Serious Railway Accident.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5577, 24 September 1889, Page 3

Serious Railway Accident.

o A SEKior/s railway accident took place last week on the Gippsland (Vie.) line, resulting in serious injuries to passengers and considerable damage to rolling stock. A 1 goods train from Melbourne had arrived | at Drouin, a station on the Gippsland line, j and was being shunted on to a sliding, ' when the whistle of the passenger train ] that passed through the station at 8.5 p.m. on its way to Melbourne was heard in the distance. Before the goods train could be got out of the way the passenger « train smashed into it with terrific force, a full head of steam being on, as there is a hill to be climbed by the engine before approaching Drouin station. The two engines were interlocked, damaged, and thrown off the line, the light Yankee locomotive of tho passenger train being almost I knocked to pieces. The driver and fire- ' man of the goods train luckily jumped from their engine before the collision 1 took place, otherwise they must have in- I evitably been killed. The mail and guard's < van were demolished, one of the passenger carriages thrown off the line, and a ] numberof trucks telescoped and shattered. " Twelve passengers were injured, some of them seriously. The driver and fireman I of the passenger train stato that on rounding the curve into Drouin station all the lights signalled " Line all clear," and ( this statement is confirmed by the passengers on board the train. Who is to blame for tho accident does not appear to , be very clear from the information at pre- , sent available. The station officials, who have been suspended, stato that the driver ' of the passenger train proceeded regardless of the signals being against him, but, on the other hand, the stationmaster had < - no right to allow the goods train to be on the main line when a train was timed to arrive, d