SAW NO OBSTRUCTION

Chronicle (Levin), 1 April 1948, Page 5

SAW NO OBSTRUCTION

Press AsSQciation)

Track kjpector's Story At Rail Sniask Inquiry u

- Y Per

WELLINGTON, April 1. He saw nothihg in the nature of an obstruction that "might have caused the 'derailment, and the track was in gocd order, and the stated today in" evidenee by Thomas iDavid Lauder Garth, of Kaikoura, | an inspector of the permanent I way, before the Board, of Inquiry into the Seddon railway. disaster. - Witness detailed various inspec* tions he had made during the past i5 months of the curve where the derailment occurred, and' 'said the curve was in good order on his last visit before the smash. On the day 'pf the disaster, he was at Seddon land w.ent immediately to the scene lin a raiiway bus. After 'doing what Ihe ' could for the injured, ho |jnspected the track for some dis'tance baek.

Witness was then asked by Mr. W, H. Cunningham, for the Railway pepartment, whether he saw anything in the nature of an obstruction that might have- caused the . derailment, or anything that could v Ln any way have been a contributLng^cause. Garth replied that he had never received any complaint from a driver about the area tahere the smash occurred. " Garth, concinuing' his evidenee, said that since the disaster during the relaying of the track, he ha.d imposed a speed restriction of six miles an hour round the curve. The traek had been restored almost in a normal manner and to a liormai cant. The specd round the curve was normally 30 miles an hour, To Mr. H. R. C. WUd, representing the New Zealand Locpmotive Engine . Drivers', Firemen's and Cleaners' Association and the driver and fireman of the train, witness said that any yariations m the canb or slack on a curve suffw cient to set up oscillations that would derail a iocomotive would be clearly appa,rent tp anyone riding over the track in a trolly, Oliver Joseph Doidge, district civil engineer of Christchurch, sai'd he was ac Seddon with the previoiis witness on the day of the cfash and reached the scene at approxi[mately 1 p.m. I Witness nroceeded to unfold plans and diagrams of such a size that the chairman, Mr. W. F. Stilwell, S.M., eventuaily remarked; "The 'difficulty will soon be to see | where members of the board are." l (Laughter) . The plans were moved ! to the floor, the clerks' table apd the Bar table, and were handed up •one at a time. In:ti'Uctions were .'given for another long table to be brought to the room. A report of the evidenee heard at the opening of the inquiry yesterday appcars on page 7-