TOLL OF THE TRACKS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18445, 7 July 1923, Page 12

TOLL OF THE TRACKS.

record; OF past accidents, m | \ALh SMALL BY COMPARISON, ,: ; _; i, ; , ~1 DEATH-ROLL NEVER' HIGH, ,;s c i , The disaster near Ongar;Ki is the worst I I. that'has ever occurred in New £eaia«i&, i : Previously the most serious accident thai '' 1 had occurred was the collision at Rakiiia • '' ': I oil the evening of March 11, 1899. Two /[J hiiavy excursion trains were on their way '; : | buck to Christchurch filled with picnickers, .'•'/.' : one twenty minutes ahead of the othej, ; ' The firsi train stopped-at Rakaia to await f fij;; the passing of a-southward-bound train. - ■■'■.%:{. There were.noi signals and a man who.-.- ,'- ; -% i was sent with a lamp to stop the second -, ."'."';.,& excursion train was too late" to avert the . ■■'""' disaster. An attempt to remov^the first ~ j ; ;'; 'train failed, and throe rear carriages were telescoped.' Three young women and a - -', child were killed and between SO "and 40 ''■', '-;'■ people were more or less seriously in* <'.''/}£■ jured. "■.'*. '' r; '■■•■' ;'f : ; ''If Loss of Life "-;' Near Aucklancl. .- V:-;|y u- ',, A yfaial v .'.accident-on the -Main Trunk I''!''\ line occurred on May 27, 19.14, when 'J> ' three men were killed. These ..were .-Messrs. •' ,- \ Orton Stevens, of Wellington, New Zea- ';< : land, general manager., for the National •'''s' Mutual Life Association 'of . Australasia,; "' jr~ Mr.. Charles' Peterson, , of ; Melbourne, and -;'r [ Mr.. George N. Grimstomi, registrar of the . '[ Tokerau Native Land Court. Five others ;•' ••■[ were .seriously, injured and several more . j|. received injuries. The .. North-bound ex- : :-jj •-. press, travelling : at a high speed in an r,'j|| early: morning fog through: WJiangamarino : ii; station: about seven miles south of Mercer, ' ■% ;'; crashed into .a- goods 1 train r.which was '~)< being backed on - to.. a > siding. A•' porter who was holding the points- open was rendered ; unconscious and ; Buffered a fractured . arm. , Following the impact the ..; engine . > ■.'. . of the express shot. off • the line. »nd ;i toppled over on . its side, , while the. postal van, which was situated next to the en- ['\ gine, telescoped. the sleeping -stir next to ;v '■ ■it. ;,'■. .: V •■,..-.:-,;.' Menace of the Slip. The serious accident I;which; overtook the south-bound ■ Main; ' Trunk express -'• ■) v about Bj|>,' miles south of Taihape in th« " ; ; early morning- of Thursday, November 7, "'""" 1918, was similar, in many ways to yes- ' terday's disaster at Ongarue, in that.th« }/ train' ran ; into a slip; and the two' front ■/■','. benches were telescoped, resulting in loss of -life, although not to the''same appall- ; »i| in.;; extent. The accident occurred -at - ; ; ' 6.2() a.m. ;at Mataroa-'.' Heavy rain . dur- ' -4 ing the night had ca'nssd a large land- ' ''\ slide, v.which came .down : into a cutting ;-- "I blocking the' line. • The /engine .of the ;. express, travelling at a fair speed, had. ; just | rounded the curve '] on the - north ■.■,.;■-; ' sid«i : of - the slip when driver Deridge . • •!. noticed' the obstruction falling on' to the ■''■'; 1 line.. He promptly applied the. brakes. ( j' 1 The: engine, ■ however, deehedy: into the falling slip, with'- the result .'. that ' the ■■•■r--'i mailvan, a :mortuary van, and the two front passenger cars were badly smashed. " ,IL\ ; '' There were only a few passengers' in : 'j{• : the 'two damaged carriages, one of whom, -\ Mr. H. Welsh, of. Hamilton* was i'so y / - badly injured, that he died on the ; way ;- to Taihape in the .relief , train. ...Two •:■.••'' postal f officials, Messrs; J.' H. • Williams it J and R. Maitin, who were on duty in :?'.^ "- the mail van, dead when recovered , from the ' wreckage; and it : was thought '"-"*'; death must have ■been.. instantaneous. Eight others were injured. The postal van was completely; wrecked," the heavy under-gear being forced right through the.'' /-■-' 'floor of tHe ! ear; ? s While '..the injured » IwereVh'eing;attended "to another slip" came . / ■"dowhVybringing the"whole , hillside;;,' with -' it. ' Trees arid hnge papa^"rocks fell and buried the engine. ;':'"';"'"" ; ;."