ACCIDENTS OF THE PAST.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14979, 28 May 1914, Page 7

ACCIDENTS OF THE PAST.

The accident of yesterday recalls tho fact that tho New Zealand railways are in a. decidedly enviable position as regards accidents through mishap, neglect, or •carelessness as compared with many other countries. Tho ioss of life has been very small indeed, when the mileage and the - largo number of passengers carried are taken into consideration, and it is a fact that the greatest death-roll in connexion with tho Dominion's railway service is compiled at the level-crossings. Th«6o in a great many cases are certainly veritable death-traps, and probably the most serious accident which occurred at one happened in Auckland in 1897, when a train ran into an omnibus at a level eroseing, the collision resulting in the ioss of Liireo lives^

When the difficult nature of a good deal or the North Island country is taken into consideration, id is certainly a matter for congratulation .that few, if any, accidents" of a very serious .nature aro to he recorded. Tho traffic has teen held up for a greater or lessor time owing to flood*, .washout?, slips, and things of that sort, and in 180S a train near Auckland was derailed owing to tho spreading of th«> permanent way, and n fireman was killed. Quite recently in the ."outh minor accidents of a liko nature liny" occurred. For instance, eighteen months or m> a;:o a washout at the R.inpitata eausivl a deal of inconvenience, anil again, much more n>cc.itlv, tho express cominct north was derailed at Timaru. but in neither ni these cases was there any loss of life or injury to passengers.

i THE lIAKAIA DISASTER. What is known as tho Uakaia Disaster, which occurred on March 11th, 1890, was tho most extensive and serious railway »tcci(lont which has over occurred in the Dominion, and the circumstances under which it took placo made it «. peculiarly distressing fatality. The Christchurch Meat Company held tlieir annual picnic on that day, and two I loiij: trains, estimated to hold About i 3000 }xappy souls, left Christchurch for Ashbnrton" on tho fateful Saturday morniug. After spending tho dsy at the nuoCanterbury town—not a very pleasant day, by the way, for tin- weather was atrocious—the picnickers returned homo. Tho night was pitch dark, and tho first train load of holiday-makers left AshburtOTi about G p.m. for Christchurch. The train stopped at Rafcaia to allow tho north tram from Christchurch,, which was behind timo. to pass by means of tho eido line. Wb'ilo wait-

ing there, tho second train-load of picnickers oamo up, and though the Hiiknia. statioifmnster despatched a porter down the line to warn tho approaching train from tho south, tho iunu was too late, or, at any rato, he could not stop the train, which crashed into tho waiting .load, and did fearful execution

The fact that tho driver of tho waiting train noticed the danger and started up, undoubtedly saved many Jives, but four persons woro killed and about 33 more ,or less seriously injured. Tho names of tho killed were:—Miss M. A. Franks. Miss F. E. Jones, Miss C. Jones, and tho infant son of Mr and Mrs Bovrden. A largo number of people were' soriouslv injured, and many suffored terribly from shock. Tho guard's van and five carriages on tho first train were moro or loss emashed.

THE ACCIDENT. AT CHANEY'S. Another bad accident, which also occurred quite close to Christchuroh, was the Caanoy's.disaster,, in which two lives wero last, and another passenger was badly injured. This accident was tho result of a concealed wash-out on tho line, and though the permanont wa» had been undermined by flood water, there was nothing visible to tell the driver of .the train that the place was unsafe and it crashed through the embankment, tho telescoping of . the;■: forc-carriajzos resulting. In this accident Mr R. J. Alexander and Mr ■ B. Richards were instantly killed. Mr Georgo Clothier had both his logs bro- ; ken, and was otherwise badly hurt, whilo several othere had very C narrow escapes. Ono of tho features of this accident was tho celerity with- which tho breakdown gang from Christchurch rooaired tho permanent way. and another was the enormous crowds of sightscore who went out to ■ view, the scene of tho accident. A BANKSIDE AFFAIR." A collision, which luckily rosultod in nothing more serious than tho death of two horses, occurred at Bankside on March 29th, 1907. The facts of tho case were simple. The special late train from Chrietchurch South, was timed to wait at Banksido until a troan train with volunteers passed on its wav North- For eomo reason or other it did not do so, and a collision. rosultod. It was exceedingly lucky that tho driver, of tho ;ti"oop train noticed tho oncoming train, in time, , and 6toppod and reversed his engine, or" the;; results might;' have -/. • been;; jdisafi- -■; trous. A little fcimo before,-' the Bankside accident a. passenger', train nearl.v y fell into the harbour at Lyttelton, and a frightful catastrophe was, avert- :, od by the narrowest of; margins, : " ''•}.