MAIN TRUNK ACCIDENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18171, 17 August 1922, Page 6

MAIN TRUNK ACCIDENT.

THE OFFENDING CATTLE. PHESENCE ON THE LINE. RESULT OF DROVER'S ACTION [BY TELEGRAPH.—SPEOTAL BEI'OBTEB.] WELLINGTON. Wednesday. An explanation of the cause of the accident at the Drury railway station last Friday evening was giv«n in the House to-day by the Minister for Railways, Hon. D. H. Guthrie. Mr. W. H. Field (Otfdci) had asked a question about the responsibility for the accident, and said he understood that it was the result of a gate being carelessly left open and 'cattle being thus allowed to wander on to the railway line.. The Minister said that from this the inference might be drawn that the officers of the Railway Department were in some way to blame. From investigations made up to the present there was not the slightest evidence to show that the cause of the accident was as stilted or that the officers of the department were to blame in any way. The position, so far as couM be ascertained, was that two trucks containing 39 young cattle arrived in Drury on the evening of Friday and were placed alongside the stockyards for unloading about 7.30 p.m. A drover signed for the stock at 7.45 p.m. and proceeded to unload. The clerk in charge of the Drury station, who was the only officer on duty at the time, saw the drover move the first truck into position toward the cattlerace and the clerk returned to his office to deal with the express train. It was a very dark night and the railway officer neither saw nor heard cattle straying on tho line before he set the tablet exchanger and signals for the express. Very careful investigations were immediately made as to the accident, and from the cattle marks on the ground in the yard it was presumed that instead of unloading the cattle into the cattle yards the man who did tho unloading opened the doors of the trucks on the opposite side to the cattle yards, and unloaded the cattle by jumping' them' into the railway yard instead of ■ into the proper cattle yards. It appeared that when the first truck was unloaded some of the cattle were lost sight of and wandered along the line northward to the overltead bridge and were met by the train en the north side of it. Five cattle were ibund on the line after the accident. Tho enginedriver had stated that when about' 30yds. north of the overhead bridge the engine struck two beasts and when the tram had run about tnoiher 50yds. and, just clear of the bridge another small beast was struck, this latter beast apparently being so small that it got underneath the cowcatcher and was apparently the cause of the whole trouble. "The drover did not advise the railway authorities of any mishap in connection with the consignment," added the Minister, "and the department has not, so far as i 3 known at pVesent, been able to get into touch with ,'the drover since the accident. No permission Was given for the cattle to be unloaded into the station yard. Careful investigations are still being made in order to"" definitely identify the five young cattle found on the railway line, and a further statement will be made as soon as additional information comes to hand. From what can be gathered from the information available, I am convinced there has been no dereliction of duty so far as the officers of my department are concerned,, and that the procedure in this case was, so far as the railways arc concerned, quite in accordance with the usual practice followed in connection with the transport of livestock on the railway." The Minister states that the department was fully alive to the splendid services rendered by the engmed'n-cr and fireman, their prompt action averting a very serious accident.