ONGARUE INQUIRY

Evening Star, Issue 18335, 24 July 1923, Page 3

ONGARUE INQUIRY

ENGINE DRIVER’S EVIDENCE. [Pin United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, July 23.; The Board of Inquiry into tho Main Trunk Railway disaster heard evidence hero to-day, and adjourned to AVcllington. •Sinedie James Forrester Mackley, locomotive engineer at Auckland, said that ho did not think it would take a very heavy blow to break the coal-box door. Tho severance of the air pipes would automatically apply tho brakes, irrespectively of whether the engine driver had applied them. Judging from the damage to the front of the engine he thought that there was no doubt it struck the boulder. He thought the boulder which damaged tho smokc-box door was either carried along on the front of the engine or was pushed along the track for some distance and then thrown off. Ho did not think there was a possibility of the gas in tho cylinders igniting unless it came in contact with a naked light or cinder. To Mr Marchbanks; Ho did not think making tho ends of the carriages solid would, minimise tho effects of such an accident.

Mr Marchbanks: Can you make any suggestion to strengthen tho cars ? Witness: No, The forces at work are so very considerable that nothing short of making them on the same lines as the turrets of a man-of-war would do.

In answer to further questions, witness said that ho thought tho cars were quite strong enough for what they were designed for. Had the postal van received the same pressure as the other cars it must have telescoped. James Fnrquhar, sporting writer, and a passenger on tho train, said that the wounded wore got out from the wreckage expeditiously, and everything was done to alleviate their sufferings. Witness also spoke of the courtesy and assistance to the passengers by the station master at Taumarunui. Witness was a fairly regular traveller, and he wished to make a strong protest against the length of some of tho Main Trunk trains. The train that met with the accident, however, was not unduly long. Mr Sterling;" Do you think everything possible was done to get the wounded out and to relieve tho suffering ? Witness; Yes; very good work was done. Everybody was doing his best. Evidence was given by several train examiners to the effect that the train was fit to travel.

William Charles Moloney, locomotive foreman at Erankton, considered that the bending of the headstook of the engine was done by one of the first boulders to come down, and that this boulder cauesd the derailment.

Darcy Reginald Smith, postal official, estimated that tho speed of the train was not more than twenty-five miles an hour. He saw flames shooting out under the centre of a carriage, and he thought that they were extinguished by the slip. Hugh E. M’Kenzie, chairman of the Auckland Harbor Board, said that the suggestion that everything was not done in forwarding the uninjured passengers to their destination after the accident was utterly wrong. Everything possible was done. His luggage was kept at T;lumarimui, and no mention was made' of a charge. Henry Percy Hobson, guard on the ex-, press, said that the speed on the train was between twenty and twenty-five miles an hour. He saw a slight flame issuing from a broken cylinder on the river side of tho carriage, but the jar on the mud extinguished it. Ho received no complaints. There were sufficient tools to keep all going until the relief train arrived. The brakes were tested at Poro-o-tarao and found to be quite satisfactory. When tho undamaged carriages were taken back to Ongarue it was necessary to pump up the cylinders after coupling up to release the brakes, showing that they were still lidding three hours after the impact. To Mr Marchbanks: He was going to suggest to the department that the breakdown tool sots in the vans should bo duplicated.

Tho evidence of the engine driver on the express, Alexander S. Stewart, was taken at his residence, as Tie was not fit to attend. Ho said that tho brakes were tested at Poro-o-tarao, and were satisfactory. The train passed through Ongarue at about twenty-live miles an hour, and after that ho shut off steam and drifted along at about twenty miles an hour, but the speed may have increased up to thirty miles an hour by the time the engine struck tho slip. Tho headlight was burning well. He did not see anything before running into tho slip. The first warning he had was when he ran into the slip. Ho applied tho brakes immediately. The engine appeared to strike a heavy slope and was tossed about. After (ravelling some distance it was thrown into the bank, and something hit witness on the head and ho was rendered unconscious.

Mr Riddell: Could you account for the smoke-box door being broken off ? "Witness said that the onjy explanation was that there were large stones about. The engine must have struck one in passing.

Mr Riddell: Do you know of your own knowledge whether the slip was moving ?

Witness: “I noticed a whole lot of debris come down when helping with the rescue work, and there had been a rush of mud through the window of the cab.” Continuing, witness said that bo was one of tho first drivers to run on the Main Trunk line, and he had been running on it for years. He had been off the run for some time, but had been back again for about four years. He knew the lino well, and be did not anticipate any trouble. He knew other places that were more dangerous, and when coming to a dangerous place he would take extra precautions. He did not consider that there was any necessity to do so here. Ho had no necessity to speed up.

Mr Riddell: How do account for •the boulder near the engmo on the righthand side ? Witness: I think it must have been on the lino and that it was driven along by the cow-catcher.

To Mr Sterling: My impression is that the slip came down immediately before wo came along. I do not think that the big boulder hit the smoko-box. I think the vibration of the train had a lob to do with the slip coming down just then. To Mr Marchhanks: It was a clear, frosty night. There was no need for the surfaceman to anticipate trouble. Had tile slip been on a straight portion of the lipe ho could have seen it. Witness said that had ho thought tho place was dangerous or had he anticipated danger he would have eased up. He did not see any gas cylinder alight at the slip.