MAIN TRUNK LINE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25095, 8 January 1945, Page 4

MAIN TRUNK LINE

SIX CARS INVOLVED ESCAPE OF PASSENGERS ONLY TWO INJURED Passengers had a miraculous escape from serious injury when two carriages on a north-bound express plunged over a loft bank and four others were derailed near Oio, about 20 miles south of Taumarunui, at 12.35 on Saturday morning. A number of the 440 passengers suffered minor injuries, but only two required medical attention at Taumarunui beforo proceeding north by another train. The passengers who received treatment were: Mr Andrew Nolan, of Ikamatua, West Coast, South Island, who suffered fractures of the ribs. Mrs Gav Smith, of 32 Todman Street. Brooklyn. Wellington, who received cuts on the head. Washout at a Culvert

The derailment was caused by a washout at a culvert as the train was passing over it. The subsidence of the embankment left almost 20ft of rails suspended in mid-air bridging a 20ft drop, and one of the coaches came to a stop with its front bogey ahead of the gap and the rear bogey suspended over it. The line at the point of derailment, a few miles north of Raurimu, is built over an artificial sand embankment on a slight curve. The culvert had apparently blocked and flood water had soaked the sand, so that the weight of the engino and the first two or three carriages passing over it shifted the sand and caused the subsidence. Spectacular Scene The first six carriages of the express, which had left Wellington for Auckland at 3 p.m. on Friday, were derailed, the engine, the four first-class coaches, a postal van and guard's van remaining on the rails. The third and fourth coaches plunged down the bank. The train was travelling at about 20 miles an hour at the time of tho accident as there is a speed limit for that section of the line.

The wreck presented a spectacular sight with the two carriages which had left the track completely lying at an angle of about 45dog, one end of each resting in water and sand at the loot of the bank and the other end just clear of the line at the top. A pole carrying telephone wires prevented one coach from capsizing, while the other was supported by the sand and the weight of the carriages ahead of it. Only One Window Broken

The other derailed carriages straggled drunkenly on either side of the line. One of them had been scraped along its length by a telephone post and the side of a cutting, and another was crumbled at one end through colliding with the projecting end of the carriage ahead ot it. , Surprisingly little structural damage was done to the coaches, only one window having been broken. The absence of damage was attributed by railway officials to the fact that the carriages were of the steel, reinforced-end type, which prevented any telescoping. Another factor was that the automatic couplings in use, a comparatively recent innovation, all held together except two, which, although they did not break, slipped apart. Had the carriages telescoped or the couplings broken there is no doubt that serious damage and injury to passengers would have resulted. As it was structural damage was limited to buckling of the ends of the coaches_ and of the couplings, and minor denting of the bodywork. The line was damaged for some distance. Doctor Attends Injured

After the accident occurred those who suffered injuries were attended by Dr C. W. Howden, a member of the Air Force, who was on the train. The chief transportation inspector for the Railway Department, Mr R. Trowland, who was also travelling on the train, took charge, and he and the assistant guard walked to Oio and telephoned for assistance. An engine was despatched from Raurimu and all the passengers were crowded into three of the undamaged first-class carriages, the postal van and guard's van. The fourth first-class carriage could not be disconnected from the° wrecked coaches owing to damage to its coupling. The passengers were taken to Raurimu, where refreshments were provided at tho local hall, and were then conveyed by buses and other vehicles, brought from surrounding districts, to Oio. The limited express which had _ left Auckland on Friday night was waiting at Oio to make a crossing with the derailed train, and was used to convey the north-bound travellers to Taumarunui and then to Auckland. Other Transport Arrangements

Passengers on the south - bound express were taken by road to Raurimu. where they hoarded the express which had left Wellington at 3.30 p.m. on Friday. This train turned back and took them south on their journey. North-bound passengers from the 3.30 p.m. express were taken by road to Oio to join a train which had been despatched from Tanmarunui. The northbound limited express was diverted via Stratford.

Surfacemen from Taumariinui were on the scene soon after the derailment and commenced preliminary work, while a wrecking train equipped with a mobile crane was despatched from Auckland and another from Wellington. The Auckland train arrived at about 9 a.m. on Saturday, the other arriving at about 4 p.m. The leading coach of the derailed train was returned to the rails by about 5 p.m. ' A small army of gangers and surfacemen was employed during the week-end restoring the derailed carriages to the lines, repairing broken telephone wires and doing preliminary work toward the repair of the track. Engineers and officials were brought from Auckland, Wanganui and Wellington, while the general manager of railways, Mr J. Sawers, also paid a visit to the scene. Photographs are on page 7.

CLEARING THE TRACK THE ENGINEERS' HOPES (0.C.) WANGANUI. Sunday The work of clearing the track and filling in the washout near Oio where the derailment occurred early yesterday morning is being continued day and night. The weather was fine today and the engineers expected to have the line open for traffic some time tomorrow morning. CHARGE OF MURDER MAORI WOMAN'S DEATH (0.C.) WHANGAREI, Saturday Charged with the murder of his wife, Mrs Merepaea Aperahama Orikena. a Maori share-milker, Aperahama Orikena, aged 35, of Mangamuka Bridge, appeared before Messrs J. J. Bedggood and W. Shaw, J.P.'s, in the Kaikohe Court this morning. Mr H. F. Guy appeared for accused. On the application of the police, Orikena was romanded to appear in Auckland on Monday, January 15. Mrs Orikena was severely injured about the head early yesterday morning and died shortly after. Orikena was arrested and held in custody on a charge of doing grievous- bodily harm to- his wife. Following a post-mortem last night, this charge was altered to one of murder.