RAIL ACCIDENT

Southland Times, Issue 22345, 9 June 1934, Page 6

RAIL ACCIDENT

TRUCKS OFF LINE CRASH DOWN BANK CARGO OF FROZEN MEAT NO ONE INJURED (Per United Press Association.) Dunedin, June 8. The worst railway accident in the South Island during the last five years, though fortunately unattended by loss of life, occurred shortly after 7 o clock this morning when a special train carrying frozen meat carcasses from the Finegand works to be loaded on the steamer Cambridge at Port Chalmers, left the rails at the overhead bridge over Neville Street, South Dunedin, and within a few seconds the train was a wreck of splintered wood and twisted steel. Two eyewitnesses of the accident state that there was a rumble like that of an earthquake and a second or two later a van reared inlt the air, lifting a second with it. There was a shower of sparks and a loud report and the vans crashed down over the embankment in Wilkie road. Two others followed with a roar of rending timbers and snapping steel and by the time the engine had stopped, a fifth van was lying on the edge of the embankment. Three others were across the track at various angles, one resting on the down track and five more had been derailed. In the grey light of dawn a scene of confusion and wreckage was presented. The vans had broken asunder as they crashed over the 15 foot embankment and frozen meat carcasses were strewn in all directions. Some had been in the bogey wheels and had been cut to mincemeat. Others had been tom and crushed in the smash and others lay covered with litter and the debris of the wreckage. Heavy steel rails had been bent and twisted at all angles and in other places they had snapped clean across under the strain to which they were subjected as the 600 ton train left the line.

The wooden sleepers for a distance of a chain or more had been crushed and splintered into matchwood. Only those who saw the wreckage could credit the extent of the damage which had been wrought. The engine and the first four’ vans escaped damage and the last seven of 23 meat vans, together with the guard’s van, remained on the line. Cause of Smash. The cause of the accident is not yet known and it is probable that it will not be determined until an official inquiry is held. It is believed, however, that the rear pair of wheels of a fourwheeled waggon left the rails about three feet on the city side of the Glen Road overhead bridge. For a distance of several chains the train, which was travelling at a low speed, having been checked by signals, continued on the track, two wheels ploughing through the ballest and severing the ends of the sleepers. What happened to cause one van to leap into the air is not known. Once that occurred the next three wagons followed it over the embankment and probably only the application of the Westinghouse brakes prevented several others from doing likewise. , Two women who saw the smash both pay tribute to the coolness of the driver who brought the engine and first four vans to a standstill almost instantly. The train, consisting of 23 vehicles and a guard’s van, left the Finegand freezing works at about 3.3 a.m. today with some 6000 carcasses of frozen mutton for the Cambridge which is now loading at Port Chalmers for London and West of England ports. It was at three minutes past 7 o’clock that the accident occurred. “I was just returning to bed after having had a drink and refilling my hot water bag” said Mrs Baoungren, who lives opposite the scene of the accident, “when I heard a rumble like that of an earthquake. I rushed to the window and saw a long meat train coming down the line. The rumbling increased to a roar and suddenly a van reared high into the air on one end. The next van was lifted up also. There was a loud report and. shower of sparks flew from the train. Two vans swung over and then outwards and crashed to Wilkie Road as they came down. The leading one burst open in midair and white bundles were hurled in all directions. I thought; it was a passenger train and screamed to my husband. Then I saw that it was only frozen meat carcasses. What happened after that I can hardly say. Two other vans must have toppled over the embankment, but in the crash and roar I could scarcely see what happened, but the driver was wonderful. He seemed to stop the train in an instant and by the time I had rushed down to the road outside, he and the fireman were coming back to the wreckage and the guard was coming round the other end of the train.” Unloading Carcasses. The district engineer of the Rail-

ways Department, Mr P. H. Morey, was advised of the accident at 7.20 a.m. and took over control at 8 a.m. The accident could hardly have occurred in a spot more easy to cope with, for the whole resources of the Hillside workshops just across the track were at the disposal of the engineer and all the available staff from here, together with the goods department staff and several gangs of unemployed, were rushed to the scene. The first task was to unload the frozen meat carcasses from wrecked vans and from those off the rails and ,to load them into other vans.

A relief train was backed down the line leading into the workshops yard and the carcasses were transhipped to this. Over 250 men were engaged on the work and by 11 a.m. practically the whole of the consignment had been removed to the relief vans. Many carcasses, of course, remained entangled in the wreckage, but as these were all hopelessly damaged, their salvage was scarcely worth the effort involved. Clearing the Line.

The principal task confronting the engineer was to get the line clear for traffic. For some distance, both on the up and down lines from the point of the smash, the trucks were hopelessly wrecked. Many of the sleepers had been chewed and splintered by the heavy wagons into mere fragments and some lengths of rails had twisted and broken clean across. The vans stood across the track at various angles and a long line of wagons telescoped into one another and off the rails, presented a formidable barrier, while in front the front van lay on its side, completely blocking the track. So speedily was the work pushed ahead that one track was clear by the time the 4.20 p.m. express from the north reached Dunedin and the train was able to proceed south. Although all south bound and through traffic in the morning was somewhat disorganized, arrangements were made to tranship passengers from Caversham to the city by bus. The express from the south was sent from Caversham two hours behind time, and the In-vercargill-Christchurch express went as far as Caversham where the passengers and mails were picked up and taken to Dunedin. A new express for the north was made up and this left Dunedin about 25 minutes behind schedule time.

After the carcasses of frozen mutton had been transhipped to the waiting vans on the lower line these were run through to the main yards where a special train was made up. After the line had been cleared the train was sent south again with as much of the mutton as was worth taking back for reconditioning at the Finegand works. It is understood that the consignment was covered by insurance and that the works will make up a fresh shipment for the Cambridge which will be delayed at Port Chalmers for a couple of days. MAIL TRAIN LATE PASSENGERS TRANSFERRED. The mail train from Dunedin which is scheduled to arrive at 1.10 p.m. did not reach the city until ten minutes to five yesterday afternoon. Passengers for the south were transferred to a train below the damaged portion of the line, and the journey was commenced about three hours late. Stops were made at small stations as far as Balclutha to drop and pick up passengers as a slow train which usually leaves Dunedin at 9 a.m. was cancelled. Good time was made after that, however. In order not to cause inconvenience to Eastern Southland travellers a special train was despatched from Gore at 1 o’clock yesterday afternoon to accommodate passengers who wished to travel to the city for market day shopping. The north-bound mail train left the city as usual at a quarter to two in the afternoon and reached Dunedin without delays. Three of the usual afternoon trains for' branch lines were delayed at Invercargill to connect with the express from Dunedin. These were the Tua-tapere-Wairio, Lumsden and Tokanui trains. The through express from Christchurch was 25 minutes late in reaching Invercargill last evening. It did not leave Dunedin until 5.18 p.m., and had to be “piloted” over the repaired portion of the track.