DUNEDIN SMASH

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 June 1934, Page 7

DUNEDIN SMASH

DETAILED DESCRIPTION SMART REPAIR EFFORTS [PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.] DUNEDIN. June 7. The worst, railway accident in the South Island during the last live years, though fortunately unattended by loss of life, occurred shortly after 7 o'clock this morning. A. special train carrying frozen meat carcases from the Finegand Works to be loaded on tho steamer Cambridge at Port Chalmers, left the rails at an overhead bridge over Neville Street, South Dunedin, and within a few seconds the train was a wreck of splintered wood and twisted steel. Two eyewitnesses of the accident

I state that there was a rumble like that of an earthquake. A second or two later a van reared into the air, lifting a second one with it. There was a shower of sparks, and a loud report, and the vans crashed down over the embankment into Wilkie Road. Two others followed with a roar of rending timber and snapping steel, and by the time the engine had stopped, a fifth van was lying on the edge of the embankment. Three others were across the track at various angles. One was resting on the down track and live more had been derailed. In the grey light of dawn, a scefie of confusion and wreckage was presented. The vans had broken asunder as they crashed over the 15 foot embankment, and frozen meat carcases were strewn in all directions. Some had been caught in bogey wheels and been cut to mincemeat. Others had been torn and crushed in the smash and other lay covered with litter and debris of wreckage. Heavy steel rails had been bent and twisted at all angles, and in other places, they had snapped clean across under the strain to which they were subjected. As

the 600 ton train left the line, wooden sleepers for a distance of a chain or more had been crushed and splintered in matchwood. Only those who saw the wreckage could credit the extent of the damage which had been wrought. The engine and the first four vans escaped damaged, and the last seven of 23 meat vans together with the guard’s van remained on the line. The cause of the accident is not yet known, and it is probable that it will not be determined until the official inquiry is held. It is believed, however, that the reax - paix - of wheels of a four wheeled wagon left the rails about three feet on the city side of Glen Road overhead bridge. For a distance of several chains, the

train which was travelling at a low speed having been checked by signals, continued on the track, two wheels ploughing through ballast and severing the ends of the sleepers. What happened to cause one van to leap into the air is not known. Once that, occurred, the next three wagons followed it over the embankment, and probably only the application of the Westinghouse brakes prevented several others from doing likewise. Two women who saw the smash both pay tribute to the coolness of the driver, who brought the engine and the first four vans to a stand still almost instantly. The train consisting of 23 vehicles and a guard’s van left Finegand Freezing Works about 3.3 a.m. to-day. with some 6000 carcases of frozen mutton for the Cambridge, which is now' loading at Port Chalmers for London and West of England ports. It was at three minutes past. 7 o’clock that the accident occurred.

A WOMAN’S STORY. “I was just returning to bed after having had a drink and was refilling my hot water bag,” said Mrs Baoungren, who lives opposite the scene of the accident, “when I heard a rumble like that of an earthquake. I rushed to the window and saw' a long meat train coming down the line. The rumbling increased to a roar, and suddenly the van reared high ii|to the air on one end. The next van was lifted up also. There was a loud report, and a shower of sparks flew from the train. Two vans swung over and then outwards and crashed into Wilkie Road. As they came down, the leading one burst open in mid-air, and white bundles were hurled in an directions. I thought it was a passenger train and screamed to my husband. Then I saw that it w r as only frozen meat carcases. What happened after that I can hardly say. Two other vans must have toppled over the embankment, but in the crash and roar I could scarcely see what happened, but the driver was wonderful. He seemed to stop the train in an instant and | by the time I had rushed down to the | road outside, he and the fireman were coming back to the wreckage, and the guard was coming round the other end of the train.”

The District Engineer of the Railways Department (Mr P. H. Money) was notified of the accident at 7.20 a.m. and took over control at 8 a.m. The accident could hardly have occurred in a spot more easy to cope with, for the whole resources of Hillside Workshops just across the track were at the disposal of the Engineer. All the available staff from here, together with the goods department staff and several gangs of unemployed, were rushed to the scene. The first task was to unload frozen meat carcases from the wrecked vans and from those off the rails and to load them into other vans. A relief train was backed down the line leading into the workshops yard and carcases were transhipped to this. Over 250 men were engaged on the work and by 11 a.m. practically the whole of the consignment had' been removed to the relief

vans. Many carcases of course remained entangled in the wreckage, but as these were all hopelessly damaged their .salvage was scarcely worth the effort involved.

The principal task confronting the Engineer was to get the line clear for traffic. For some distance, both up and down the line, from the point of the smash, the tracks were hopelessly wrecked. Many of the sleepers had been chewed and’ splintered by the heavy wagons into mere fragments and some lengths of rails had twisted and broken clean across. The vans stood across the track at various angles, and a long line of wagons, telescoped into one another, and off the rails, presented a formidable barrier, while in front, a van lay on its side completely blocking the track. So speedily was the work pushed ahead that one track was clear by the time the 4.20 p.m. express from the north reached Dunedin, and the train was

able Io proceed south. Although all south-bound and through traffic in the morning was somewhat disorganised, arrangements were made to tranship passengers from Caversham to the city by bus. The express for the south was sent from Caversham two hours behind time, and the Invercar-gill-Christchurch express went as far as Caversham, where passengers and mails were picked up and taken to Dunedin. A new express for the north was made up and this left Dunedin about 25 minutes behind schedule time.

After the carcases of frozen mutton had been transhipped to the waiting vans on the lower line, these were run through to the main yards, where a special train was made up. After the line had been cleared, this train was sent south again with as much of the mutton as was worth reconditioning at Finegand Works. It is uni derstood that the consignment was covered by insurance, and that the works will make up a fresh shipment for the Cambridge, which will be delayed at Port Chalmers for a couple of days. COW DERAILS ENGINE. AUCKLAND, June 8. Through striking a cow about a mile north of Rewiti station, and seven miles on the Auckland side of Helensville the engine of a passenger and goods train from Auckland io Whan- | garei was partly derailed. The collision caused (he leading bogey of the | engine to leave the rails. The train crew, after more than an hour’s work, succeeded in replacing the bogey on the track by the use of jacks; The train journey was re- ! sumed after an hour and a-half’s delay. ROAD AND RAIL SERVICE. WELLINGTON. June 8. A message from Wanganui reporting that the Government Railways Board intended to purchase from the S.O.S. Motors I.id., the road transport service it operates between Wellington and Wanganui was confirmed, this evening, by the General Manager of Railways, Mr. G. 11. Mackloy. He stated it was the intention of the Board to exercise an option it had for tho purchase of the S.O.S. service between two centres, and to apply for] a. license. “1!. is the desire of tho i Railways Board to achieve something| II), the way of co-ordination of road andrail services,” said Mr. Mackloy. “This I service will be Hie first of its kind to be taken over. The Railways Board is merely following out a policy adopted at. Home in regard to road services. Railway companies in Great Britain and other overseas countries have considerable sums invested in road sor-| vices. We tire simply adopting a’ practice that, is followed by overseas railway concerns." >