ENGINE DERAILED

Feilding Star, Volume 2, Issue 146, 9 April 1924, Page 5

ENGINE DERAILED

RUNS INTO SLIP NEAR TE KUJTJ THE DP IYER'S FINE JUDGMENT. (Per Press Association). Te Kuiti, April 8. The north-bound Main Trunk express ran into a slip between Kopaki and Puketutu, 14 miles south of Te Kuiti, at 1.40 o'clock this morning. The engine left the. line, but the carriages kept to the track. Beyond a severe bumping received by the passengers in the front carriages, there was no excitement. Immediately on receipt of news of the accident, a relief train was despatched from Te Kuiti and brought the passengers on to the town at about 0 a.m. The journey was continued from here at 0 o'clock this morning by special train from Prankton. Though tired from want of sleep. none of the passenger? seemed very much the worse for their adventure. Mr ,\. Wallace, the guard, stated that all the passengers behaved in a most exemplary manner. There waii no excitement and'the transfer to the relief train was carried out without any trouble. This opinion was endorsed by the driver. .Mr A. Blackwell, and a passenger. The slip oeurred round a bend in the line and it would be impossible for the driver to sec the obstruction until within a lew yards of it. The train was not. going fast and the dri-ver-had it well in control, as was proved by the way in which he handled the train after it had struck the slip. The fust indication the passengers had that something was wrong was a heavy shock, followed by a succession of humps eaiu-ed by the engine running over the sleepers. The engine ran thus for about 75 yards, when the driver brought the train to a standstill opposite to a sugarloafshaped hill. At each end was a deep cutting and about the centre of the train was a gully on one side, with a drop of about 150 feet. It was a magnificent piece of judgment on the part of the driver. If the brakes had been jammed on hard, when the engine struck the (dip the consequences would have been much-more serious. . The driver applied the brakes steadily and brought the train t oa standstill with both ends m a block cutting. The engine left the line on the open, oi gully side of the track and. it see.ma marvellous that it kept to permanent wav. Those in the front of the express felt the bumping of the engine along the sleepers, but those in the back carriages did not realise that anything unforeseen had occurred. The engine was got back on the line at 2 p.m. and arrived with the carriages at :\ p.m. at Te Kuiti. Thence it continued to Auckland. THE LINE CLEARED AGAIN Taumarunui, April 8. Tt was expected that the slip at Ivoakai, near Te Kniti. on the Mam Tmnk line would be cleared by six or .even o'clock this evening. . It is not known definitely here whether, a clearance has been effected yet. The engine and van which were derailed have now been righted and are back on the line. SOUTHBOUND TRAIN STARTS TO SCHEDULE. Auckland, April 8. Passengers from Wellington arrived here bv special train at 2.15 p.m. seven hours and 37 minutes late. Thol ,. was no shock with the dera.lmont and many passengers slept through the happening. Only one interviewed here could, get within 2m minutes of the moment o the accident. The southbound Mam hunk express left here as usual.