Major Cosgrove's Account.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11596, 28 June 1905, Page 7

Major Cosgrove's Account.

Major Cosgrove, of Tuahiwi, was a passenger in the first car of the wrecked tiain, and he gave a Lyttelton Times reporter an account of his experiences. "After having the Chaney's Corner station," he said, "'Mr Alexander, the Rev. T. Fee, and I wore- taking notice of tho flooded shite of the country, and discussing the probability of the water being over- the line. [ put my head out of the window and remarked, 'Now we arc into it. 3 , Air Alexander said, 'I'll go- out and have a look at the water.' I withdrew n:y head from the window, and just as Mr Alexander reached the carriage platform tho first smash came. Mr Fee- was thrown on the floor, and I fell on top of him. Then came a second crash, caused, I think, by the air brakes going on, and I was shot along the floor of the carriage. Tlaere were several women and children in the carriage, and they were thrown about the "car. Of course there was great alarm amongst them, and I tried to reassure them by telling them' that the worst was ■>vf>r and. that they need not be frightened. When I got out- 1 found Mr Alexander and Mr Kic-hards. whom I Lad not previously scon,i apparently standing straight up in between the ends of the carriages, which had telescoped together. I did ncjt at first realise that they wore injured. Mr Clothier, who had been on the platform on- one of the carriages, was pinned by the legs, having evidently been thrown down by the first shock. We soon discovered that Alexandor and Richards were quite dead, and therefore centred our energies on releasing Mr Clothier. This was only aected when the woodwork had been smashed with a crowbar. I found'that his legs were- both broken, and I put them in splints and did what I could to relieve him. The other carriages and the guard's j van at the reai* of the train were moved back a short distance oite at "a time, and an attempt made to extricate the bodies. A.ll our efforts* to move the two carriages were unavailing, however, the ono being forced down with the weight of the other. It was not xuitil the railway gang enme that the carriages could be mloved sufficiently to get out the bodies. I was not hurt beyond some slight injury to thp hand, but had not withdrawn my head from tlie window at the time I did I I would probably have had my r.eck D Token."

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