ACCIDENT AT HALCOMBE RAILWAY STATION.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 3961, 13 October 1880, Page 2

ACCIDENT AT HALCOMBE RAILWAY STATION.

• ♦»' . . „ , ■ ! (ADVOCATE.) ■■ ! There was considerable excitement on the Halcombe platform on Saturday night, ,when a woman in a fainting condition, and bldeding terribly, was carried into the stationmaster's office. As is" usual on Saturday nights the platform was thronged, not only with passengers from the two trains, but with the residents of Halcombe, who are in the regular habit of using it. as a promenade. Upon learning that the injured woman waa Mrs Conrad, the wife of one of the.Halcombe residents, the interest, deepened, and the excitement was if .anything intensified. The following account of the way in which the accident occurred, will be found correot in every particular, being, furnished by persons who were present* and ,who were roremost in giving aid to the sufferer^:-— The Foxton locomotive was engaged shunting, when a woman was noticed wending her way alongside the line, in front of the .engine. She was not walking . between the rails, but just to the right of them. Two- gentlemen were standing near conversing, ..when (they saw her suddenly give a lurch to the; left; stepping upon the line just before the advancing engine,, . One, of, the gentlemen .at once called out " Stop I Stop I" a.nd hi& gestures and shouts were, promptly attended to by the engine-driver, who, at once istPppeUS" the locomotive. Not, however, in time, fSLL the cowcatcher struck -the woman,, twisting her round and throwing her down upon the line and grinding her r against; the, jails, ajfdjn sleepers, a distance of half the length of thsL locomotive, or about twelve to fifteen, feet. Most fortunately the engine was going 'dead slow at the time, of .the accident, otherwise there is no doubt that the woman would have been killed outright. The .injured woman, who was then found to .be Mrs Conrad, was speedily picked vp r lpjaced upon a truck and conveyed to rthe.-iplat-form. Luckily, or rather providentially, {Dr Alexander had been staying in .Halcombe all Saturday, and had not ; yet. left ishe/ hotel, and a messenger. jbeing. dispatched jfor. hini, he was quickly upon theippt ,tbT rpndexprofessional aid,. ; Before , his arrival^ hqw,eyer, it was ascertained that- Mrs Conradfhaji?eceived very seripus injuries, and hereiwemust mention the valuable assistance. ren<fere.d{;to the station-master by several persons,notably Mrs Child, whose aid was especially^eryvse-? --"\ able to the unfortunate patient. Dr Alex-^. ander, upon examination,: found r that )Mr> Conrad had sustained a serious 'fracture, pf the right thigh, as well as saveral severe flesh wounds. It waa therefore considered able to convey the patient to the Wanganui Hospital, and to that end the train -was. delayed, bedding was procuredj, Mrß-,Coin^i was made as comfortable as j circumstances would permit, and, accompanied by heir husband, she was .taken into town, the , 'tranv; leaving Halcombe at half^past eight, or afulyi, hour after, its usual time;ofi starting.^ We should mention that not the slightest bkvm,9 attaches to the driver qf .the Foxton. engine, as he stopped the engine dirf otly he was awaje of the woman's aanger. We,, wish; to give the station-master every credit ,for his prompt and, energetic measures for the relief of the sufferer. t Mr Marcus proved to b© just the man for an emergency, no fuss,, but everything decisive, prompt, and to the p\uf« pose. .. . ' „-•,'{ I ■ •"•••■• , - - '■** ', ■ f J