ONGARUE TRAGEDY

Evening Star, Issue 18337, 26 July 1923, Page 12

ONGARUE TRAGEDY

THE CORONER’S INQUIRY,

[Pee United Press Association.]

TAUMARUNUI, July 25,

The inquest concerning the death of the victims in the Ongarue railway smash was continued to-da-v

John Walsh, detective, of Wellington, said ho made cursory search of .he bodies for tho purpose of identification. Police-sergeant O’Brisn, of Taumarunui, gave evidence that he supervised the removal of tlie injured on iheir arrival at the station, and later the removal of tho dead. Afterwards the police and some civilians whom he asked searched the bodies The properly of the deceased persons taken iron, the bodies was put in sealed envelopes. .Most of this pnqverly had been restored to the relatives. William Robert Davidson, railway engineer in charge of the Erankton-Marton section of the line, produced plans of the scene of the accident and photographs of the smash. Witness did not consider the boulder came from the small slip that occurred in October. By regulation (ha driver would be limited to a speed not exceeding thirty miles an liour over this portion of the track at night. The driver’s view on this curve would he only about 25yds, on account of the headlight being set.

The Coroner • Would it not he possible for a light to swing on the curves in the same wav as on a. motor car?

Mr Sterling, for the Railway Department, said ho would call evidence on this matter later. Davidson, continuing his evidence, said that there was no record ■'{ any boulder having fallen on this section of the hue previously. Ernest F. Gillen, Chief Mechanical Engineer of New Zealand Railways, said that the dc'Piv'.ne’nt hud h-e'. 'coking info tho question of engine headlights for some years, and had been communicating with many makers with a view of ascertaining whether a light that could track with the bogey could be obtained. They had not been successful, however, in getting anything suitable. An American headlight, with a different arrangement of mirrors, was also tried, but proved no better than that previously used, Henry P. Hobson, guard of tho wrecked train, produced a. copy of the evidence ho gave before the Commission of Inquiry. Tho evidence of Alexander .Stewart, driver of the train, and William Frederick Campbell, fireman, which was also hea.nl before the Commission, was produced.

The Coroner said that so far his verdict would be that the cause of the death of those killed in the smash was occidental. He preferred to reserve any remarks upon the matter until he had had an opportunity of reviewing the evidence heard at tho inquest. He considered no ordinary foresight could have averted the accident.

MAKE-UP DEFECTS,

LIGHT CARRIAGES BETWEEN

HEAVY

Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Press Association.

SYDNEY, July 25,

A newspaper correspondent, makes the recent New Zealand railway disaster the theme of a letter urging the discontinuance of tho practice of coupling light carriages between heavy ones. Ho says lie would not be surprised if the casualties in the New Zealand disaster were largely due to this defect in the making up of trains.

DIVISION OF RISK

A DIFFICULT PROBLEM

Ministerial answer to a question recently put- was furnished in the House of Representatives yesterday as under:'J’hnt in'making up the Main Trunk mail trains the general rule is for the second class care to be placed towards the front of the train, and the first class cars and sleeping care to constitute the rear portion. It is not at, all certain that any departure from this arrangement would have the effect of more fairly dividing the risk between the two classes .than is now the case. In this connection it will be noted that the postal car on the train which was involved in the recent accident near Ongaruc was practically undamaged, although it was in front of the second class car*.