CHRISTCHURCH COLLISION

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 13820, 30 March 1938, Page 6

CHRISTCHURCH COLLISION

PASSENGERS VERY LUCKY TELESCOPING STOPS IN TIME Electric Telegraph—Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. The cause of the accident is as yet vague but it is understood that the train from Christchurch was either stationary or was starting at the time of the impact. The carnage to the City-bound train was by far the most extensive. The carriages had started to telescope, the end and two back seats being wrecked, but fortunately for the occupants the telescoping stopped at that. Behind this carriage was the van and this ripped away couplings and portion -A the carnage platform as it- slid down the bank. It was possibly a stroke of luck for the passengers as the van with another empty departmental carriage formed a buffer between |l*c passenger carriage and the' rest ot the sixty odd vans and trucks which carried a miscellaneous cargo of sheep, cattle, timber, coal and apples. APPLES SHOT EVERYWHERE Behind the foremost carriages were four vans full of cases of apples. These were piled one on top of mother in indescribable confusion. Most of the woodwork was smashed and apple cases by the hundred burst, strewing thousands of apples' amid the wreckage over the permanent way, and for yards on each side of the line. As these vans tore away from the rails, they heaped up oallast into a pile and crashed down onto one of the standards, burying the lights used in the railway automatic signal system. A similar standard on the other side of the line vas also mown down by the postal van.

The coastbound train at the time of the crash was on a loop about* a hundred yards from Aylesbury Station. This train consisted of fifty or .sixty heavy steel wagons, several of which were lifted bodily from the rails and were swung sideways so that they lay astride the main track. LITTLE DAMAGE APPARENT Twisted steel was evidence of the momentum of the crash. Actually not a great deal of damage was done to the two engines whose tenders were pushed almost up to the footplate and cow catchers, the fore structure naturally being crumpled. A few of the wheels left the rails but otherwise there was little damage apparent.

CLEARING THE LINE By 10.45 a.m. engines had arrived to remove the undamaged rolling stock and by 11 o'clock a break-down gang from Christchurch was on the scene and /th e big crane arrived from Springfield. Every endeavour is being made to clear the main line bv to-night and if necessary the wieckage on the peimanent way will be pulled over into a small depression beside the line so that a track may be repaired for to-night's traffic. SEVENTEEN YEARS' SERVICE Bailey, <the fireman who,was killed had been in the railway service for seventeen years operating trains in the Christchurch district since the time he was appointed fireman. He was a married man and leaves a wife and daughter of j(J years. An early arrival at the scene of the accident was Mr. \V. Rogers, Assistant Traffic Manager at Christchurch and Mr. J. Brinstead, Chief Locomotive Engineer in the South island .

L ITT LJi IN CON V KN I FNCjE TO PASSENGERS

As to-day was Wednesday there was little inconvenience to passenger traffic as it is a day when the expresses do not run. However, a train from Springfield, carrying about 40 school children and some adults was held up at Kirwee and the passengers were transported to Christchurch by bus. At the time of the accident the guard of the downward train received a severe jolting as did the driver who, unlike the dead fireman, did not risk the jump. The fireman who was trapped when the mail van turned on its side was crushed and killed instantly and hi body had to be dug out .All the wagons of the upward train at the time oi .the crash were on a loop pbout a hundred yards from Aylesbury Station the engine being the only portion of the train parked on 'the mail line. The train was too long for the loop and it was intended to split the train by shunting a portion of it on to an adjoining loop. This goods train consisted of 50 or 60 heavy steel wagons several of which were lifted bodily from the rails and were swung sideways so that they lay astride the main track. Twisted steej was evidence of tin* momentum of the crash.

MAILS RETRIEVED. Postal olfcials al*o visited Aylesbury to retrieve the m<ail which was removed from the van through a hole hacked in tin* n ot. Tl V e luggage and goods were also removed through tb,is hole. CREW RACE TO SAFETY. It is understood that at the time oi the impact the driver and fin man o! the train from Christchurch wore not <>n. the footplate'. With no hope of avoiding the collision they rac'd down the hank beside the line and through the fen ci' adjoining if. As one o‘ them remarked U a. bystander hi was chased through the fence bv beer barrels in a: truck directly behind tin overturned mail car the cargo of which consisted, of (.uses oS apples and about a. d< y.en empt\ beer barn l id who,, tin- i *uek overturned were decanted through tin fence

SECOND EDITION