NARROW ESCAPE

Waikato Times, Volume 196, Issue 22549, 6 January 1945, Page 4

NARROW ESCAPE

PASSENGERS THANKFUL BAIN ADDS TO DISCOMFORT The skill of the driver on the north-bound Wellington express early this morning probably averted a frightful tragedy between Raurimu and Oio, on the main trunk line, when the engine and six carriages plunged across a washed-out culvert. According to the passengers who arrived at Frankton at 1.30 p.m. today after 22 J hours on the way, the engine and the six carriages were left precariously tilted on the bank by the side of the line. The seventh carriage, whose connection with the first carriages was snapped, struck a telegraph pole and the remaining carriages were brought to a standstill. It was considered that had the driver jammed on the brakes the carriages would hate been telescoped, with serious loss of life. After the accident the derailed engine and six carriages were left in a V shape on the bank. Passengers who had left Wellington on the express at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon said there was no doubt that a major tragedy could easily have happened. Although they had had a long tiring journey of 22$ hours from Wellington they said they felt very thankful indeed that they had escaped injury. One passenger said it seemed a miracle that there had not been a big death roll. All of them had received a severe shaking and a few elderly passengers had suffered from shock. The accident occurred at approximately 1.50 a.m., and it was not until 6.30 that they were transferred to the Auckland-Wellington express on the other side of the wash-out and resumed their journey. The passengers on the train were taken by bus to Oio where they were transferred to the limited express from Auckland, which then returned to Auckland. The passengers on the latter express were then transferred to the limited express from Wellington, which was then standing on the southern side of the derailed train. During all the time of the transfers it was raining heavily, adding to the discomfort of the passengers. It was pitch dark and muddy underfoot, but all passengers responded cheerfully to the instructions given them and the transfer was effected in a minimum of time.

The first thing he knew of an accident, said one passenger, was luggage falling from the racks all over the carriage. The train had stopped with a sharp jolt after apparently ploughing through loose sand on the side of the track. There was not the confusion that might have been expected in a train smash. One woman had received a cut above the eyes and one man had a black eye, the only two casualties he noticed. Most of the passengers had received bruises but the shock on the nerves had been the worst.

Another passenger at Frankton said that the first time he noticed there was something amiss was when the carriages began to weave from side fo side. This ended in a sudden jolt. The train staff had done their best for everyone under the circumstances. Later on, four carriages at the rear of the train were able to be hauled back to Raurimu. Relief Train’s Arrival

The relief train reached Frankton Junction at 2.15 p.m. with over 400 passengers, but they included only a few who had travelled in the train involved in the smash. “I was one of the lucky ones,” said a young woman, “for I had been on the first train, travelling to Pukekohe from Palmerston North. The train was full and" I had to stand on the platform. The guard suggested that I get off at the next stopping place and catch the relief train. I did so at Hunterville.”

A train official said that a much more serious accident could easily have occurred but for the carriage couplings holding. “If one coupling had snapped there would have been a pile-up,” he said. One Carriage Prepared

An American serviceman who was in one of the last carriages said