A NARROW ESCAPE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4857, 24 January 1894, Page 3

A NARROW ESCAPE.

— * — s Bail way Crossings, A double fatality well-nigh occurred yesterday evening afc the Selwyn street railway crossing, Addington, when a mother and child narrowly escaped a fearful death from a passing train. The escape of the child, indeed, waa marvellous, and that of the mother little les3 bo. About five o'clock the workmen's train from Addington passed the crossing, and met the 5 p.m. passenger train from Christchurch, the trains passing just before they came to the road. Thus, almost as soon as the guard's van of the workmen's train was clear of the crossing the engine of the passenger train was upon it— the two trains, however, masking each other to any person on the streets Mrs Tozer, a resident of Montreal Street south, waß coming along Selwyn Street with her fifteen-months-old baby in a perambulator, and had just reached the crossing as the trains met. She evidently only saw the workmen's train, for as soon as the guard's van was over the cattle pit she essayed to cross. The passenger train at that instant dashed over the road and on the rails nearest the woman, who had just pushed the perambulator on to them. The cow-catcher of the engine caught the little carriage and carried it across the cattle pit and then threw it clear of the line on to the grass. The mother fainted, but fortuitously fell towards the road. The baby was picked up and taken to the hospital and there attended to, when it was found that beyond a few small braises on the forehead and a severe shaking it was not hurt.