Accidents. FATAL COAOH ACCIDENT AT THE HORSE RANGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1382, 25 May 1878, Page 10

Accidents. FATAL COAOH ACCIDENT AT THE HORSE RANGE.

Intelligence was received in Dunedin shortly after five o'clock on the 21st that a terrible accident, resulting in loss of life, had happened to the coach running between Palmerston and Moeraki ; and when it became known that Mr Charles Nichols, of the firm of Dalgety, Nichols, and Co., had been killed, and that Master^ Ernest Maitland, third son of Mr J. P. Maitland, Commissioner of Crown Lands, had been seriously if not fatally injured, the excitement became intense, and the Telegraph Office and Daily Times Office were visited by dozens of persons eager to obtain particulars of the sad occurrence. The first telegram received in town was sent to Mr Chaplin, of Cobb and Co. 'a office, but the information was merely to the effect that a fatal accident had taken place, and no particulars were given. Soon afterwards Mr Spence received the following message : —

„ _ , " Hampden, May 15th. "Mr. Spence, Dalgety, Nichols, and Co., Dunedin," " Break to Mrs Nichols, gently j Nichols, badly hurt. Coach upset going down Horse Kange, Advise Strode, boys right. I fear young Maitland seriously injured. Tell family lam »11 right. M'Nicol, Scotia Hotsl, right. Charles Nichols since dead. Mudie uninjured." " (Sd.) Fkanois Fdlton." When it became known that this message had been received the excitement was increased, and •very Bcrap of information was eagerly sought for by those who imagined that their relatives or friends might have been passengers by the coach. Mr J. P. Maitland, accompanied by Mrs Maitland, at once determined to start for the scene of the accident, and at first intended to proceed to Waikouaiti by special train, but changed his mind and left about six o'clock in a buggy, also taking Dr Ferguson with him. He first made arrangements by telegraph for relays of'horses along the road, in order that no time might be lost } but from the intelligence we Afterwards received he would have had to proceed right through to Oamaru, to which place the sufferers were taken by special train, which arrived there at about half-past nine at night. At about 10 o'clock, the following telegram was received by Inspector Mallard from the police officer in charge of the Oamaru District: "The coach from Palmerston carried 14 passengers. When coming down the Horse Range a trace broke, and the horses bolted. The driver, Goddard, could not hold them, and the coach upset. Mr Nichols, of DalgetyNichols, was killed, and young Mr Maitland was fatally hurt. The driver was badly hurt, •nd aeven others received injuries. They were all brought into Oamaru by a special train,' which arrived at half-past 9. o'clock.' Mr Nichols's body was taken to the Northern Hotel, and Master Maitland waa removed to the National Bank premises by the Manager." Later on, Mr A. Gra»t, General Manager of Railways, received the following telegram from Mr Back, of the Railway Departmentj Oamaru:— "Re coach accident. Mr Nichols is dead, and young Maitland cannot live through the night. Goddard, the driver, is badly hurt, and seven others are more or less injured.' Mr Francis Fulton escaped with very Blight Injuries. We brought them to Oamaru by special train. " The greater number of those who were in the coach at the time of the accident left Dunedin by the half- past 9 train in the morning, and left Waikouaiti at about 12 o'clock id Swanson and Warburton's four-horse coach S* r Moeraki. Master Maitland, two lads, sons Mr A. C. Strode, and Master Valpy, were on their way to the Christchurch College, and Mr' Nichols was alsp on his way to Christchurch. Master Maitland was to have gone by steamer to-day with his brother, but preferred to travel by rail and coach. He is sixteen years old. Shortly before midnight wo received the following telegram from the Press agent at Oamaru: —

