RAILWAY COLLISION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3861, 13 March 1928, Page 34

RAILWAY COLLISION.

MISHAP AT PENROSE JUNCTION. SEVERAL RACEHORSES INVOLVED. AUCKLAND, March 11. Several well-known racehorses, including Sir Archie, fresh from victory in the Franklin Cup, narrowly escaped serious injury in a railway collision which occurred at Penrose Junction shortly before 9 o’clock on Saturday evening. Three wagons in a special race train bringing horses back to Ellerslie from the Pukekohe meeting, were either derailed or overturned. One was empty, another was carrying three racehorses, and the third was carrying four. The wagon carrying the three horses wag completely overturned. Two men, Messrs J. Stenning and J. D. Kemp, who were travelling in the attendants’ compartment, Jumped clear just in time. There were frightened screams from the horses, and some sounds of splintering wood. It was over two hours before the carriages could be righted, and during this time the horses were kicking and struggling in frantic efforts to escape. Fortunately none were seriously injured. The two trains concerned in the collision were both northbound The goods train bound from Papatoetoe to Auckland was coming back from the main north line at a point on the Auckland side of the station. There were several empty trucks and 'unoccupied passenger cars, which were to be left at Penrose yards. The race special with its carloads of valuable horses entered the station slowly and passed through. The goods train was backing into the yards. Both were moving slowly, but met with a crash, and in an instant the station was a scene of confusion At the end of the good s train was a passenger car. It was derailed by the collision, and the engine of the race special was silghtlv damaged. Behind it was an empty'horse wagon, the horses occupying it having been taken out at Otahuhu. It was completely derailed. Behind it again was a wagon containing three horses, owned by F. T. Stenning—Sir Archie, Sir Henry, and Spalmore—was completely overturned and lay across the line on its side. As it toppled over it tore the rear buffer from an empty wagon ahead, Mr J. Stenning was on the (joint of entering' one of the compartments to place a halter on a horse when the collision came, and he jumped clear. > be entered the compartment he would have been trapped with a horse, mad from terror and his chances of escape would have ’been negligible. The third wagon was partially derailed. It contained four horses, three of which belonged to Mr J. Williamson. After the collision the attendants from the race train and the station hands gathered round the scene, but it was realised that any attempt to rescue the imprisoned horses would be hopeless until the wagons were restored to the tr Mr W. J. M. Andrew was the officer in charge of tiie station. He summoned the station master, and particulars of the accident were communicated to Auckland. As it was Saturday night, some difficulty was experienced in getting together a relief gang, but a party cf men arrived as soon as possible. Meanwhile the owners and trainers of the horses were almost beside themselves with anxiety to ascertain whether their horses had been injured Even when the relief gang arrived and commenced operations there was a general hubub Suggestions were shouted from all sides. There was the clank of metal against metal, and the kicking and screams of terror from the imprisoned animals. One of the primary considerations of the relief gang was to clear a track for traffic, and with this end in view the derailed passenger car and wagon were righted and shunted into the station yard. The wagons on the race special, which had escaped damage, were shunted back into the station, and the owners, frightened lest their horses might have been in the overturned wagons were relieved to take delivery at Penrose instead of at Ellerslie. When one line was clear the attentions ot the workmen were turned to the two wagons containing the imprisoned horses. It was shortly before midnight when they were righted and the frightened animals were unloaded on the spot. They were obviously still terrified, and although none were seriously injured, several had lost skm and were badly bruised through their efforts to kick their way clear from the overturned trucks. The injuries to Sir Archie were the most serious. One of Mr Williamson’s horses. Vallar, lost the skin from his hocks. None of the overturned or derailed wagons were badly damaged. Some were a little splintered, but those containing the horses were well padded.