MURULLA DISASTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19455, 11 October 1926, Page 12

MURULLA DISASTER.

EVIDENCE OF SIGNALMAN. RACE WITH RUNAWAY TRUCKS. A. and N.Z. ' SYDNEY. Oct. 9 Tho inquest concerning the deaths of the victims of the Murulla railway disaster was continued to-day. Waiter White, tho signalman at Murulla, who was on duty at the time of the accident, stated that the goods train arrived at Murulla at 10.40 p.m. It stopped because of a broken drawhook.. At 1,1.23 p.m. the driver of the goods* train told witness he was then ready to proceed. Witness said; "You will have to pull yoiJr train in a little more clear and wait until the other train passes."' ■ •Some tliree or four minutes later witness heard a movement and went to sec what was the matter. When he reached a point near where the train had broken he found the back portion was gone. He saw no one about arid no lights, but he coulfl hear vehicles moving. Witness ran to see if he could stop them. "For a time lie was able to keep pace with the runaway trucks, As he ran alongside lie tried to screw on the brakes. He endeavoured to reach the van. 1 He saw the guard, who was also trying t/> screw on the brakes. The trucks were going too fast for witness to reach the van, but lie managed to screw on one brake. He then returned to the station. Almost immediately he- heard tho crash of the collision. VERDICT OF THE CORONER. CHARGES OF MANSLAUGHTER. Australian and»N.Z. Cable Association. (Rood. 6.5 p.m.) SYDNEY, Oct. 10. At tljto conclusion of the inquest on flic. Murulla disaster the coroner brought in a verdict to the effect thai the driver of the goods train, Turner, and the guard, Davis, were both guilty of neghgence. He committed them for trial on a charge of manslaughter. Tn a .rider tho- coroner added that ho found there was no - automatic couplingpiri in tho brake van of the goods'train. He also found that if such a pin had been in the v(jn and had been used, as was suggested ,„;n . thy general" appendix to the instructions, the accident and tho consequent' Joss of- lifo would have been avoided. Tfie coroner further found that an omission of great importance in the list of a guard's equipment for.' a goods t rain .w/»s made iu the general appendix, 'inas* much as there was.no mention made, of an automatic coupling-pin as a part of the 1 equipment. The grave consequence was .that departmentally, no potWp was regarded "as culpably responsible for the absence of such a pin, and that tho essential principles of &afo awprkiiig.had .been pvarlookecL, ,