TWO CHILDREN KILLED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19682, 27 December 1933, Page 6

TWO CHILDREN KILLED

RUN DOWN BY EXPRESS TRAIN DRIVER UNABLE TO AVERT TRAGEDY By Telegraph—Preaa Association WANGANUI, December 26. Two girls. Frances Mason, aged 11, of Kaikariki, and Molly Cantling. aged 4, of Kiwitea, lost their lives on the railway near Kakariki. 37 miles south of Wanganui, this morning. They had been bathing and apparently to take a short cut climbed on a small bridge spanning a stream which joins the Rangitiki river when the north bound Daylight Limited swung round the bend from a cutting and caught them. Their mangled bodies were afterwards recovered from the stream below. The driver of the express, when the train rounded the bend, was horrified to see the children on the bridge ahead. He applied the brakes in an effort to avert what happened, but the distance was too short in which to accomplish the task. Frances Mason was a daughter of Mr T. Mason of Kakariki and Molly Camplin a daughter of Mr J. L. Camplin of Waituna. The children were cousins.

The bridge, like many other short railway structures of this type, is undecked and is not used for pedestrian traffic. It is about 20 feet above the stream and the children had no hope of escape with the train coming oil them so suddenly unless they attempted to jump to the ground below. Unable to save themselves they met instantaneous death.