FURTHER PARTICULARS.
' LIST'OF THE iNJURED. . '•jr. 'T-f ' y-f. >.••?;• *■■'■ -'- •-;.■ »r-- ■'.'■'" -■ ■ "-; >*t ,-rr^T May 27. - ''■-■ A 'railway, disaster- happened to the maitf trunk express at Whangamarino, neat Merced morninjr. .- - 'SeviraV r • were ; injured j. some "seriously.-^ ■:,-■• ■-... •.•■'..- .;■.<«; * So- far'; as can -be' gathered the ex-:' press ? ;was running at full 'Speed and crasjhedinntoa^ goods train^ \vhich left Auckland air midnight. •' /' 'Severally carriages -were telescoped and the-:dirie.-is< blocked for ; traffic. .;; iiiOne'ofythe.-passengers killed was ©ttonrr Stevens, -general manager for the'sNewf* Zeaand^National Mutual Life Assuraffice.'-; ;- * - ■.'.••■■ r-.-i- ■■:■ .-..^H ->:The second -passenger killed was Petersonj of J. F. MacKenzie and ,Go^ ■"-■• &■>•:■•:..•■;':*/;; n ■;> v.V : .-.. : '- - .-•■..., ■ :rl^nose seriously 'injured 1 - are GrimshaW, of Wellington; and Spinson, of BotK were taken to. the. .Hamdltoii ;/ ' . ; v The r bthsfs in jured^ are Goldinghani '(BalinerstOn H. A; Fox; McTCay and Hi>ward> all? of Wellington. '. V Peter > Donaldson, railway porter at Wharigamarino- station, -had his- arm : brokenv ; - rdi- ■-.. ■;..:■ - r : ;•-•:•■■.:: ••".:■• "G,c r N; Grinishaw is7 registrar of the 'Tokeraui'Maorit'Land Board, arid was fbrmerlyr] 1 secretary ' to Judge Palmerv.jle recently left for Wellingtohi intendirig- to^ return with his wife ahdcfatnirjr^: ;-:: : ' ' : - "" r ■'■'"■ ; C. ..Petersenr Kelonsrs to Melbourne. He"' carried "introduction -to ? a commer;:ralfirmvin Auckland.* i ~ ' rH- ; G. -• Mc'Kay, 'of -Melbourne, inspector: of v the Commercial Bank, has been .■stationed -in "Wellington for the past /sixvweeics; He" was one o£ those less vsepfousfly ;f iiriured.' - r Orton 'Stevens^ 'who' was killed; was erne of Wellington's; best "known'. -citii texts. He had- been in the service of ,'he National Miitual Life ' Association ;a- man^- years. He came from rAustraßa about \2 years" ago toj f».ss;ume.uthe: position-' of; .general man-a!g-er for New Zealand. -He was for-: jnerlyf -May or ; 6i. Lower ' Hutt j Chair. p -nan of *ther Hutt River -Bbard," PresiHent v of, fthe -Hutt? Bowling. Club, r and •it is understood was to be the Reform candidate.for Hutt. - \ He was married, .native o^-Australia, and -about 50 years-'O'f age> v He leaves : a wife -andi daygjiter and -a son- The latter has; a prppertyrnear .the North ' lsland 'Main' Tarun& }line. : ;. : ' Whanffamarino is ; 50 miles south of ; Auckland. ; -'•'.;, : ■' ;;"■.■ I SUEIDENNESS. ? '.. ; ■ The-pas'serigers r in ' the rear of the' tfain xvere'^scafcely aware that anything had happened" until the express' ■^m^^a"Staiidstai. ! '"'' XT v : ■ It. is: stated- ; that the' sigtnails . af Whangamaritfcr 'flag station, which is inxharge <yf^tablet porter: :were clear for the /Wellington ;> ■"train".'' ' ' ',- As ; " the. express" was flying- by, the lights or a leconibtive' was seen on' thei'siffin^ "- : : -:--f [ - : ' ; r^W!sshx>rtX fv: blasts of the'" whistle' sd"unded' ;v the"%iginal"-fof imminent dani •»e^i ; ' :: TM- :^^tft*''sii^aI v was froki an 1 ;cn^ine T dfawi^g- fh'e^ 400 ions' gtoods liighti'b^uTid far- Waikato.' ! ! I .Brakes 1 were applied. " "but. the goods -ttain had ;no^ ". Quit eTclea red "■ the 'main' Und;. in fact r ;the porter, 'Donaldson; wap : sittinjor. on the v lever" ' keepinig'' the^ lknnts,bperi. d ff" '". . *v ! ; . ' ■ ! "Nojthing-; could avert -the collision, irhe- r express v dashed into trucks 'still 4n; 'the* line and^the' engine, after trzu Celling I'some1 'some distance, was thrown over intoia creek with several of ;the -freight' train trucks bnrtop of it . . - . The mail vgxt took the impact of the' rest , ? of .