A SAD FIVE MINUTES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10608, 10 November 1910, Page 2

A SAD FIVE MINUTES.

(Per Pbess Association.) Christchurch, November 9. An exciting incident,-, which nearly ended in a tragedy, occurred at Fendalton' railway crossing shortly before 6 o'clock last night. ... •The Fendalton coach, driven ny its owner, Charles Brown, with a fair miiiiber of passengers aboard, was jogging along peacefully to connect wnn rhe car for town. At the crossing there is a slight'rise, and on either side of the road are several poplar trees shutting out the railway line from siglit. Suspecting nothing, the driver of the coach had. just gained the rails, when a rapidly-approaching' train, stated to have been onlv 25 yards away, suddenly blew its whistle. In the fraction of a second the startled horses had bolted and Brown, in an attempt to pull them up, was jolted from his seat, two of the wheels of the coach passing over hislegs. To the spectators' horror, he fell on the railway lines, only a few feet away from the advancing train, and a tragedy seemed imminent. By a miracle, however, he managed to escape being crunched to death 'by rolling clear just as the train thundered past him. In the meantime the coach had cleared the rails safely. Luckily a jockey boy was sitting next to the driyer, and • he seized hold of the reins when the horses bolted, but when the driver fell to the ground he was forced to leave go, and the reins fell to the ground among the horses' feet. Nothing dismayed, the jockey ran along the shaft, and from his risky perch, with the terrified animals in full career, succeeded in rescuing the reins, and pulling up the horses within four or five chains, much to the relief of the terrified passengers. Brown luckily escaped with no worse injuries than severe cuts and bruises to his legs.