THE MOMOHAKI RAILWAY MISHAP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8039, 29 January 1906, Page 2

THE MOMOHAKI RAILWAY MISHAP.

It appears that there is more than a suspicion that the derailment of the special from Hawcra to Wanganui on Thursday night was the result of a deliberate attempt to commit a dastardly outrage. The " Paten Press" stales that the padlock of the points (dotachod and locked up quito uninjured) is said to have been discovered in such a position between the lower part of the points lever and the box as to secure the former at 'half-cock,' and that the thus halfopened rails were further scoured in that position by a stone, the crushed remaius of which, between the rails were taken possession of by the District Engineer, The position of the padlock and the presence of Iho stone poiut to a deliberate and dastardly outrage. Another theory, and one which points to the same alarming conclusion as the last, is that the points were fully open, that the engine was thereby led on to the sidc-li ne that 111 crossing she jerked tho padlock out of place and crushed the stone, .thus allowing the points to lock behind her, and that tho adjoining carriages, continuing on the main line, were ultimately derailed, and in turn caused the wreck of the locomotive, The padlock can be forced open with comparative ease —ll coinle of not very heavy taps 011 the side and the catch will spring back, It is, thcrelore, possible that a person not possessing a key worked the mischief, and that using the padlock as a stay benualh the poin'.V lever was with the object of keeping (lie hitter in the desired position until tho stone had been safely inserted between Ihe rails. The police, however, appear lo be in doubt as to whether the padloi'k was actually utilised as slated. The doubt suggests I lie possibility that the guard la.-t manipulating the points had neglected to secure them save by merely throwing back the lever, that the previous train in passing had thrown them sutlicieully open to allow a misplaced stone to find its way between the rails and thus hold them open until the coming of the next train which, after crushing the stone as mentioned, was thus thrown on to two hues, Whether such a thing could possibly have happened must lie left for experts to de lerniine, Only for the fact that the train was slowing down it is certain that great loss of Mfo would have resulted. As it is, it is a marvel that the passengers escaped uninjured.