THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 939, 10 May 1883, Page 2

THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

To the Editor.

, Sib, —I was rather surprised to see by your report of the inquest held yesterday that Meß. Yerdon, juAjifTOr|hejiiwfysaid, “ that 1, the baV pVMucea tad' bein' shortened by ‘jumping,’ which did not weaken the bar in any way. ” Now, sir, any lad, by the time he has had twelro months’ practice at working hot iron, knows that in no case must he jump iron if it can be avoided, especially if there is no opportunity of drawing it again to close the reed of the iron, and I am sure that any blacksmith knows that jumped iron is not so strong by nearly one-third as it was before that operation ; and any amateur who would look at a piece of jumped iron with a microscope would plainly ‘see why it was not so strong after being jumped. But what is worse still, if I understand what this draw-bar was like, it bad a wrought eye on each end, and if such is the case, I am not the least surprised at the bar breaking, as the very operation of jumping would weaken by two thirds the best wrought Iron eye that ever was forged by a blacksmith, and I have no doubt that Mr Charles Reid (one of the jury), as a practical blacksmith, will bear me ,out in this. But T sincerely hope that it is nothing worse than a printer’s error, and not the opinion of one who has the charge of keeping in order the machinery on which so much depends.—l am., etc., Novice. Ashburton, 10th May, 1883.

[Our coi respondent may roly on our Tepbrt of the inquest being correct, and whatever mistake was madewas not due tb a “ printer’s error.”—EdCT.]