AUSTRALIAN NEWS. THE VICTORIAN RAILWAY ACCIDENT. The Trains Telescoped. MANY PERSONS KILLED AND INJURED.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 205, 28 May 1887, Page 5 (Supplement)

AUSTRALIAN NEWS. THE VICTORIAN RAILWAY ACCIDENT. The Trains Telescoped. MANY PERSONS KILLED AND INJURED.

Melbourne, May 11. This evening tho 5.40 express from Mel bourne to Windsor and tho 5.30 ordinary train came into collision near the Windsor station. Five persons were killed, ■ and several others were hurt. The accident aiose from neglect of the regulations in the blocking system, but on whose shoulders the blame rests will only be definitely known when an official inquiry takes place. All that is authoritatively known at present is that the disaster occurred through the express overtaking the ordinary train, which had become dis abled owing to the continuous brake getting 1 out of order. The express train, instead of being stopped by the danger signal, sped on and telescoped the i car of she ordinary train. Whether the danger signals were set up, or if exhibited, were disregarded by the engine-driver of the express, is not known. The information already gleaned points to the conclusion that two errors wue committed ; one in connection with tho semaphore signals, and the other by the engine-driver who was j killed, together with his ii reman. This theory must at present be received with caution. The ordinary train left Melbourne at the usual hour, carrying a large number of passengers, most of whom were dropped at stations between Melbourne and Windsor. The train is supposed to be protected by the block system, the vital principle of which is that a clear section shall intervene between an ordinary train which has 10 minutes' .start and the express train. The express runs to Windsor without stoppage ; and at the time of the collision fcJio train was very full of passengers. The hose-pipe of the bteam brake on the ordinary train broke when the train was within, 200 or 300 yards of the Windsor station and brought the tiain to a .standstill by clenching it down on the wheels. The guard cot down to examine the gear in order to see whether anything could be done to get the train to its destination. The j bogged carriages were standing jutt j round the bead of a sharp curve at the bottom of a deep cutting. The driver of the express could not see the ordinary train more than a train's length ahead, owing to the bend which lies just beyond the High -street Bridge, and tho express came on in fancied security and with undiminished speed. The crash was only «een i to be inevitable just before it occurred. Some of the passengers escaped by jumping out of the stationary train in the nick of time, but others having 7 ess warning kept their seats. The advancing engii c cut into the guard's van of the ordinary train, and thiee of the carriages were smashed to pieces. The driver j had only time to put on the steam brake, i which materially checked the speed of the ' train, before he and the fireman were killed. Three of the passengers in the ordinary train were also killed, and nrnny others were badly injured. The engine in telescoping with the rear parL of the ordinary tram was nearly covered with debris. The fora part of the express train and the hindervehicles of the ordinary were broken into fragments. Mr Speight and Mr Greene, Railway Commissioners, who were in the express train, say that nothing but the presence of mind of the driver of the express, Frederick Maskill, in putting on the steam brake, prevented a far worse catastrophe than that which has unfortunately happened. A large number of people flocked to the scene oi the accident to render assistance. Nearly all the wounded were taken to the Hospital. The most horrible sight of all was on the engine of the express, the driver and fireman of which were jammed tightly together, and were literally being roasted. The fireman was standing in front of the furnace, with his hands uplifted, as if warding off a blow. The driver was in the right-hand corner behind him, partly re&ting on him. His clothes we.'C torn in pieces, and his body was exposed. The fireman's face had been exposed to the full rush of steam, and was parboiled. His hair was burnt off. He was standing in cinders up to his knees, and was frightfully burned as well as scalded. The following is a list of the killed :— Frederick Maskill, driver. James McNab, fireman. W. H. Runfcing, clerk. Mrs Foster, of Corae. Mr E. S. Parkes, Superintendent of the Bank of Australia. A lady, whose name is not known, is not expected to recover. About thirty passengers were mere or less injured. Among others were Mr W. G. Lempriere, stockbroker, fractured skull, not expected to live ; Mr Henry G. L. Browne, Government Geologist of South Australia, scalp wound ; Mr Cosmo Newberry, analytical chemist, collar-bone broken and ribs and spine injured ; W. Dicks, dislocation of jaw ; H. Holmond and Mr Kinder, spine badly injured. The majority of the others are not seriously, injured.