DID TRAIN OVERTURN?

Chronicle (Levin), 2 April 1948, Page 5

DID TRAIN OVERTURN?

Press Association)

View of Witness at Seddon - Smash Inquiry

(Per

WELLINGTON, April 1. ' Tlxe opiniori tliat the Seddon, railway disaster Was caused "by . an overturn and not a derailment was expregsed hy Mr. O, J, Doidge, district civil ettgineer at Christclmrcli, in the- course of his evidence "before the Bdard of Inquiry into the accident today. Witness also emphasised that after the smash there ' was no sign- df any Ohstruction on the raiis that might have contrihuted to the wreck. Mr. Doidge said tliat rails in the trade were the original 551b fype, laid at the time of the openihg' of the line in 1911. There Avas little side or top wear. Generallv the sleepers were in good.order. Tlie' eurve was in a cutting of naDa cla'v with good formation,

which gave no trouble. There Were no ■ soft Spots and the drainage was good. Witness said that on reaching the scehe of the smaSh he found that the (ifst distinct mark obviously connected witli the derailment was on a sleeper. Tliis mark was on the . outside of the high leg rail and 14 inyhes' from the runnittg edge of the rail. The mark was ' a fairlv light. one but sinhlar marks which appeared on the next sleeper. and following ones, / became lieavier uht'.l the point was r'eaclied where the sleepers were badly smashed. There were no eorresponding marks on the low leg side of the curve. Witness said the fact that. there were no marks on the lower rail indieated, in his opinion, that there had been an o.verturn and not a derailment. Witness said engines and. trains were now. lieavier than in .1911 when the rails* were laid, but 701b rails would have made no difference. Mr. II. II. Wild (for the E.F.G.A. and the driver and • Urenui 11) : You cannot altogether rule out tlie possibilitv of eonie obstruction on the .line? Witness: It may be a possibilitv", but I saw nothing. Witness said he would not expect a very small metal object such as a fan bolt or a lishplate to derail an engine wliolly. Any such obstruction would have had "to be a consideiyble distance in among the wreckage to escape notice. Mr. Wild: A pieee used by any inalicious person could have been removed inimediatelj- after the accident. „ Witness: No. It would have been right under the wreckage ifself. To" Mr. Wild. witness said it would not be a diflieult section for a driver. There were five ehaftges of speed and five curves and grades on the two' and ' a-haif inile run from Seddon ■ to the point of the smash. Qualifications of Driver. Alexander Hudson Guthrie, of Timaru, y.'ho retired on March S after being senior driver at Kaikoura, said he had the resp„pnsibility of allotting firenien. and "drivprs on February (>. Driver Gurr, who had been sent fi'om the Linwood depot as relief, arrived. Gurr said he knew the route south of Kaikoura and from Blenheim to Wha ( ranui and that he had been stationeci 1 at Ward for a considerable time and i knew quite a lot about the locality. After Gurr had done various runs from Kaikoura, witness asked him if he knew the route before going on to the, shift which included No. 104 train. Gurr replied "yes" unhesitatingly and said he was "right baek 011 his old stamping ground" now that he had been over the ground once. Witness continued that he was quite satisfied as Gurr led him to believe he could do the , job without any effort. ' Gurr had all 'l that went towards making him appear ft good man. The engine of No. 104 was | in perl'ect order. Burr had his seeond ; grade driver 's ticket. Witness added that it was not customarv for a second grade driver to be on an express but thie staff shortage had to be taken into account. The department preferred to put first grade men j on expresses but No. 104 was not iook

ed on as an express but as & fust passenger .train. Gurf 2p| vears 0 age and that was not vo'ung .xor au express driver. Gurr had never l>een to Blenheini "as a passenger train driver. To Mr. A. 11. Tarr, general secretaaj of the Railway Officers Institute, witness said it was not unusual for actrng drivers to run No. 104. The use ot second grade certificate drivers was dictatel by the .staff positioii. - Exantined by -4r. Wild for the RaiJ; wavs Department, witness said AB engine." had 110 speedometers of speed indicators. Representations had been made b r drivers from time-to time T'or speedometers. The department had acknowledged they would be desiiable if obtainable. . " , . Mr. Wild : If you were still a driver would you lilce a speed incjicator ? Witness: It would be a big assistance. And if of big assistancg to you, it would be mucli more" so to a younger^ 'and less experienced man? Witness: That is so. - Air. Wild: Even more so to a man strange 011 the run? — Yes. Five curves and five different gradings over a distance of 21 miles would present difficulties to a strange driver.' — I did not think he was a strange driver. He had worked on the route for 188. days when at Ward. Have "you ever* overrun a stafion yourself ? — Yes, it can be done if oue is runiiing the lirst time into a particular station. Gecil Gharl.es .T. Biu-kley, loeomotive forenian, Ghristchurch, 'said when a temporarv vacuncy occurred at Kaikoura six .men were approached to lill it and live declined. Gurr was the best man available in the circumstancesaiid he had had experienee in driviug bvei the 1Spriiigfield-Arthiir 's Pass route which was one of tlie toughest in Nqw Zealand. Witness had 110 coniplaiiits of Gurr's work.