RELIEF FROM AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18445, 7 July 1923, Page 13

RELIEF FROM AUCKLAND.

BREAKDOWN GANG. SENT.

TRAIN LEAVES AT MIDDAY. : ' 'A'W/V-.. \- : :'-//•■ ■-■■ "■ : V.;'"- '■''";"--'.-'-':- ; ; :■'■'■' '-'--///.■./-;Y; //i. : '.-•'."•'■;.: SLOW JOURNEY WITH CRANES ■ fal" TELEGRAPH.-- SPECIAL . REPORTER.] ~ ONGARUE. Friday. .; When the news of the accident, reached the /-railway I authorities early* this > morning .arrangements/were at once made to gather a /breakdown gang for •■: despatch to .-scene by special • train. There werevqx ickly; assembled at ;' the Newmarket railway -station J about 20 men ; ; comprising fitters,/>, lifters, /and labourers. Suitable gear for -the work at ; the wreck was' also assembled;/ consisting of ■■; a seven-ton steam crane, ft,?-! equipment for lighting tor night work, Cackles and .Mings, ~ powerful jacks, etc. The materkl was ; loaded up on : six;/ waggons; at' the V Newmarket Workshops, and at Penrose a live-ton hand srane^ was added to "the train, i;/ At-Te Awamutu several ,huts for the workers wero taken on, the arrangements right through showing foresight and organising ability, on the part of the authorities. ■■■"// /-/ />• ' v ~' . A single ] passenger coach : conveyed ? the breakdown gang, officials, pressmen, . and photographers. The breakdown train was timed to leave Newmarket at 11.30 a.m., but owing to the fact that, the i very essential steam crane happened to be on the Helensvillo lino at the time, ;it was necessary to .wait for it. There was only a delay of half an hour, nevertheless, the breakdown - train pulling out of the Newmarket station at noon .precisely; In, charge of the train was Mr. J. F." Mackley, locomotive engineer of the ■ Auckland section. At Otahuhii ho was joined bv Mi*. J. Cameron, assistant . district traffic manager, who: will work here on the traffic arrangements in co-operation with Mr t R. Isaacs, traffic .manager for .the Ohakune section, in which the locality of the accident lies. -■;•;:

The time taken by. the express trains from Auckland to '. Ongarue is ; ordinarily six hours. The breakdown tram, however, had to. travel at a lesser speed, owing to the two cranes which were being , conveyed,'to the scene of the disaster. There was always the danger in going round ,: curves that y the arm of one of these might swing outward were the speed too great, and great care had to be exercised in consequence. The result was that the journey to;the scene of the wreck occupied 94 hours, . the special train arriving ■• at 9.35 p.m. in complete darkness. ~' ~ No untoward, incident occurred en route, and the weather was beautifully fine, the hot. sun doing . much to cause the flood waters along the route *to subside considerably; ; >. /-, '