TRAIN ON FIRE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22027, 6 February 1935, Page 14

TRAIN ON FIRE

COLLISION WITH LORRY DRIVER'S NARROW ESCAPE Blazing petrol set fire to three railway trucks of wheat near Temora, New South Wales, recently when a goods train and a motor-lorry collided. Til® crew hurried the train to water tanks about a mile away, where the flames were extinguished. The motor-lorry was wrecked and destroyed by fire, but tho driver, George Humphries, aged -J. escaped with shock and minor injuries. The accident occurred on the outskirts of the town, where a street crosses the railway near the flour Humphries had just delivered a load of wood and was returning with the eniptv lorry. The driver of the train stated that he sounded the whistle when ho saw the lorry, but was unable to prevent the collision, although he applied the brakes , Mr. Humphries jumped at tne moment of impact and fell on the roadway. The lorry was tossed into the air by the engine, which was spattered with broken glass and wreckage, crashed into the cattle grids, and : petrol tank burst. Blazing showered on several wheat trucks. Jtarpaulins caught alight, and burne fiercely. The train was stopped. Spectat found that Mr. Humphries had n been badly injured. The heat of t flames drove them back from the lorr • and made it impossible to vehicle. There was no water • and the crew of the train saw that only hope of preventing the ' spreading to other parts of the £ train was to reach the water tan *» < Temora. They started the tnun made a dash to the tanks. _ reached them the flames were I high into the air. The hvdran_ .j, turned on, and the fires were