..'.' ...'•"■ '.''.' -.'■'.' '■ -•■: :' On the night; of :May 14, 1919, a goods train was derailed"' /near Mataioa and the-driver, ; Mir:^^'W^lshV was ; .'killed.' ;'• Plunged Into a Gorge. The most serious railway.-.accident reported in the Wellington district was that which took place.cn the Rimutakn. incline on . the '' morning of: Saturday,, September , 11, 1880, when two carriages and a vaa forming part of a. train .from, the .Wairarapa, to Wellington jve,re .blown .oyer.- , the incline arid rolled down, to ■ the val- -■: " ley beneath. Three children • were the . victims: of-tiiat'iaccideHt,j>ind in addition a number of Messengers "received ; serious 'injuries.- :; -,' : : ; ■'■_ ";!".■'■."'; f.M'-. ■.••■-'"-i'lU-.r ■';-.' " "New Lynn was the aceno of a .rattier ex- ■ '- : traordinarj' collision ' pr: .May.' 2£!, '{lW>. A paissenger train coming. No L h . • ■".;! 'with about 70 passengers on' bwd, ran into, a locomotive. close to Lynn station, the train at that time -being ■•'. _ ; on a bridge, over a 'deep creek, The second and third wvrriages ; were; com--pletely telescoped into" each oth;er . and the passengers' had a . Ten:nVkablo > escape from' death. ' * About 2) wsr« injured. , " ( .'"-..' .'< :: -y -_' Soxitti ' Islands : Disaster. 1 ; "On .June 25, 1905,-two jnen were killed .in ah accident ■, at; Chaney'a Crcsti,. about •10 miles froK.- Christchurch. Very heavy f rai;ii6 had caused- the Waimakilriri; to ' flood, and -tho ."railway bad .been weak- : ened by an invisible washout-" Tho .line v gave way under the'.weight.-of. an. engine . drawing the mid-day;.train from i Christ- v church ,to Kaiapoi, and the vails broke, capsizing the engine. ,The first ■ ,and , second carriages were rammed together, >■ ■„ and two: of the passengers were' killed in v V . a most extraordinary . way» their ;■■ heads y were almost severed by- the edge, of on® carriage roof icoming into, .contact with ,: the end of tho other carriagflr .■■':.•:; : A. goods train ; from Auckland to;.-Roto> ; ■'■ -' . rua ran away on ' August 4, 19*57, , and ;, pitche-3 ; over, an embankment, thi» guard. .being. killed and,three others injured. In ■■■'.■>■.< ■ ythat/. case the train was. going. uji| .hill, ■■ ; and the train became ; detached vifrom the engine; the'Westinghouse brake did not -;' act 1 efficiently, : and , the whole train ' rant ■back into a gully 40ft below. V ; . "■■'''-;"-';;.'; The Drury Mishap. ■• h . ' V::'y':'y-.-.The Main. Trunk express .which:-. left ;' Auckland for Wellington on th«., n\£ft of August"ll," 1922, was "derailed ; -cz4t '.; Drury station while running at .'full -!" speed, all■■ the details disclosing a; 1 wonder-'■■■■■ '-•' escape from aserious disaster.!: There '■ were" al)dut ®<>y passengers'-onystho train, ," which, < l while running " at" about y;45 , mijes ' ': t', j an hour, ■ through;" a short.; cutting;.'crashed ' "- .into-foifir or five young cattle : which had ■:, ; ; slrayedyfon tho. :jine,-'- 'ilse engine, tender, I ~"'.•' , >' two } postal vans, and an empty reserve ;i '' , {carriagei-plung&d across the miilin line .;'. > ■ to : a. : siding* ; j*nd, narrowly missed going: ;j over an em&B«.icmant. ■ The./hremanyiwas ,* : slightly EcAWficUv. but no Mother,;injuriea. * were sustfcine.il! , .Oousiderablp~ : damage was done to: lksi i permaneht-wiiy: and to . .rolling-stock.:'"';;;: •• _''-•' ■' :. - . „..-„„„ ■■■> , ~ ~,

MAIN TRUNK LINK. ' ' ~~~ ' REGULAR TRAFFIC SINCE 1059. , . The .North..Auckland .'Main;' Irun& tin* .'■ ;•■'■-• was opened;'?«<• through, passengijr traffic "." - on February .14... 1909, whoa ; the ; first train left Aqrkl&ad: for Wellington. Tha 1 last: spike pw fciven on Novcrai«r 6, 190S ; but a {',i.« had passed ove>r the iWially-co-W'U line on August- '? of ; that year, bunging l a Parliamentary party from, to attiend iil»e ra* i joeption. to tno ; American .Film mm is i Auckland. The v line' was act,aaife ■;■*» ?Wt-:SS