*'• A fearful accident occurred to-day to the coach from Dunedin. It left Palmereton for Moeraki at the usual time, having 15 passengers aboard, one of whom was a lady. All went well till descending the Horse Range, when t6e trjtceß of one of the horses came loose. Goddard, a careful driver who has been on the road for nine years, was driving. On the box was a young man named Maitland. He tried to put his foot on the brake to assist Goddard, but his foot Blipped and he fell down among the horses' feet In falling he knocked Goddard's foot off the brake, and before Goddard could get his foot on again the coach got great way on, and one horse fell. The others took fright^ and bolted, and dragged the coach ana its occupants over a steep embankment. In going down the coach rolled over three times. On being picked up Maitland waa found to be fearfully injured, and is not expected to live till morning. Mr Nichols, of Dalgety, Nichols, and Co., was killed outright. Goddard, the driver, was very seriously injured, and five of the other passengers were injured, but none of them dangerously. Great excitement exists in town, and when the special train arrived with the dead and injured the platform was crowded. In ' connection with this sad affair it may be mentioned that this Tas the last day on which the coach runs, as the new line will be opened to-morrow. The above brief particulars are as correct as can be obtained, but the excitement is great, aud it is difficult to obtain correct information."

Later on our special correspondent at Oamaru Bent in the following message, which appears to contain all the information obtainable in Oamaru last night : — ' "A frightful accident occurred to Goddard's coach when coming down the Hampden side of the Morse Range this afternoon. The particulars, as obtained by me from a passenger by the special train which brought in the injured passengers, are as follows : As the coach was coming down the Hampden side of the Horse Range, the driver and owner, Mr W. Goddard, lost all control over the horses ; it is thought through the king-bolt coming out. The horses bolted down with the fore part of the coach, leaving the body of the vehicle behind; which swayed and tumbled down the precipice, which at this point is some 200 feet nigh, but its progress was arrested after going some distance by a wire fence. The coach turned over several times, and the passengers were thrown off in all directions, only a few escaping injury. Mr Nichols, of Dalgety, Nichols^ and Co., waa picked up insensible, and expired shortly afterwards from supposed internal injuries, blood flowing freely from his mouthy Master E. Maitland, son of Mr J. P. Maitland, Commissioner of Waste Lands, who was proceeding to school at Christchurch, was frightfully injured, and is not expected to live. He is suffering from concussion of the brain,_ and the flesh on one of his sides, from the ribs to the hip, is torn in a frightful manner. Amongst the others who were more or less injured were M'Nicol, hotelkeeper, Dunedin: Mr Hunter, of Wellington ; Mr Bishop, of the Sun newspaper, Christchurch ; Mr Cullies Bill, of Melbourne ; Mr J. Cameron, of Timaru ; Master Valpy, of Dunedin ;Mr Francis Fulton, of Dunedin : and Mr William Goddard, the driver. Several others received Blight injuries, only one or two of the passongera eßcapiPjjf unhurt. Information of the

accident waa first received at Palmeraton by telegram sent from Hampden by Mr Bell, jun., who was driving northwards in a_ buggy. Mr Back on receiving information at once despatched a special train conveying Dr Brown and other assistance. The train stopped opposite Kartigi, and the sufferers were brought up to the hotel at that place by means of every available vehicle. Dr Brown at once set to work to asoertain the extent of the injuries received by the unfortunate victims, and to apply such remedies and temporary means of relief as were within his power. This having been done they were placed on the train and brought into Oamaru Bhortly before half -past 9 o'clock. The greater number of them were removed in vehicles to the Hospital, where they were attended by a number of medical men."

It may safely be said that no accident that has happened in this part of the country for many years has created such a painful sensation as the one it is now our unoleaaant duty tv> record. Mr Nichols was a gentleman who had long been connected with the shipping, commercial, and pastoral interests of the Colony, and he was most widely known and respected. Many were the expressions of symSathy with his bereaved family that might aye been heard last night, while the sincerest sorrow was felt by Mr and Mrs J. P. Maitland's many friends at this newest sorrow which has befallen them. The difficulty experienced in obtaining reliable information with reference to the accident during the early part of the evening served of course to increase the anxiety of those whose friends were known to be travelling between Dunedin and Oamaru, and we are sorry that we are not in a position to publish a full list of all the passengers, with the exact extent of the injuries sustained by each.