RATANA RAILWAY SMASH

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 4 May 1938, Page 2

RATANA RAILWAY SMASH

EVIDENCE OF GUARD OPINION AS TO SPEED [United Press Association] ! WELLINGTON, 3rd May. At the railway inquiry to-day Fre- 1 derick Harry Taylor, an apprentice z.t the railway workshops at Hutt and a passenger by the train, said he knew. that a witness yesterday said, in effect. j that he. Taylor, said that a railway, cadet travelled on the engine from Wei-' 1 lington. Witness said that he was with 1 other apprentices on the station at Wel-j lington and before the train’s departure saw a young man on the engine footplate talking to the driver. Witness I went to his carriage. He did not. know that the youth was a cadet. He pre- | sumed that he would have an opportunity of leaving the engine before the; train started. Witness dozed on and off ; to Palmerston North and was asleep when the train arrived there. He walked to the engine. Witnesses’ scat was, in the first carriage and stood about 25 . yards away. There were three persons in the cab. the driver, fireman and a man who appeare dlike a person who worked about the track. If the third person had had grey pants on he would have noticed it. Mr F. W. Aickin. Railway Law Officer, announced this point. He ascertained from the Palmerston North station that the lad with grey pants and a brown. coat delivered a train advice to the driver at the station. It was necessary, for him to wait some time in the cab until the driver cleaned his hands. He submitted that this disposed of yester-' day's evidence. To further questions witness said that, the third person in the cab at Palmer-' ston North was not the youth he saw in the cab at Wellington. The person, at Palmerston North looked like a train examiner, but witness did not get a I good view of him. Witness denied mak- ! ing any statement that there was a ; railway cadet in the cab. who travelled ’ from Wellington. What he said was ’ j he thought there was a junior stoker or | cleaner out of the running shed, j To Sir Francis Frazer witness said I that at the time of the accident he did j not know that it was a breach of the i regulations for a third person to be in 1 the cab. | The train guard. Thomas Henry i White, giving evidence, said after the • j train examiner at Palmerston North t ! told him that the train was right, wit- ! ness went up to the engine. The fire- ; i man was on top to assist with the taking i I in of water. The driver came out of the cab and said that, a man from Fordell i had asked him to stop and the driver ! asked witness whether he should. Witness said: "Go right on to Aramoho. 1 We have no authority to stop.” Witness | went into the first carriage and checked I the tickets and by the time he had finished the train was past Turakina. He ( had also to count the passengers. Witness added that he did not think i of possible causes of the accident un--1 til the more seriously injured passen--1 gers had received attention. Coming a down the straight before entering the j curve, the train was doing a fair ‘'bat.” » There was an ordinary application of the brakes before the curve. The speed was increased from the top of the Turakina grade. In the opinion of witness, the driver took hold of his • train near the cutting in order to pro--1 coed round the curve at proper speed. , He estimated that when the engine ; left the road, the train was travelling ~ jat from 20 to 25 miles an hour. Over > j the Ratana fiat, before the application e | of the brakes, the speed was about i miles an hour. Witness added that he often rode on the Limited and was accustomed to a high speed. Fifty miles an hour on a straight, good track was a comfortablo speed. The application . of brakes was fully transmitted right p through to the van. When the brakes were applied he was in the van making - out a running sheet. It appeared to - witness that the driver applied the brakes until he had the train down to the speed at which he was to negotiate the curve. Witness continued writing and felt the brakes released. He had no experience of a jolt until the crash came. ‘‘She seemed to leave the rails immediately he let the brakes go.” said s witness. “There was one bump before she stopped. I am satisfied the brakes f were not on at that time. I did not hear a crash.” Witness added that in his opinion t the whistle was not sounded. He heard - a peculiar sound, as if steam pipes had t burst, and thought this could have been j. mistaken for the whistle by passengers. 1