emp'oy, and had been i-taiioiied ill Kuturuii lor the, last two and a-half yeans.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

[Special to tub Star.]

GFSLORNE, August 5. Tho goods train, which was a heavy one. with two passenger carriages attached, reached th-o tanks and tho top of tho hill at the Auckland tide of Mi.maku, when the two engines were uncoupled, and proceeded forward to take in water. What happened is not quite clear, but tho passengers and the traffic iron on board the train heard the engines signal for the brakes, which were all applied; but the goeds train begn to go down the hill, gathering way as it proceed-.*!. All that the guard and the aciivg guards could do was dor.e, hut although all the brakes were jammed on, it was of no avail, and tho train thundered on. On the brake v:;n was Guaid Ikiwo, Acting Guard Dwyer, Porter Tver, and Jas. Kingdon (platelayer). In the fntst class pa&scngei coach were Mr Wills, Mr M'Commons 'general m ;na:<er of the National Harvester Company), Mr Abr.aham Purser (traveller for the same company). Dr F.ngleberucr, and Mr Dromgxil. D-,wn hill the train rushed, passin-r Vgatira at the T.-it-of over sevrnty miles an hour, and still g.r.he'ing speed.

Alter jx.aviig Nge.fira the first, dangcro'.-s curve was negotiated Ketch-, and Gue.id Lowe exclaimed: -'lf we get roimu the next curve we aro right."" But it wss not to 1)2. The van and tnr; ks left the line with a sickening resit, ard the guard's van was piled right i;n on erd. '1 ho lour men in the. van setfe-red most. Guard Lowe livf-d only a few mir.nles after the train left the molls. Dr F-ngeib. rger (of Matomoho) attended to the injuries of the men.

Charles Henry Trcr, the porb-r, who w.as stationed at Manu-ku, and is now in the- sanatorium accident ward, badly cut and sea-ken, but not s?rioufi)y hurt." gave tho following information :—""l war, on the goods train last nijht. When we got to the top of the hill past Ngitira the engines, I believe, were uncoupled, and went on to the tanks to get water. All of a sudden we heard the engines whistle for the brakes, .and the train licgaii to moc backwards. All the brakes were applied quickly. Kingdon and Giurd lx>we shoved all the brakes on hard, but they had no effect. We must h.ive pawed Ngatira at tho rate of eighty miles an hour. All the men per:ectly c-eol. Poor Lowe said, as wo swung round one bend : ' One more bend ; if we get over that ws will be all rght,' What happened next I hardly know. »roor Lowe lingered for about a quarter of an hcrr."

James Thomas Dwver, iiertar and acting guard, who was lrdly cut about the bed and nad his ar-' broken, war, fV-ol.vig much belter wh'ii sen nt t':e scnaUrinm. He s id : "We 1-ft Pcf"-i" at about Icn minutes past seven, erriviag et ?vg;;tira all light-. The train eli- i-d fh" lef! poition of the hill to the t-^';s t n , H ] one of the trailic men u.n r ouided the when \vc went- forwanl to take in water. This I am positive of—that t' e en-tine wbestled for the bia.lv.s. and the tre.in started to como back. The brakes we;e put haul on in front without the use of the Westinghouse on the train, which was a. h n avv one. I.owe shoved on tlie brakes and called to do the same. There was no confusion, and everyone was cool. It was a terrible ride."

Kingdon had r.ot recovered consciousness up to 5 p.m. yesterday. The body of Guard Lowo is at present ; n the morguo at the sanatorium. IVce-Gcd was a popular mail, of fino so'dier'v appearance, and a <:ocd oflicer to the department. He was sin.de.

In the carriage nerrest the guard's van were Dr Engclherger and Mr P. Drnmgool. Both were lying down dozing when the carriages smashed into the guaid's van. A few minutes later the rarra/re was splintered to pieces. Drcingco! rol'ed down the embankment arc! was not much hurt. The doctor said "I'm all light," and though covered splinters re-eived nn injury, bej ing able to attend to the ot v er passengers. On inquiry at the Grand Ilotel for Messrs M'Onmnions and Fu::cr. your convs^on- ! dent found them in bed and very sore. Mr ~ Purser siid: "Mr M'C v inmo:is'and nivsoif had tea at Put antra, and \ve;e comim* ri :ht along. When the train stopped the- e 'gines whittled, and Mr M'O-mnicns s'id "Yhat whistle's for the braW, "—tVt thee was something wTomr, aid that the t.iain was uneoup'ed.- Mr .V(h;;ir.i ns wanted to jump out, but. I wouldn't lr-ar of it, ] j never forget that ride as long cs I live. That ten minutes was lil>c a wi.o'e lite ti'.ve. Tlie r.cting ruard tame along, a.d we asked him what the matter was—were we uncoupled? He cii rot reply, but simply put on the brakes for all he was worth. The men on the traia did their duty, without doubt. Mr M'Commons and I gripped the side of the car and held on. Then enmc the smash, and ths next thing I jemember vaa beinc jjblW put hy Mr

M'Commons." Mr Purser has several nasty cuts about tho face, and generally looks as if he had been having an engagement with a barbed-wire fence.

Mr Willis M'Commous was pretty badly shaken. Ho said: "It was a dreadful experience. The guard was a fine chap. When wo stopped I heard the engines whistle. I knew by the wliistles that thero was something wrong, and thought we were not switched up. I knew the whistles meant 'Apply brakes,' and that we were going backwards. I wanted to jump out, but my friend would not let me. We could easily have jumped out then, as the train was only going at four miles. Then we went into a- second class car and braced ourselves for the smash. The next ten minutes was an awful time, as wo were racing along at over seventy-five miles an hour. When the train took" her List, plunge the partition that I was against went through. I took v it with my Tight shoulder, and left eye pretty haid; then struck the earth ; then got up and pulled my friend nut. If tho partition had not given way 1 might have come off worse. All the men on the train stuck to their posts and clapped on the brakes, but what was the use?" Kingdqn dees not appear to be much injured. He has recovered consciousness, and is progressing favorably. The inquest opened to-day.