DROP OVER BANK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22850, 4 October 1937, Page 10

DROP OVER BANK

VEHICLE SUBMERGED ALL OCCUPANTS TRAPPED VAIN EFFORTS AT RESCUE VOLUNTEERS WORK AFTER DARK [BY TKI.EGRAPH —SPKCIAL REPORTER] HUNTLY, Sunday A tragic ending to a Saturday afternoon excursion, the accident involving six deaths, occurred at a sharp bend about three miles from the Waingaro Hot Springs, on the winding road which is regarded as a notorious stretch in view of previous accidents. Plunging from the road, the car, driven by Mr. Cole, dropped a sheer 30ft. into the stream, and came to rest almost completely submerged. When approaching the corner, Mr. Cole swung across the road to avoid a collision with another vehicle driven by Mr. Colin Kenneth Smith, of Te Akau. who was travelling in the opposite direction. In view of the narrowness of the road. Mr. Smith had pulled his own car as far as possible into the bank on the left side, and had stopped to enable the other car to pass. Brave Attempt at Rescue Mr. Cole's car became out. of control. Leaving the road it plunged into the swift-flowing Waingaro Stream. Crashing through thick undergrowth, the heavy sedan somersaulted several struck the rock bottom of the stream with its radiator, and came to rest in about six feet of water, some 20ft. from the bank. There it lay almost completely submerged at- right-angles to the direction in which it had been travelling. A brave attempt at rescue in the face of extreme difficulties was undertaken by Mr. Smith. Through fern and scrub five feet high, he forced his way down the precipitous bank until he reached the water's edge. There he removed his clothing and struck out for the car. Woman's Body Recovered The front door of the car he found either jammed or locked, but he succeeded in gaining entrance to the back seat, and in spite of the swirl of the stream aud the intensely cold water he contrived to pull out Mrs. Cole, a heavily-built woman, and place her on the top of the vehicle above the waterlevel. At this stage Mr. Smith was joined bv a passing motorist, Mr. 1). Bland, of Pukemiro, who also swam to the submerged car and applied aitificial respiration on Mrs. Cole, but without success. Endeavours to remove the other occupants were unsuccessful. With the arrival of Constable W. K McGruer and I)r. G. B. Isdale, of Ngaruawaliia, and with the rapid approach of darkness, it was realised that rescue work would have to be thoroughly organised. Fifty Miners Assist A call for volunteers in the townships of Pukemiro and Glen Afton brought the assistance of more than 50 miners. In the eerie light of miners safety-lamps, and with the headlamps of parked motor-cars trained on the water and pointing a path through the thick undergrowth, the scene of the tragedy was a centre of intense activity on the part of volunteei workers after night-fall. Under the water the headlamps and interior light of the wrecked motor-car commenced to glow, when the water caused a defect in the electrical system. With little possibility of securing a dinghy, a Pukemiro carrier, Mi. • Best, carted lengths of timber from a bush mill four miles away and hammers were swiftly used on the roadside to build a pontoon to bridge the giip between the bank and the car. With this task completed, the men cut a difficult break through the thick fern and scrub, and lowered the raft. Recovery ol Bodies It was impossible to make use ol the pontoon until the outward end was lashed to the car, and this was done by a volunteer swimmer. Thus an effective though rather insecure bridge was made. After forcing open the front door with a crowbar, workers found the body of Mr. Cole behind the wheel. The remaining four passengers were huddled in the back seat, from where Mrs. Cole had been previously removed. Six men took the bodies from the car, and they were hauled to the road by means of ropes. An examination by Dr. Isdale showed that except in the case of Betty Dellaway, whose death was due to drowning, the occupants lost their lives as a, result -of injuries caused by

the impact of the car against the rocky bottom of the stream. They were asphyxiated while semi-conscious or unconscious.

A major task was faced by the crew of a breakdown van which salvaged the car this afternoon. The undergrowth lining the face of the bank was burned off and a light crane fixed securely on the road was used to haul the vehicle up the steep slope by means of a system of pulleys. The vehicle was extensively damaged, deep dents in the top, radiator and mudguards showing the force of its impact against the bottom of the stream.