DISASTER AT APPLEBY.

Colonist, Volume L, Issue 12159, 6 February 1908, Page 5 (Supplement)

DISASTER AT APPLEBY.

WRECKED BY A Wm& " TRAIN. ||Bi A WOMAN KILLED. BBtHREE OTHERS INJURED. HjgHihe moat serious accident that pK' e ver occurred on the NelsonHJ^Ejmof section of railway happened S^9L)t 12.30 p.m. on Saturday, when SBfcel I<J P- m - traiu. for town, which 99^3 moiling curlier tban usual on HHLnunt of the holiday, crashed into HK^rs NeA-tasi Kros. ? Motuekacoach at the A ppleby oross|M^g, a short distant -above the Hag raKht'ion at tbat viaoe. S^BTbe coacb conraiaed three passeniiflLs nil ladies aid the driver. One BKf Vie Helios. Mn Lydia Tilbury, H^:.L3ffe.' IJ'.itr, Wellington, was HMSffled iii3tv.:rt'». -and all the others llKeP' more or l-#a seriously injured. Ifßfbe casualties were as follows:— Wm KILLED. BBMraLyilia Tilbury, aged 25, wife HBjjfMr J. A. Tilbury, Lower Hutt. IB; . SERIOUSLY INJURED. B Charles Bricklaod, coach-driver, SBtantusious and severe internal inIBiaries: Miss Fit-tall, -aged 9 years, BKugnter- of Mr Alfred Fittall, of lißhlicbinond, fractured thigh. Mm INJURED SLIGHTLY. 118I ,'Mias -Susan Walters, sister of Mrs I^Bjilbury— bruises and shaking. ÜBI How the accident occurred is in9BhrpHcable at present. The driver of l»th.. coach. Briekland, has the ropu»Hbtion'of being a careful and capable j flKsacbmtin, aad the engine-driver on I l«tho train— Stephens— seems to have HBtaken the procautiond usual at the BKpproaab t > a crossing. The train SK : i/ii9 travelling at a low rate of spead, Wm® it was just entering the Appleby j Wm Tbc ilotueka coach is in the habit SH 0 [ urossiiiu Hiß line at this point afc |Bs time wiion trains are not usually. iWto be expected, but on Satuiday, as | been stated, the ordinary ar- j JB jangements wiu*; altered on account . (I of the holiday. pa Tho driver of the coach saeras to > 'W have reached the line before he ?c4B becamo aware that the train „ 9 wa^ aj)proachmg. He is as yet unfit *!■ to "i i o any account of the matter,! " M bui"au eye-witness of the occurrence m s tat' - that the engine had ap--9 pro^ bed to within a few feet of tne fl coac f i. when the driver of the latter »rufili=iGK the hopelessness of atm ten p f 'n.e to get back, urged his 9 h-.-t m forward. They bad just 9 cle'r-J tho rails when the engine 9 erf' 1 ' d into the side of the coach, 9 reJn "ing it to matchwood. Mrs Til--9 bur\ was apparently thrown under — »tb« nniriue, a.s she sustained terrible K idju; i 's. Her skull was crushed in, %s9fi]er runt arm broken, and the left s^9 was severed from the leg, the § 9 toes oi ! the right foot beng crushed. 9 She was quite dead when picked up 9by the train ofiicials. Briekland Hrn picked out of the ruins of the 19 coach, and it was at once apparent - Wt tbfir '>c was badly hurt, though there ' W veto no external injuries. He reB mii'i' l^ conscious for some time. -■ Mi-'- Fittall 33emed to fall clear of ]9 ttio wreckage, and sustained a fracS I'm.! 1 thigh. Miss Walters escaped 'S 1'- r '^' her injuries being coaSned B to"ti' ii'ses and a severe shaking.^ B 1 J 'Unnately happened that Nurse 'IH >M IGIi ' 0:f c Hosp''jß it i 1 who was spending a holiday in 4B ihe ucinity, and Nurse Fairhall, <>i t*.e Nelson Hospital staff, were HB "si " l^ or the coach near the spot Vtlii' the accident happened, and 3j& '.. at ouce rendered first aid 'to the ijß Tue body of Mrs Tilbury was placed <--B !■) tvn empty carnage, and the injureel persons were removed on JB stretchers to the guard's van, where I^9 t^ e > were attended by the ladies and, were brought on 'Kel^m. 3lr TiJ^uiT* with a jHyßf-jtvr;- Mr Kingsland^ of Appleby, cycling to Richmond, where, !^^K wifh Mr3"^iibury and her sister, )^9 tliey intended to board tHe train. -IB ilcy knew nothing of the accident ;?!■ until they reached Richmond. n arrlva^ a * Nelson, the injured ;^B were placed in ambulances and con;^tt veyed to the Hospital, and Mrs Til•'1B bury'sj body was removed to the * V Morgue by the police. 9 On Monday there was reported 9 from the Hospital a very slight ini--9 provemont in the condition of 9 Briekland, driver of the coach in 9 the recent accident. Miss Walters 9 left the Hospital on Monday, aod the 9 girl Fittal is progressing satiafac-