MAIL-VAN ABLAZE

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20177, 4 March 1931, Page 11

MAIL-VAN ABLAZE

FIRE 02^ * AtJCKiAJQ) ; 1 POSTAL AGBNT'S StORT* [XHH PBESS BpecUl 'flwrties.] ' * AUCKTiA Nl>) March JB. A thrilling story of the Ore whieh/de*, stroyed the mail-vail ofthe .Weljirigton-, .. Anckland express Boftthr'of '(jhakime-v last night was told by lfr.H. Bk Pain, the postal train agent. V '-.J When the train left Waioarn Mr ■;J Pain and, twa assistants were, engaged ' ' in sorting the letter mail in the centre of the ran. ~* ' - "The first warning we got was when we saw smoke coming from thfc Saga at mail stacked by the door nearest the * - engine,"'said Mr Pain. "We-polled a couple of bags out of the stack, and flames shot out, and in a >second the 4 ~ whole stack was blazing. There is no - -o* emergency cordin the van, so one ,of u» fef' rushed along to the passenger* coacH ». mediately behind to give the alanm. 1 f ' "The opening of the door of the van '.t? created a draught, and the flames licked - v their way forward like lightning.' Wft ~ had only time to throw oat the I ,loose ' registered mail afid some other „ bagl ' before the whole van was a blazing fa*' nace. 1 * "By this time," said Mr.Pain, emergency cord had been.palled; and ,' - the train had been brought to-a stand* - still-in a matter of seconds. The fire had not reached the , first passenger coach, and „ the engine-driver had, tune to uncouple the van. The' engine, the*' pulled the coach-a few *ah<£ad; . but it was * burning so fiercely "thaA'ifr i '.;\ had" to ,bdjmcoupled-a_t .the engine -end. ' A Hopeless Tails/ , "There was now no-chin co of saving * ,any of the other 'mail, and the task-«f < saving the coach was hopeless from the (t - beginning. -The train stsrf did tneiv ~-- r * best to week the flames, but tEeyrwferet,' V unable to get near " enoughtb^tneV^diT^is '' The of tin whole .thing ' i was astonishing. The express Vi ona the weault that^Kbe^fla^a palled the wTeck."onj^tlw Tangiwai,' and>xt^-was^stin : innii!^^OT%s|^S

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