THE RAILWAY COLLISION.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13393, 29 May 1914, Page 6

THE RAILWAY COLLISION.

(Per. Press Association.)

WANGANUI, this day.

Among the passengers .by the Main' Trunk express winch met with disaster on Wednesday morning was Fred Cunningham, Wiseman and Son's Wanganui representative. .Seen by a Herald repres(*uk:.ti\c, i.'^si. said xhe passengers' stories told to the' Auckland pressmen had not m all oases given credit to the right persons, though this was not to be .wondered at, considering the darkness and confusion, i The maii deserving of credit for preventing the explosion of gas was James Borrie, a farmer of Waimate, -South Canterbury, for while others smashed windows to let the gas out, this was done at Mr Borrie's instance, and but for him possibly no one eke w*6uld 'have thought of. it. Most of the passengers 'were unable to see m the darkness, and the room for working being lirni("-d, .they returned to their seats' untij daylight, but a few wbo were able to do good stuck like Trojans to the work of rescue. The only one. of them he knew, was Arthur R. 'Johnson/ a Rutland hotel employe, of Wangnuui, -who,, covered with grime and- blood, worked heroically m getting the injured out. In addition to the Maori nurse already mentioned, there was also a white nurijc, whose name he did not knoAi', and both of these women wer.? untiring m ■ theii* attention to the injured. Regarding 'tlie delay m, sending on the engine. of the goofls trim for help, Mr Cunningham said j^- wa-s' due to the fact that the tablet, which had been picked up by the express engine, could not be found, and "'without it th-3 train oflicials could not 'go on. Tt was finally found about 8 o!clock, and then the engine .waa despatched.