TRAINS COLLIDE

Southland Times, Issue 20525, 29 June 1928, Page 7

TRAINS COLLIDE

Twenty-two Killed

PASSENGERS FEARFULLY MANGLED DISASTER ON ENGLISH LINE / DIFFICULTY IN RESCUING INJURED (United Press Assn.—By Telegraph—Copyright.) (Rec. 1 a.m.) London, June 28. A crowded excursion train from Scarborough to Newcastle collided with a goods train outside Darlington station just before midnight. Two coaches were telescoped and distressing scenes are reported. The death roll is 22. The collision occurred at 11.20 p.m., but it was many hours before it was possible to extricate the bodies. Salvage is still proceeding. The scene of the disaster is 300 yards south of the Darlington station. Owing to the Newcastle races the week was regarded as a holiday in Tyneside, so the excursion tram carried at least 500 passengers, who were crowded in the corridors of th< coaches. The train was not scheduled to stop at Darlington, but approached the station slowly. As it came to the Darlington South crossing an engine left the station with a van for shun ling purposes, into which the excursion train dashed. The passenger engine was hurled aside and the shunting van resembled a crumpled cigarette box. The electric lights were instantly extinguished, but it was plain the passengers in two coaches were shocking!? mangled. Cries and groans were heard in the darkness. Smoke was belching from the engines, which were apparently afire. Rows of seats were crushed on top of each other with broken human beings between. Their arms and legs, hanging by threads of ekin. dangled over the sides of the seats, many being women and children, whose cries for help were pitiable. Rescuers were at first unable to do anything 'o mitigate the worst horrors, though they assisted the uninjured to crawl from the wreckage. Further frantic efforts to hack and prise the woodwork released others who were least hurt. The third coach of the passenger train had telescoped into the second. Men used saws and axes in order to cut into the wreckage and a breakdown crane was on the scene within 20 minutes. The Darlington Fire Brigade and residents, who were roused from their sleep, assisted the railway gangsmen, but the rescue was all too slow. Doctors administered morphia in order to fortify the sufferers during the ordeal of being extricated.— Australian Press Association—United Ser-