CANADIAN OUTRAGE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 13 December 1924, Page 3

CANADIAN OUTRAGE.

Day tHain Wrecked. A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION. PASSENGERS BLOWN OUT. VaNcODvER, November 5. Fiifther details of the Wrecking of a day coach on the Canadian Pacific Railway Kettle Valley train near Farron, British Columbia, when .nine persons were killed, including Petei; Vferegiri, Ddttkhbbbr leader, arid John Mackie, memb'er of the Legislative Assembly for Grand Forks; were, received in Yanco.uyer from Grand. Forks, where tlie special train bearing the remains of Mr. Mackie find Mr Yefegiii arrived. Tlteie were 26 perS'ofiis in the coach at the tinie,' and all except two were either killed of injured. •So terrific Was the explosion that rridre than half the passengers were bldwn clean out of the carriage, arid left a gruesome spectacle of ihutilated humanity and .wreckage for nearly 100 feet. . The body of John Mackie was found fifty feet away, With severe Worihds abb'iit the hbad, bitt otherwise not mutilated.

That of Veregiri was found close to him, with one leg torn from the trunk. They Had been sitting in adjoining seats close to wliefe the explosion’ occurred. The remains of ari unirideritified person, belieried to be ii Hindu, were mutilated beyond recognition, while the charred remains of another persori taken from the burned coach were dlse thought to be <4 Hindu.

The .others take'n ffoln tlifi Wreclv Wefe rushed; back to Nelson in a special train, but died on the way. They Were Neil Murray, W. Armstrong, and Mary Shrferioil,- H. K. Fawcett, train riews agent, died in the hhspital later. The Kettle Valley traitt consisting 6f the cars that were not damaged by the explosion, reached "Vancouver . thirty iriiriiites late. The passengers were terror-stricken at the disaster.

Patrick Scanloii and James While, who were the only uninjured passengers in the wrecked car, were detained By the Canadian Pacific Railway investigation department arid placed in the city gatfl fOf tlie night, to be retained as material witnesses for the inquiry. They were former efrip'loyees of the East Kootenay Company, coming to the coast for the winter, and stated they krie'W little abbiit the .fcariSe of the explosion. They had lost their luggage A graphic deSci’iptiofi, of the explosion was given by Sciiriidn arid Wolfe, the orily occupants 6‘f the fear to .escape injury. AVolfe said he Heard a roar and was lifted completely orit of his teat drill thrown ten feet into the air. “When I recovered,” lie said, ‘I saw the sides and roof of the ear had beeri h'lbwrt to pieces and the centre had caught v -fire. fecanlon and O’Shaughnessy, in the saine seat. with Wolfe) were lyiiig nearby,- and several other persons were lying, rin the right of way. In a few minutes Scanlon recovered consciousness,, arid we found that O’Shaugllriessy had been seriorisly hurt. He wa s able W-^ XI P’ helped hini clear of the fire.. By that tiriie'other passfengers had arrived, and the work of rescue was started. Tlie injured wfei-e carried out iritd other co’aches and firstaid rendered.”

Thomas Uphill, member of the Legislative Assembly for Fernie, whs in the parlour car. He said thei explosion Was ffollowed by several popping sounds. When he dashed out he found tlie coach psractipdlly demolished, flames ‘lfrteS tlie wrecked framework. Human forms littered the embankment, and the air Was filled with groans and .h® said. Stretchers and blankets were obtained, and passengers *Rid members of the train crew worked reverisbly bringing in injured and renclermg first aid. Sotne- were found at the foot of the hank, fifty feet below the right of way, which sliows the terrific .force, of . the explosion. ” Air. Uphill spoke in praise of the work of the train crew and passengers.' Respecting the report that the aim of the person placing the bomb was to kill Peter Veregin, head of the Doiikhobor colony, Air. Murphy, general manger of the Western lines, stated: “Investigation would go to show that Veregin was sitting on the north side of the car, near the centre, and that was the part of tlie car that took the force of the explosion. I cannot think any person wishing merely to injure tlie C.P.R. would do it in a Way to jeopardise innocent lives. There is no reason whatever, so far as We know, why siich a thing should be done at all Never in tlie history of the railway have we had a ease where the perpetrator took the risk of great loss Of life to kill aii individual, and never in the history of the company have we' had property bombed of otherwise destroyed, as far as we know.” With bomb experts of the Royal Canadian mounted police, provincial detectives under Inspector William Dithwooche, and members of the Canadian Pacific Railway investigation department on the ground, every effort was maple to clear up the mysterv of the explosion. That the blast was caused by a bomb or package of high explosives within the car close to Where Peter Veres in was seated, was the belief expressed by those investigating the affair. Priviiicinl police later arrested Sam Komensehcoff. a Doukhohor zealot, whom his captors said was seen neai' the explosion spot The prisoner had serious! v made threats relative to I Peter Veregin.