THE RAILWAY DISASTER.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 30 May 1914, Page 5

THE RAILWAY DISASTER.

INJUIIED T ASS KIN GEES PROGltE6,Sl:\G VvKLJL.

UV nsUSGHAPK —IHU'.Sii ASSOCIATION

AUCKLAND, May 29. 2Vlo permaneiiL physical injury is likely to ue suuereci i>y any ot one passengers who survived liio destruction of tne sleeping ear hi the disaster at Whangamarmu on \\ t.-dnesday morning. Reports of SiiUsl'iU'iory progress were given this evening in regard to all of mem by their n\e;.!icai attendants. The doctors consider that in no case is there any fear of the nervous shock having any «susi.aim-4 effect. ' The condition of jir F. S. Goldingham, of Palmerston North, was so much improved w-day that he will be able to leave hi.s bod to-morrow. He is rapidly recovering from shock and from the injuries which he received through being driven through the partition wall.

The extensive liniisirg received by Mr H. A. Fox, of Wellington, is still very painful. The dislocation of his toe was reduced on Thursday,, and he is now making good nrogress, though he will probably be incapacitated for some weeks.

Some of the other passengeros who escaped physical injury are still suffering from shock, and are under medical caie.

The complaints made regarding the lack of tools available when the work of extricating the injured passengers was undertaken Were criticised by Mv Mr R. "W. McVilly, Chief Clerk of the Department, in an interview reported yesterday. To the statement that two crow-bars were procurable, Mr McVilly replied that in the guards' van of each train there should have been the usual equipment of tools.

Attention was dra.wn by one of the passengers to-day to the fact that the van of the goods train in which Mr McVilly stated one set of tools could have been fouid wa-s smashed with the other \ehicles by the collision, so that it was highly probable that the tools were pith or bnried. in the debris or scattered so that search for them in the dai'kness wouM have beer, fruitless. Even had the full ermipment of tools from thf> vans of both trails been secured, there would have been only two crowbars and two axe<:. which would not have been of any effective value in breaking asunder the wrecked portions of the "two cars. The "sprogs,'' "sont-cpfv*" "nd other things mentioned by Mr McVillv were of no value for the work that had to be done.