The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JULY 14, 1888. A DANGEROUS RAILWAY LINE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1893, 14 July 1888, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, JULY 14, 1888. A DANGEROUS RAILWAY LINE

Because a slip came down on the Southern railway, and the line was blocked, local papers have gone mfc hysterics over the affair. ]t so happened that the slip occurred at a place that is looked upon so far as slips are concerned as being highly dangerous. Since the line between Dunedin and Chrietchurch was open for traffic, no accident has occurred at the Cliffs until the otherevening, when m consequence of the heavy rain and vibration of the approaching engine a pretty large slip occurred and knocked the engine off the line. The " Daily Times" describing the accident says : — " It was shortly after seven o'clock, a dark night with heavy rain, and the train according to the regulations was travelling very slowly. The -watchman stationed at this section of the line had just signalled the train all clear and turned his back ; when, without any warning, a large rock with its accompanying debris fell fairly upon the engine. It struck the locomotive low down about the wheels, canting it over inwards, . and breaking up the line where it fell. The engine left the rails immediately and fell over against the cliff on the landward (side, »pd two waggonß »*lso fullowecl it off the line before the train was brought to a standstill Neither driver nor fireman was hurt, fortunately, but the engine was considerably damaged, and the sjbeam that escaped m clouds prevented people approapbing for a time to ascertain the position of affairs. Al this particular spot there is a low outer bank of rock, but had the accident occurred a few yards further on, the engine would have been running on the vpry brink of the precipice, and a fall outwards . instead of inwarde might have entailed consequences too terrible to think about." Ac we have paid the only danger is from such an accident aud suph a one might never happen m the history oi the place again. An outcry has been raised against the safety of the line at this point, and it only now seems to have dawned upon southern intelligences that the lino at Purakanui clip's io dangerous and agitation is get on foot to have the line made through country instead of round the coast line, A searo will be felt for a few days but it will soon die out, Generally speaking, there is as little danger of an accident at Furakanui as anywhere else. A gigantic calamity is now being predicted if trains continue to run on the old track, but the travelling public will not be diminished m number beause the Cliffs have to be gone roun,d. The K.opjfch Otago (C Tirfleß " ppeft&B of the construction of the line by its present route as " a crime of a gross bad cruel character.'' ''Selfishness of the most mercenary kind," is alleged to have been the cause of the line's construction. Our contemporary says {-«." It is a mockery to speak of safety m connection with the Purakanui Cliffs and quotes wb&jfc the punedin "Timeß"says, that "the line may fee perfectly clear immediately before the passage of a train, but the vibration of (the approaching engina may supply the slight impetus 'needed to dislodge some portion of the overhanging cliff loosened fey heavy rains and held m suspense.'' 'J he article m the Oaraaru paper then goes on to gay " Were another route which is absolutely safe not available, the realisation of the extreme dangerousness of the Purakanui line would probably be less intense ;but with the other route so superior and so handy, it is felt that nothing abort of the tranference ot the line to that route can j^epjt the exigency of the co«e, or satisfy the c.ongci,escp of the country. PjoJitjcaJ patriots and .engineering sages maj ypfseive this suggestion just now with sardonic shrugs, and will probable argue stoutly for jtb,e all sufficiency of such expedients and make-shift alterations as are dear to the political and engineering mind ; but, all the same, it stands to reason that an entire change of route is needed to make railway travelling between Palmerstort and JJunedin reasonably safe at all seasons. Besides, do what may be done short of that, and almost at any time an accident may happen which will curdle the blood of continents, and send out politicians and engineers to do m fear tad trembling, and m hot haste, what it were w.ell and wise to do now with forethoughtful humanity and public-spirited deliberation." We think however that our Oamaru contemporary has had a bit of a fright, but after all there is nothing very much to get alarmed over and all the traffic that goes over the line, yearly is not likely to be Jcurtailed because an accident occurs ft landslip. %