FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENTS IN VICTORIA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1030, 5 April 1884, Page 3

FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENTS IN VICTORIA.

COLLISION AT LITTLE RIVER.

{Renter's Special.) Melbourne, April 3rd. A railway accident occurred at about 10 o'clock last night on the Horsham line, near Little River station, about 30 miles from Ballarat. A passenger train came into collision with a special cattle train from Melbourne. Two persons were killed and several severely wounded. The trains met with a terrific crash the engines became locked, the tenders of each were thrown off the line, and several of the cattle-trucks and passenger-carriages | were smashed. Kitchen, the driver of the cattle train, who was the driver in the Hawthorn accident, was jambed between the engine and tender, and died shortly afterwards. A woman, name unknown, who was in the second class carriage, was injured internally and died. Craik., driver of the passenger train, was jambed. by the falling cab and had his thigh fractured. Six others are seriously injured and several slightly injured. Major W. Collard Smith, M.L.A., is slightly injured in the arm. Thomas Cumming was a passenger but was uninjured. The accident is accounted for by the fact that the station-master at Werribee left bis ! daughter, aged 14 years, in charge of the Btation. She gave the staff to Kitchen, driver of the cattle train, and telegraphed that the line was cjear.

The second olass carnage which wan next the tender of the passenger train, and was smashed to pieces, contained 20 passengers nearly all of whom were injured, some being pinned to their seats by the broken timber. Among these were Mrs Beath, whose thigh was broken ; Anna Feet, injured internally ; Mrs Milne, suffering from concussion of the brain ; Phoebe Hart, seriously injured, and tpw in a state of coma. The engines of both trains have been rendered useless by the collision, and great dam* age has been done to the rolling stock. The traffic for some time was suspended, bat has now been resumed. It has been ascertained that the Btationmaster at Werribee was absent at a 'concert when the collision occurred. The Government have decided to institute an inquiry into the circumstances under which the accident occurred, outside of the departmental investigation. Biddle, the station master at Werribee who left his daughter in charge of the station and thus is alleged to have caused the disastrous railway accident near Little Railway station has been suspended.