MERGER TRAIN DISASTER

Evening Star, Issue 23744, 27 November 1940, Page 3

MERGER TRAIN DISASTER

FIRST WITNESSES BEFORE BOARD OF INQUIRY VARYING EVIDENCE AS TD SPEED [Feu United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, November -G. ■The board of inquiry into the derailment of the Limited express near fiercer on the morning of October 28, when the engine driver and fireman were killed, continued the hearing of. evidence in the afternoon. Sir Francis Frazer presided, and with him were Professor S. It. Lamb and Mr F. W. Furkert. J. H. Williams, train control operator at Auckland on the morning of the accident, said ho noticed the Limited express was making a faster trip than usual. He would not, however, say it was making an exceptionally fast rim. J. D. Leahy, the guard on the express, said the train was 12 minutes late in leaving Frankton. Going through both Ngaruawahia and Ohinowai witness noticed that the train seemed to h>t the “ turn out ” rather suddenly, and lie concluded that the train was travelling fast at these points. Apart from that, the speed on the run to Mercer did not appear to bo too great and caused him no concern. There was no comment from the passengers regarding the train’s speed. Witness considered that M'Cubbin was a very capable driver, C. Sweeney, a farmer, of Mercer, said he was near the Mercer pumping station and saw the train como round the bend .about-a quarter of a mile away. Ho thought it was travelling “ pretty fast.”

L. J. O’Keefe, a porter at Horotiu. said ho noticed nothing unusual in the speed of the express as it passed through. Horotiu.' J. J. Dixon, a clerk, said that during his four years at Ngaruawahia station he had never seen a train go through the station faster than the Limited did that morning. H. Edwards, a clerk at Taupiri station, said he had seen trains travelling as fast as the express, but not faster, through Taupiri that morning. “ I have rarely seen a train go so fast,” said W. W. Bennett, a’ganger stationed at Taupiri. J. A. Wallis, a ganger at Huntly, said he was with a porter, Graham, on the Huntly station when the express approached. “ When the train was coming round the curve I mentioned to Graham that something would happen one morning if she came in at that pace,” he said. “ She was travelling very fast in comparison with other trains I have seen travelling. 1 did not know who was driving the train Graham said to me as 'she passed: ‘That’s M'Cnbhin. He will get killed one of these days.’ The tnfin was steaming all the way as, she went through the station. She was under power. “ 1 had to go towards Taupiri,” Wallis said. “ 1 got back about 10 o’clock, and Graham said, ‘ It has happened; 088 (the express) is off the line, and M'Gubbin is dead.’ ”

Witness said the first thing that drew his attention to the train was the speed at which it came round a curve. He had seen quite a number come round there, hut never one so quickly. Witness said he did not understand from Graham’s remarks that M'Cnbhin had a. reputation for speeding. He personally had not heard anything about M'Cubbin.

The inquiry will be resumed tomorrow.