Third Lucky Escape Within as Many Months

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 3247, 18 January 1926, Page 9

Third Lucky Escape Within as Many Months

(Special to “Times.”) WELLINGTON, Last Night. For the tliird time within a Sew months, disaster has been narrowly averted on the “Limited” express through failure of the running gear. The scene of the first occasion was north of Hamilton, when an axle broke. Shortly after, a rim of a van wheel was cast near Levin. In each case coaches were derailed and the permanent way was damaged. Quickly on the heels of these two events comes another mishap, also caused by a broken axle, to the daylight “Limited” which passed through Palmerston North at $.30 on Saturday evening for Wellington, The occurrence possessed ail the dements of a calamity. Fifteen seconds more ,and all the first-class carriages would have toppled over a steep bonk. The scene of the occurrence was between Pultierua and Pllmmerton, wherto the line In a four mile stretch, gradually descends to sea level after the climb from Faekakarlki, Of which Pnkerua station marks the summit. It Is stated that the descent was being made at twenty-five miles an hour And when the axle snapped, the carriage immediately left the rails and dropped towards a steep slope until the strain was caught by the couplings. It was followed by the next passenger coach, which, however, did not mn off the' sleepers, although, when the train came to a standstill, it had almost done so. The carriage behind those two was partially derailed and the Bleepers themselves were scored and cut up for a distance of about a quarter of a mile. Only a few yards from the point where the train mine to a stop there Is a steep slope, and undoubtedly the derailed carriages would have crashed down tills embankment and probably polled others after them. Apparently the first carriage gradually left' the rails, and ns It worked to the edge of the sleepers, dragged off the one following. Tills second coach did the same With the third, which, On examination afterwards, was found with the two front wheels off the line. Two of the carriages were slightly damaged. The passengers were transferred to the second class carriages in the front portion of the train and the Journey was resumed, Thorndon being reached 11 hours behind schedule time. At one o’clock on Sunday morning, a breakdown gang proceeded to the scene of the accident and was followed by a second gang later. During Sunday, passengers for Paekakarlkl and Otakl wtere transferred to trains brought to the scene from Poekakarild and Pllmmerton,. The “Limited” last evening carried a full complement of passengers, and after being held np at the scene, arrived in Palmerston North to depart nlenty minutes behind schedule.