- the-, express train. ; I The sleeping car, which -was next to ,the omail .van,r.'was telescoped : for more! than tworthir-ds or:! its; length. •/ The mai^van" evidently had a cant upward a'ndf.sitruck .the sleeper in w slaritdngi direction.^ v. : .-_' i" • ,-. : ■,■■ . \''lJr: : \ • ',- - ' H0W 1 the three - mail '.men, named Bristoli^Scdtt and Clark* ox Auckland , ( Escaped is ai miracle. ■ When/they heard: the urgent danrger; signal/ they .tan :tt»i; ; jhe end of' the -forward end of the vanip This saved their Jives/ : f.The confining of 'the .smash to>the sleeper caii- only be attributed to the ihimedia'te,. 'application 'of the brakes and!- ;*;the T '.fact that, the mail van. struck d glandnsr blow. .» : ;• ; The driyei; and . the inemen were thrown cleaf^^ , ' ; V : Porter Donaldson, wbo .^tuck to his. lever,, had. his broken. ; .- i. ,, No n^Tked ; 'jtigihts. were- .ta^n, . near, the . sleeper until time, was given, for ■a^.j.'the.\-^uniijpajtihsr! gas to escape. • "There were thirteen men in thesjleep er and no "ladies. .. .... '// J \ PAISSE^GERS'. ACCOUNT. " j" .; ■ ■■,-■ •";" ;'^* :; : : ■'* '- :'"' '''■" ■''! '■- -■;■ t^The.' i)a^sengers ; arrived at : ii-3o p/nl. ' - Tiey/'-s^te^'tHat/.tlie /^lUisijba' occi?rred ! wthbut . any warning. .'"'' ; ; The goods' train was 'getting- bff/'the ; main line at a siding ai^d thq porter was at the points. It was almost clear"
when the express Tan into it, the engine of the goods train striking the ex, press diagonally about the middle. Two cattle trucks, in the goods trait were knocked off the lines and a sheej truck was smashed, to matchwood. ' The engine of the. express ;• ,to knocked over, sideways 7 and ■ badl] slashed in front. It fell over th( bank almost "intov a swamp. ? ; ' , The rear of the postal car immediat< ly -behind the engine apparently rose and ran riffht over the steeper-car be hind /it penetrating to within about 2 yard of the back door of the- sleeper The roof.. of the. sleeper and floor pi tihe- 'Sileeper were intact, the roof ol the sleeber resting on the? floor of th( postal car.^; :: ; ••■ , :: . .; The ■ passengers; . were pushed by th< fdrcevofjthe collision into a; smal .space at the end of the sleeper. . One side of. the sleeper was smashec fcleah out; - •...■<- ' ; f -.- . ,^ ; The steward of the sleeper was extr tated from between the ; roof . of th< postal van andVthe ; floor of the" Sileepei 'A The •smoking-carriage .immediatel] behind the postal van kept to the rails a^id was undamaged. . • ■ Mr, G. E. Howard, who was travel ling with Stevens, stated that he say ; -thipwn- fronvhis ;berth,.an4^hurle> ;tp 3 the floor several- feet away. Tht carae. down and pinned Steven; •who was ; lying face downwards to v.th( flpof. - ■■ : ■■.:. . „.. ... ■ ■'... ■ ■ "I awoke in^-my- berth and ..heard: ; z ■fearful- crash,'.'' 'said ■Howard. "I wa« hiaTfed right -out; ftf . the berth. Ther 'a shocking sight met v my eyes. • Th< \vtj.ole car^vas apparently smashed up The passengers were thrown in all di refctions. ; ,It is. impossible for me^tr say,- exactly how the accident occurred All J is. that tlie smash /cam* without warning. , ■ -. .-
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Bibliographic details
Grey River Argus, 28 May 1914, Page 5
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988FURTHER PARTICULARS. Grey River Argus, 28 May 1914, Page 5
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