TEMUKA RAILWAY FATALITY

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15511, 11 January 1911, Page 3

TEMUKA RAILWAY FATALITY

THE INQUEST. The adjourned inquest touching the death of J. M’Auliffe and AY. Sne!!, who were killed at the. Temuka railway station.'on January 2, was hold at the Courthouse, Temuka, yesterday, before Mr v. O. Day, Coroner, and a jury of six. Mr L. Tripp and Mr Gordon Montefiore watched the proceeding, l ; on behalf ot the Ocean Accident Insurance Company, and Mr J. AY. AVhito, Crown Prosecutor, and Mr C. Holn-. Biss, district engineer, on behalf of the Railway Department.. Tliotnas Guxmion. carter, said he was at the railway- station on January 2. The second express had just gone and an extra express was due from the south. Just before the accident he saw the two deceased standing up in a dray passing along the cattle yard. They were driving slowly. Ho saw the express coming in, and then saw M’Auliffe grabbing at Snell. The horse evidently jumped, and M’Auliffe must have-chocked it when Snell fell. The horse had just crossed the line, but the cart was caught- by the engine and completely collapsed. The train nulled up in a distance of about four chains. Ho ran down and saw the two men lying underneath the train. They were greatly knocked about and life was extinct, Prior to the train approaching he heard it whistle. He would say r>, whistled half way between High Street and Denmark Street. Similar evidence was given by Albert Edward Thomas, George M'EVoy r.mi James Hiron. George P. AVallace, fireman on the train, said that when approaching Tomuka the whistle was used within two chains of the crossing. He noticed a dray with two men in it approaching the line from the west. The .horse appeared to he plunging, and. on noticing it he blew the whistle and applied the brake with full force. He lost sight, of the cart as he leaned over no apply the brake. The next thing he saw in* pieces of the cart flying about the engine. The train was pulled up in about twenty-three seconds from the time this brakes were applied. The train was going about thirty-six miles an hour, which was a usual speed coming to the station. AA 7 hen he first saw the horse it was between the store and the line, coming from behind the shed. All the regulations were complied with. The distance from the store to the middle of the line was sixteen yards. Ebin Adams, engine-driver of the train, said lie whistled at the High Street crossing and shut off steamAbout, two chains from the crossing the fireman blew the whistle and applied the brakes with full iorce. The train was brought to a stand within its own length. He did not see the deceased approaching as lie was on the other side of the engine. AIL the regulations were complied with and everything possible was done to prey cut the accident. He did not. consider the crossing a dangerous one. The view of the yard was blocked bv the grain store. James flislop. station-master, said he heard the whistle, and came out of the office in time to see the train dash into the cart. Snell vras in the'office an. hour before the accident. Before the store was built, there was a plantation of trees on the site. He did not consider the crossing dangerous. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the'deceased, John M’Auliffe and AYiUiam Snell, were accidentally killed by the express train at the Denmark Street crossing on January 2, and that no blame was attachable to anyone. The jury added the following rider: ••That we consider this crossing to. be a very dangerous one on account of the large grain shed and plantation obscuring the view of the line; that we recommend the R ailway Department to take some steps to safeguard the public as soon as possible.”