LEVEL CROSSING HORROR.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 111, 7 April 1930, Page 2

LEVEL CROSSING HORROR.

TRAIN AND BUS IN COLLISION.

SIX DEAD AND FIVE INJURED.

TRAGIC PICTURE-PARTY OUTING.

W HANG AREI, April 6. A shocking level-crossing accident occurred on the Hikurangi side of McLeod’s Flat at 6.5 o’clock last evening, as a result of which six lives were lost and five others more or less seriously injured. The Opua-bound express struck one of the buses owned by the Northern Bus Company, which was travelling from Hikurangi with a number of young people who had intended going to the pictures in Whangarei. A tremendous impact occurred, and of the 11 occupants of the bus, four were killed outright, one died before arrival at the Whangarei public hospital and another, whose case was hopeless from the outset, succumbed this morning. It is believed to be the worst level crossing accident in the history of New Zealand. The bus was completely smashed and hurled some distance.

The list of killed and injured is as follows: KILLED INSTANTANEOUSLY. IRENE DARWIN, aged 15—Extensive head and body injuries. Her parent® reside at Peria Road, Matamata. Miss Darwin was employed by Mr G. A. Storrar, of Mountain Road, Hikurangi. JAMES ROTHWELL, aged 16—Whole body completely mangled. He resided at Hikurangi, and was employed by Mr George Graham, a butcher of Hikurangi. DIED OF INJURIES. SYDNEY JOHNSTON, aged 21—A severe fracture to the base of the skull. He resided at Hikurangi, and. was employed as a miner. GAVIN DAVIDSON, aged 16—The whole body was terribly smashed and the face completely disfigured; severe fracture of the vault of the skull, and fAce and brain injuries. EDNA WILSON, aged 23—An extensive fracture of the skull and chest injuries. She resided at Kisteven Avenue, St. Heliers, Auckland. ANDREW FREW, aged 17—An extensive fracture of the base of the skull. He resided at Hikurangi, and was employed at the Hikurangi coal mines. SERIOUSLY INJURED.

PHILLIP SPARKS, aged 15—Extensive head injuries, extensive fracture of the vault of the skull; he is still unconscious. INJURED.

EILEEN TROTTER, aged 19, who resides at 46 Surrey Street, Ponsonby, Auckland—Extensive wound on the right foot, a scalp wound, abrasions on thigh and leg, ana

severe shock. TREVOR DOEL, aged 14, who resides at Hikurangi—Wounds on his left

thigh and mouth and scalp. NOEL WILKINSON, aged 19, an employee of the Northern Bus Company, Whangarei,- who resides at Kamo—Compound fracture of the left shoulder-blade and suffering

from shock. LEWIS MARTIN, aged 16, who resides at George Street, HikurangiWound on the right scalp and concussion.

At the crossing where the accident occurred the road bends to'-the right about half a chain before the line is reached 'and proceeds across McLeod’s Flat. Except for this sharp bend at the actual crossing the line and the road approach each other at an acute angle of about 20 degrees. The train was a special race trahij carrying patrons' of the Whangarei races from Mair station, alongside of the racecourse, to Opua, in the Bay of Islands, and was well patronised. The train was due to leave Mair station at 5.42 p.m., but on account of a delay at the races it did not clear Mair station until 5.55 p.m. The train stopped at Kamo and Kauri stations and arrived at the crossing at about 6.35 p.m. The train consisted of seven • passenger cars, three wagons and a van, and was drawn by a heavy engine of the BB class. The driver of the train was Mr A. Manning, of Opua, and the guard Mr C. Storey, of Hikurangi. Apart from the sudden application of the brakes the passengers in the train knew nothing of the accident; in fact, the first man to arrive at the scene was the driver, Mr Manning, • who, as soon as he had stopped his train, ran quickly back to investigate the collision. DARK AT THE TIME. It was quite dark at the time of the impact, and there was a slight drizzle of rain, which, falling on the windshield, » believed to have obscured the bus driver’s view. On account of the busy nature of the highway a number of private cars soon collected at the crossing and the drivers of these cars did excellent work in attending to the wounded. All of the nine people taken to the Whangarei Hospital were conveyed there most expeditiously in the oars, and on arrival of the ambulance the two unfortunate victims who were killed outright were conveyed to the Whangarei Morgue. Messrs Manning and Storey did wonderful work, and were ably assisted by the train passengers. The victims were extricated from the wreckage, and carried to the van, where cushions from the train were placed and the victims made as comfortable as possible until taken to the hospital. Guard Storey, with the aid of his lamp, managed to find the victims, but on account of the benzine which had escaped from the bus tank extreme care had to be exercised to prevent the wreckage taking fire, and thus necessitated groping amongst the wreckage in the dark. Constable M. Farrell, of Kawakawa, was a passenger on the train, and he immediately ran to Mr McLeod’s house nearby and summoned Dr. _ Goodwin from Hikurangi. Dr. Goodwin arrived very quickly afterwards and did invaluable work in getting the wounded away. The head of the train was about 180 yards up the line from the crossing, and the whole line was for the first 50 yards or more strewn with wreckage. . . The bus was hit fair and square just behind the front wheels, and after being carried over the crossing for about 15 yards was hurled bodily off the line down a 10ft bank, and came to rest right side up at the bottom. The whole superstructure was completely smashed and the chassis badly bent. The vehicle today presented one tangled mass of wreckage, the only part intact being the front wheels and the radiator. T.he seats and other parts of the bus are strewn along the side of the track. The bus was a 26passenger vehicle. BODY HURLED ON ENGINE. The Whangarei police communicated with the Matamata police with a view to advising Miss Darwin’s parents. Miss Darwin was apparently hurled against the front, of the engine, and her body

