SENSATIONAL SMASH IN TNE SQUARE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9159, 8 March 1910, Page 5

SENSATIONAL SMASH IN TNE SQUARE.

MAIN TRUNK EXPRESS COLLIDES

WITH A VEHICLE

MIRACULOUS ESCAPE OF THE

DRIVER

One of the most sensational in the Ion"" chapter of train accidents m 1 almeHton happened shortly before one o'clock to-day, when the down Mam Trunk Express, coming into tho bquare at hi"h speed, crashed into an express belonging to Mr 6 Rawlins, of White House, and driven by a man named Charlie Felix. . The driver had a miraculous escape. He declares the engine never whistled till it was close to him. and he had no idea of its presence till he was in the centre of the rails and saw the on-riish-train. Ho had the presence of mind to°jump. and thus saved his life, for the next instant with a report that could be heard nearly half a mile away the engine struck the vehicle and carried it along on the cowcatcher into tho Square for nearly a hundred yards. By a strange stroke of luck the euddenness of the impact broke the express clean away from the horse, which escaped, like it'e driver, without a scratch. There were a few moments of intense excitement for tho occupants of the train. They could hear the report and see a cloud of dust and flying pieces of furniture marking the progress of the mangled vehicle in its short but stormy ride ■on the cowcatcher, but none knew whether the driver was then a mangled corpse or whether he had escaped violent death. When the train pulled up the vehicle— or what remained of it—was a sorry sight. Its route was marked by various limbs of chairs, which had composed it.? load. Its seat, all battered, lay on the grass plot a little way from the body; one of the wheels was carried on to the Commercial Hotel crossing, and spokes of the remaining ones were scattered in all directions. Its mangled body was twisted out of all shape, and lay huddled up beside the line amid the remains of the chairs. . When the train moved off again and tho startled crowd of questioners had all been satisfactorily answered, more of the damaged furniture came to light, and dismembered limbs of Mrs.Rawlins' chairs were to be seen for yards along both sides of the track, while various pieces of battered nickchvare showed that the proprietress of White House had not escaped without loss. There is not the slightest doubt that the train, which was late in arriving "here, was tearing through the Square at a criminally dangerous pace. Estimates of eye-witnesses vary from twenty-fivP to thirty miles an hour, and numbers of people in the near vicinity of the crossing were quite unaware of the. presence of the train till they saw an alanviin? accident impending. Many, declared that if the train whistled it must, have been too far away to be of any use. while others stated they heard no whistle at all.

Rep pa-bed representations rj'ave been made to headquarters about the speed attained by some of the trains, and it seems that only when such accidents happen will the authorities take any action.