RUNAWAY RAILY TRUCKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12317, 8 July 1903, Page 3

RUNAWAY RAILY TRUCKS.

Eltham correspondent writes:A runaway of a startling nature occurred onj the ::< railway line on Tuesday. The engine which brought the goods train from Hawera was , engaged when "it reached Eltham in shunting operations. The work had just been finished and the engine returning to the train, when it was discovered that a couple of trucks •! laden with from eight to 10 tons of timber lad got away through the brakes not acting. The grade from Eltham to Hawera is very steep, and down the mile and a-half before reaching Neil Road the waggons gained terrific! pace, and kept it up to close to' Ha- . wera, the 12, miles being left behind in 20 ' minutes. Immediately the runaways were noticed the engine gave J*chase, but ; they were? not overtaken until'■■ they ; had \ reached the -uphill grade by the 'Hawera semaphore. v ,Tho waggons at times travelled at a rate of over 40 miles an hour, but, losing on the flat, «;i the engine was ; able to overtake them. There are ; a number of crossings between here and Hawera, but there was only one instance of, a narrow escape—that of Mr. Messer, who was driving along Turuturu Road. Mr. Potter, a railway employee,/, was down, the lino on a velocipede trolley, when he "■:'. heard : the , waggons > coming, and | had only just > time to jump . off. ( The truck collided ■ with the trolley, .throwing it over Potter's leg, but he sustained no serious injury. Had the waggons gone through Ha-■ wera they would most probably nave pulled up :at T?ingahoo or Manawapou. '■ The cause of the accident was manifestly due to defective brakes. J The brakes;-;when hard;down, i wero about an eighth of ;an,inch from the wheel. Tins is not owing to wear, -as -the trucks only left • the workshops a little over a fortnight ago. l The defect is "'■ attributable to i the fact that ■■ when ■ the brake is tested j the waggon is unloaded, and that when loaded the springs sink, and the brake is in con- j sequence taken away from the wheel. As a result of the; accident ? Porter H. Bright, of the Eltham staff, has been suspended pending' an inquiry, but as the mishap 1 was clearly an accident Mr. Bright (who is a most careful and experienced shunter) will no doubt be immediately reinstated. ■