was fouud on the front platform of the engine above the cow-catcher when it stopped about ISO yards up the line. She was quite dead when found. Mr Rothwell was found on the righthand side of the track about 60 yards from the crossing. The driver of the bus, Mr Npel Wilkinson, who was one of the injured, was the only victim who retained consciousness. He crawled out of the wreckage and struggled up to the road, but was suffering badly from shock and was almost completely dazed. Mr Wilkinson’s father, Mr H. Wilkinson, is one of the proprietors of the Northern Bus Company, to whom the bus belonged. ENGINE AVHISTLE NOT HEARD. There were only eleven occupants of the bus, all young people, who were on their way to attend tho pictures in Whangarei. The bus was making a special trip from Hikurangi to Whangarei/ Air Noel Wilkinson, the driver of the bus, is reported as having stated that he did not hear the whistle, but l'is condition is such that at present fie cannot give an account of the accident. \vhen the cars with the victims arrived at the hospital between 7.30 and 8 p.m. the scene in the hospital yard resembled a war casualty clearing station more than an ordinary hospital yard. Fortunately, Dr. Ward, of Whangarei, had telephoned the hospital authorities of the accident, and »o they had an opportunity to prepare beds. Dr. Costello, also of Whangarei. as soon as he heard of the accident, went to the hospital and volunteered Iris services and gave valuable assistance to Dr. Hall, the superintendent and Dr. Rule, his assistant. The patients arrived in the cars one after another.

Dr. Hall spoke in glowing terms of the way the nursing staff and hospital attendants rose to the occasion. Most of the staff who were off duty immediately reported- themselves for duty without being summoned, and their prompt attendance to duty in such an emergency helped very considerably in meeting tire situation. Drs., Hall, Rule and Costello experienced considerable difficulty in identifying the killed and injured on account of the severe manner in which they had been knocked about, and this necessitated a large amount of telephone inquiry work. After the wounded and killed had been removed from the scene of the accident the train was able to proceed on its way to Opua, there being practically no damage done to the engine. Dr. Hall, the medical superintendent of the Whangarei District Hospital, remarked that a feature of the accident was that of the killed and injured taken to the institution there were no broken limbs, and the wounds consisted of either extensive cuts and abrasions or severe head injuries.

NECESSITY FOR DEVIATION. For several years various attempts have been made to have a deviation made in the main north highway so as to eliminate two dangerous crossings near Hikurangi, and as far back as November, 1924, the Hikurangi Chamber of Commerce, made representations to the Railway Department regarding the matter. On November 3, 1924, writing to the Whangarei County Council, the district engineer of railways, Mr W. R. B. 13 a gee, asked for an estimate of a deviation of the present road so as to eliminate both crossings. In the same letter the district engineer expressed his opinion that no matter how desirable it might be that these crossings should be eliminated, if funds were available for such purposes they could be spent with more advantage elsewhere, and further, that there were many crossings where the view was not as good as at these particular crossings. The County Council supplied the necessary estimate which, including compensation, amounted to £1209, but nothing further was heard of the proposition. In 1926 the Hikurangi Chamber of Commerce again approached the Railway Department and the Main Highways Board with a view to getting the deviation undertaken, and their representations were strongly supported by the Whangarei County Council and by the Whangarei Borough Council. On August 5, 1926, the district engineer of railways, Mr J, K. Lowe; wrote to the County Council that the crossings in question were not considered as specially dangerous in comparison with many others and must await their due time in the matter of elimination. On July 1926 the chairman of the Main High- ' ways Council, No. 1 District, replying to the representations made to the Main Highways Board, advised the council that the. Highways Board was not doing anything in connection with the elimination . of the . two crossings, the board’s policy being to provide annually for. a limited amount of improvements to dangerous crossings in New Zealand such as overbridges, subways and the like, also that tnese crossings would hot be considered dangerous, though of course it would be, an advantage*, to have same eliminated. Since then the matter has on several occasions been brought before the authorities and in addition to. endeavouring to have the deviation undertaken abortive attempts were made to have wigwag signals erected at the five crossings on the highway between Whangarei and Hikurangi, a distance of 12 miles. Considerable local feeling has always been felt against the apathetic attitude of both the Railways Department and the Highways Board. PAST FATALITIES. On several occasions there have been several very, lucky escapes at this crossing. On one occasion a car was hit by a train, but the occupants were thrbWn clear and escaped without injury. On another occasion a tractor was com-

pletely smashed by a train, • but the driver fortunately had time to jump clear. At the Ruatangata crossing, which is nearer Whangarei, a “baby’’ oar was struck by a train, and both the young men occupying the car were killed. At the Kensington crossing an old lady was killed, and. at another time an old man was killed. Miss. Edna Wilson was visiting Hikurangi and was' the guest of Mr Jackson, of Hikurangi. Miss Wilson had made arrangements to go l ack, to Auckland, but finally decided to stay over the week-end .and attend the races.' She was a niece, of Mr J. T. Bosworth, of Palmerston North. Miss .Trotter ,was also a* guest of Mr Jackson and was formerly a resident of Hikurangi. Mr Davidson was so badly disfigured that for some, time he could > not be identified.