RAILWAY DISASTER.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 186, 24 July 1923, Page 3

RAILWAY DISASTER.

EVIDENCE BEFORE COMMISSION. ENGINE DRIVER EXAMINED. Auckland, July 23. The Board of Inquiry into the Main Trunk railway disaster heard evidence here to-day and adjourned to Wellington sine die. Air Marchbanks to James Forrester Mackley, locomotive engineer: Can you make any suggestion to strengthen cars? Witness; Ao; the forces al work arc so very considerable that nothing short of making them on the same nuvs us tiie luucis oi a man-of-war would do. in answer to further questions, witness said he thought the cars were quite strong enough tor what they were designed for. lie considered the postal van escaped us lightly us it did because it did not apparently get the same amount of pressure as the cars immediately behind it. The corner of the cur behind the postal van struck the bank and that took the pressure. Had the van received the same amount of pressure as the other cars it must have telescoped. James Farquhar, a sporting writer, who was a passenger on the train, said the wounded were got out from the wreckage expeditiously and everything was done to alleviate their sufferings. Witness also spoke of the courtesy and assistance to the by the stationmaster of Taumarunui. Witness as a fairly regular traveller desired to make a strong protest against the length of some of the Main Trunk trains. The train that met with the accident, however, was not unduly long. Mr Sterling: Do you think everything possible was done to get the wounded out and relieve suffering? Witness: Yes, very good work was done, everybody doing his best. Evidence was given by several train examiners to the effect that the train was lit to travel. William Charles Moloney, locomotive foreman at Frankton, considered the bending of the headstock of the engine was done by one of the first boulders to come down, and that the boulder caused the derailment.

Darcy Reginald Smith, postal official? estimated the speed of the train at not more than 25 miles an hour. He saw flames shooting out from under the centre of the carriage. He thought they were extinguished by the slip. Hugh R. Mackenzie, chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board, said the suggestion that everything was not done in forwarding the uninjured passengers to their destination after the accident was utterly wrong. Everything possible was done. His luggage was kept at Taumarunui and no mention was made of a charge. Henry Percy Hobson, guard on the express, said the speed of the train was between 20 and 25 miles an hour. He saw a slight flames issuing from the broken cylinder on the river side of the carriage, but the jar on the mud extinguished it. He received no complaints. There were sufficient tools to keep all going until the relief train arrived. The brakes were tested at Poro-o-tarao and found quite satisfactory. When the undamaged carriages were taken back to Ongarue it was necessary to pump up the cylinders after coupling up to release the brakes, showing that they were still holding three hours after the impact.

To Mr Marchbanks: Witness said he was going to suggest to the Department that the breakdown tool sets in the vans should be duplicated. The evidence of the engine-driver on the express (Alexander 8. Stewart) was taken at his residence, as he was not yet fit to attend. He said the brakes were tested at Poro-o-tarao, and were satisfactory. The train passed through Ongarue at about 25 miles an hour, and after that he shut off steam and drifted along at about 20 miles an hour, but the speed might have increased up to 30 miles an hour by the time the engine struck the slip. The headlight was burning well. Ho did not see anything before running into the slip. The first warning he had was when he was into the slip. He applied the brakes immediately. The engine appeared to strike a heavy slope and was tossed about. After travelling some distance it was thrown on the bank. Something hit witness on the head, and ho was rendered unconscious. Mr Riddell: Could you account for the smoke-box door being broken off.’ Witness said his only explanation was that there were several large stones about. The engine must have struck one in passing. Mr Riddell: Do you know of your ow’n knowledge whether the slip was moving 1

Witness: I noticed a whole lot come down when 1 was helping with the rescue work, and there had been a rush of mud through the window of the cab. Continuing, witness said he was one of the first drivers to run on the Main Trunk line, and had been running on it for years. He had been off the run for some time, but he had been back

again for about four years. He knew the line as well as the best, and did not regard this point as dangerous, and did not anticipate any trouble. He knew other places that were more dangerous, and when coming to a dangerous place he would take extra precautions. He did not consider there was any necessity to do so here. He had no necessity to speed up. Mr Riddell: How do you account for the boulder near the engine on the right-hand side? Witness: I think it must have come down at the same time. I do not know if it was the one that broke the smoke box. I think it must have been on the line, and was driven along by the cow-catcher. To Mr Sterling: My impression is that the slip came down immediately before wc came along. I do not think the big boulder hit the smoke box. I think the vibration of the train had a lot to do with the slip coming down just then. To Mr Marchbanks: It was a clear, frosty night. There was no need for the surfacemen to anticipate trouble. Had the slip boon on the straight he could have seen it. Witness said had he thought the place was dangerous, or had he anticipated danger, he would have eased up. A driver felt for himself as well as for others. He did not see any gas cylinder alight at the slip.