MAIN TRUNK DISASTER.

Colonist, Volume LVI, Issue 13493, 12 June 1914, Page 7

MAIN TRUNK DISASTER.

CONTINUATION OF THE INQUEST,

[Cnited Press Association.j

Auckland, June II

At the inquest this morning Joseph Hill, engine* driver of the goods train, stated that when he passed the porter sitting <m the lever he saw no,light ahead". The engine and eight waggons had gone on,the siding. There were 41 vehicles s-fcill on the main line when he saw the headlights of the express just beyond the station building. He gave the danger signal, and the crash came a few second later. He walked to the signal lever, which he found at "Danger," and inspected the signal . itself, which showed the full green light, for "all clear."

William N. Colley, fireman on the goods tram, No. 81, corroborated his driver's statement respecting^their doings prior to the collision. Stone and others came past between five and fifteen minutes after the crash. /Stone suggested that witness should accompany them along to the signal, and he went. He saw no one interfering with the signal wire, and after going about twenty yards past the light they were quite satisfied it was showing green. Alfred Christian Lar.sen stated that the light was showing green, while the levers were in the danger position after the accident.

Joseph Henry Whitbearn, a carpenter in the employ of the Railway Department stated that he was a passenger by the express. After the accident lie made one of a party that went along to inspect the south signals. Witness went about fifty yards past the signals and saw a full green light, with no streak of red showing. In company with Stone He then inspected the lever at the station, and found it at danger, and locked. Witness, who stated that he erected the sigr&ls, declared that it was quite possible for the back light to be obscured and vet for the front light to be showing partly red and partly green. Mr Macmahon: Did you touch the wire at all? Witness: Well, when I was.on the bank after looking at the light, I fell across the wire, and as I picked myself up I thought of the possibility of the wire having contracted through the low temperature, so I felt it, and found it quite- tight. Witness added that he had been camped on one occasion about three weeks at Whangamarino, but did not hear or see any difficulty regarding the signals or levers while there, ■'

John Henry Crowhurst, train examiner, stationed at Mercer, said in answer io a question that his only explanation of the de-rangement of the signalling apparatus was that the cold weather had contracted the wire. He had never known such a thing happen before. ■ A great deal of further evidence was given by the drivers of various trains in connection with the signal, which, it was stated, was working correctly at two o'clock in the morning. This concluded the evidence for the day. , . Before the inquiry was adjourned, Mr J. R. Reed, K.C., asked the Coroner if he was prepared to exonerate Stone, the driver of the express. No evidence, he said, would'be called implicating Stone at all. The Chief Detective agreed that this

was so. . .. . "As far as Stone is concerned," said the Coroner, "the matter is at an end. No blame is attachable to him." The inquiry was then adjourned until next morning.