TRAIN SMASH

Southland Times, Issue 25313, 17 June 1935, Page 7

TRAIN SMASH

FOURTEEN KILLED COACHES TELESCOPED NEWCASTLE EXPRESS (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) (Rec. 7.25 p.m.) London. June 16. An urgent telephone message received at King’s Cross station just before midnight reported a serious train smash at the Welwyn Garden City station. An express train from King’s Cross, laden chiefly with Sunday newspapers, crashed into a duplicated portion of the Newcastle bound express which was standing at Welwyn station. As a result, 14 were killed and between 30 and 40 injured, many seriously. The parcels train telescoped the rear coaches of the express and the wreckage was piled across the four main lines. Local people heard a noise like an explosion and rushed to the scene in cars and on bicycles and took up the work of extricating the passengers, with the utmost difficulty. Some time elapsed before even a few flares were available.

The local. cottage hospital, with only eight beds, was soon overflowing with injured passengers. Others were taken to Hertford.

Under flares and acetylene lamps, the rescuers hacked and tugged at the debris amidst which it seemed impossible that anyone could be alive, yet a little girl, men and women were extricated by superhuman effort. The passengers who were lucky to escape with bruises, turned immediately to help their less fortunate. Nurses presented a strange spectacle in mudbespattered uniforms, heavy rain having fallen.