APPALLING RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12428, 18 February 1901, Page 5

APPALLING RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

" FURTHER DETAILS. THE CAUSE A MYSTERY, • ,■:■ ANIGHT OFHOMOR. EYEWITNESSES' ACCOUNTS, ~ United ?r«s AwocKitioa—Bi Efcxrtri* Telegraph--CopTn2sit. - _ : • SYDNEY, Feb. 16. . . The railwav accident oecuired <** ..;; straight track. The train « crtwfe* ' .■ chiefly with workmen and clerks., returaafcg home from work. , The cause of derailment is still a mystery. The theory of a leading laahra-f official » that the brake to suddenly •«*»** M the train passed the spot where the accident occurred. He says that exanunauea. • - showed that the tracks were an ,*ood order, - and the engine had only just left the re- . pairing shops, and the rate of speed was not excesi-ive. The train was running between twenty and twenty-five miles aa hour. Eye-witnesses state that the engine tore along on the ballasting for fifty yards, after which it suddenly ewervfed dowfcthe embankment and rolled completely or«The- couplings connecting the engine with the tram snapped, and" the first car, coming on with s. terrific momentum, mounted and crashed clear over the staggering engine, sweeping of! its dome and funnel, *o*l . landing on its side, 50ft further off. The ■ , first car, fortunately, broke its couplings, and left the second carriage or. th« lifie, I Bnfc the latter was 'thrown acre;* tie Una , at right angles, while the thirci remained ?afe-on the metals. The enfftne, after ' toppling over, swung right rousd, cr»*bed through a fence and stood up on it* wheels ; just where the street crosses the line. The first car was completely wrecked ! For Eftme moments after the disaster the ! people in* the train were stupe sed. He ■ a.ccident happened so suddenly that tibey could hardly resliso that a portion of the I train had been smashed. » 1 The occupants of the other cars escaped ■practically scot 'free, beyond a shtJking. Afl I soon cs they recovered they hunied to the I scene of the wreck, where the de*d £&d I injured .lay amid the debris. Help was im* ! mediately forthcoming .from u hundred ! sources. The line runs close alongside a number oi ! dwellings, and the crashing ant! grinding shock gave the residents their first warning of the disaster. From all parts came people, hurrying to the scene. , The work of rescue was'a dificult one.; ! Ambulance- waggons were sent from thai , nearest railway stations, and madl-caita were pressed into service, and as the wounded were extracted they were earned' away to the hospitals. But tha carriage was so smashed and its timbers so interjoined that it was a laborious task to jjet some j bodies free. Heavy weights had to bfc lifted or timbers prised asunder. Ey«U spades were utilised. The work continued amidst the cries of the wounded and t&e screams of others whose relatives weW amongst the victims. Some bodies vrarf mutilated, and many passengers were helpless with broken limbs. It seemed at first as if the dead were more numerous than they actually ware, for a krge proportion of the wounded had beea rendered unconscious. Fortmna-cely fcfcera were few or no women on board' the train. One of the first people picked up was the fireman. King, a, mere youth.. Ha was lying clear of the wreckage, and had apparent ly been thrown out of the- engine when ii first fell over. He was quite dead. Tlie ri'.ivr, r>^-'' r '. was fci;r:l c". ttj the engine, badly hurt- .. ■. A LIST OF THE VICTIMS. '"' DANGEROUS rNJUBIES. The fourth victim has been identified ai G. H. Goulder, a schoolboy, aged fifteen, the son of a, well-known, city detective: Beverley and Teece were also •Thre men still remain unidentified. The: latest returns give the number of injured as twenty-six, although a number of other* received bruises and suffered severely from 1 the shock. About a score still remain in. the hospitals. The worst cases are Fred Jackel, injuries to spine and bruises on. the head (serious); Charles Spencer, a broken jaw and injuries to the head: Fred Bolfe; a lacerated lung (critical); W. M'Quiver, fractured skull (serious); and Engine-driver Doyle, fractured ribs, and both lej.fs broken! and injuries to his head (critical). Thei others are chiefly suffering front broken' bones, severe bruises and the shook. A GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE DISASTER, MIRACULOUS ESCAPE OF iSOME BYSTANDERS. HEARTRENDING SCENES OF SUFFERING. A gentleman residing closo to the scene of the accident gives a graphic description of it. He was looking out of the window, and saw the train approaching at a rapid rate. Suddenly the engine jumped off the ■ rails, and ploughed alongside the" line. Gradually it v;orked to the edge of thfe embankment, and rolled over two or three times, falling with a tremendous thud' to the side of the street below. It took ' the first cars with it, but a tremendous jolt caused the couplings to part, otherwise the whole of the passenger-laden carriages would have been telescoped. The engine dashed down into the street close to two little cbilren, who had a miraculous escape. As it was they were covered with dirt and moisture from tho engine. . When engine aitd ; car rail off the lifie the remaining carriages, by a miracle, kept the rails. The grade Wa is slightly uphill, and all the cats came to a standstill about fifty yaids further along. When the train stopped, out poured the af-' frighted passengers. Hundred* instantly get to work to render assistance to the injured, whose groans and cries werfc hetrtrcading. One man, who wea ridings oil the footboard of the wrecked car, wa3 Stat, flying down the embankment, and jumped on; hi* feet, little the worse for his experience. THE ENGINE-BRTVER'S ACCOUNT. NO REASON FOR THE ACCIDENT. A PROMPT AOT. Boyle, the driver, of tho engine, was dn-

terviewed in the hospital. He said it was all too sudden for anyone to see anything. He could give no Reason for the engine leaving the lines. It seemed to jump from the rails and turn over. When, he camo to his senses he found himself in tile hospital. A fireman living near the scene rendered valuable assistance by drawing the iire and letting off the steam from the engine. He probably saved an explosion. IDENTIFICATION' OF THE VICTIMS. The'remaining victims of the accident have been identified as John James Marri- . son. an engineer employed on the Xew • South Wales Railways; Herbert Henry Darnley, a storeman residing in the suburbs, and a youth named William Morfc. The name of the boy .previously given as Teece is now stated to be Albert Wade'Jon. Th'i eighth victim is Charles Thomas Spencei a young unmarried man, -who died this m ming. THEINQUEST. A NINTH VICTIM. (Re'ceivcd Feb. 17, 5.14 p.m.) SYDNEY, Feb. 17. The inquest on the railway accident Avas ' opened and adjourned to Feb. 26. ' Jackel, the ninth victim, is dead.