TERRIBLE SIGHT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22571, 26 February 1948, Page 6

TERRIBLE SIGHT

PLIGHT OF INJURED SEARCH FOR CHILD DISTRACTED FATHER HEROIC RESCUE WORK niIMSTCnURCM, Feb. 26. (P. A.) A oTapliie picture of tho terrible si “lit that met uninjured passengers on the wrecked train when they rushed to 1 lie assistance oi: those who were hurt was yivon by Mr. W. F. Wilkins, Wakefield, Nelson.

“The first thing 1 saw when 1 got out of the carriage was two men with broken legs Iving on the track a few feet away. These men said they had crawled out of the wreckage themselves.

“They were suffering great pain, but they were young men and they weie taking it well. We could only give them some sketchy first aid, and then leave them until they could be gwen more skilful treatment. <

“When rescuers attempted to reach the victims trapped in the wreckage at. the front of the train they found it extremely difficult to force their way through the debris,” said Mr. Wilkins •‘An effort was made immediately to shift three persons who were caught under the wood and fittings which bore clown at places with a weight of severa. hundredweight.” One of the most distressing incidents seen by Mr. Wilkins was a man covered in b’ood darting in and out of the wreckage calling repeatedly for his lost child The man was in a state of collapse, but he persisted in his tragic task until led away by rescuers. “The fireman of the train did a great job,” said Mr. Wilkins. "He rushed around doing what he could until he dually collapsed.

“Many of the injured were bleeding profusely from cuts caused by jagged pieces of glass. Some of them were even walking about with bits of glass embedded in their heads.” Referring to the little warning given to passengers in his carriage, the seventh and last, that anything was amiss, Mr Wilkins said that there was a double jolt and then a feeling that “lots of brakes were going on.” The train seemed to him to be travelling fast.

Mr. Wilkins paid a tribute to the first aid given by the guard of the train and local residents. Of three nurses from the Christchurch Public Hospital who were sitting together in the third carriage. Miss Pat Co'gan, of 23 Woodhouse street. Linwood, was the only one able to come on to Christchurch last night. The other two, Misses Margaret Dalzell, Rangiora, and Miss B. Jaggar, Christchurch, were admitted to hospital.

Miss Colgan said that she and Miss Jaggar were sitting in a double seat with Miss Jaggar on the outside. Miss Dalzell was sitting opposite them on another double seat with some luggage alongside her.

“We had been talking about our holiday on a farm near Nelson when suddenly there was a terrific din and clatter,” said Miss Colgan. “I don’t know what happened next except that coses and everything went up in the air and were flying all over the place. “I don’t even know whether I was thrown through the roof or the floor, but I felt a tremendous blow on the head.”