VICTORIAN CALAMITY

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 178, 23 April 1908, Page 7

VICTORIAN CALAMITY

FORTMOUR DEATHS. • FORTY-FIVE SERIOUSLY INJURED. DRIVER DISTRACTED. BY'TELEGRAPH —PHESS ASSOCIATION—COPYKIGnT. (Rec. April 22, 10.53 p.m.) • ■ Melbourne!, April,22. ■ -. Millie Giles has succumbed to hor injuries,, making tho forty-fourth death. Four .others •are in a critical condition. . : _ Tho total' number of dead is ..44;. seriously injured. 4o: slightly injured, at least 100. In addition to the dead already cabled, tho following . names are reported: Jos.; Davies. C. 'Williams, Thos. Atkinson, Watson, Leonard Gates, G. Hughes, Annie , -The latter' is .a' daughter • of pre-viously-mentioned ; victims. ".••"'The driver of the Bondigo train has beon ,'dTiving.for thirty years,'and was considered : oho of the-most capablo men in tho service. He is • almost. distracted over the . disaster, f ' The driver of the' second enemo felt .tho- . brakes go on, • but suddenly they, woro ,ro- ' leased again, and tluf train;bounded, forward. > on ; its errand of destruction. : ( - comments are mndo upon . tho. utter want of preparedness of tho Railway Dcpart/ment . to-copo iwith accidents. It tcok an •hour and .three-quarters 'after the summons ' to get tho relief-tram away. It is'belioved that-compensation in connec-iioii-.with .the accident'will , cost £120,660. ' SYMPATHY FROM NEW ZEALAND , -Mr. T. Ronayne; General Manager of Now / Zealand Railways,: sent a cable messago yes- : coi day to Mr. Tait, Chief Railway Commissioner'for,iVicforia, expressing, the regert of liis-department for the accident. - RAKAIA CIRCUMSTANCES REPEATED. - Mr. Ronayne pointed out to a Domimon representative that the circumstances of the Victorian collision were almost, identical with:those;of the "Rakaia accident, by which, : however,' only a few:.lives ,were. lost. : That • nMidenty'ihy tho-way, cost the -Niw Zealand ■ GoverUfnent - about ■: £40,000 ■ iaftor.; settling • claims 'for ; compensation. ■ Rakaia did-not possess,> however,the i .signalling apparatus of tho Victorian station. . A man went out to givo the signal by displaying a red lamp, ' which the online-driver of the colliding tram ■! stated/that. he:.did iiot, see. The. Victorian train rant into the rear of another tram leav- • tho■<:station, . as. happened at Itakaia. . Thrco tail lamps: aroi alwavs attached to. the • roar, van,of a tram to guard, against such accidents.. 'i- ■ AN UP-TO-DATE SERVICE. - •' Mr. Ronayne statesVthat tho; signalling apparatusj ■ brakes, and 'rolling stocks-on the ; .vVictorian Vlines.': are all:, tho best' and most up-to-date. : Mr.. Tait, tho Chief, Commis'i sioner, 'is-. an extremely capable... official, who has had a great experience; of .railway management. Mr.. Hudson, another of tho Victorian Railway Commissioners, was forrnorly assistant general manager of tho Now Zealand, Railway Department. •, . • , THE DRAKE. ! AN EXPERT VIEW • . [BY TELBORAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.^ Christchuroh, April 22. • • ; A railway export, speaking to a " Press " . opresentative regarding the Victorian railway :"disaster,'-.iidiculcd ;:tho ; . idea"'that' tho ■Wostinghouso brake itself had ; failed. ,It was ; - possible'..that;- after-.an engine'had .been'tem■porarily uncouplod for. the purpose, say, of . taking'" in water; tho man who couplcd up might have .omittod to-turn on both cocks, / 'being .that tho;brake would act -■ r ;i OTly_(p)on '• theengine, '-.being, l ■ tmawaro that the brake was not connected up' ■with'all tho vehiclos, when ho came to'apply the; brako would'makoi no allowance for tho existing 1 stato of- affairs; and would be astonished, tofind that his train did not come to a .:■stend3till. iii ' th-e :; "timethat it would do if tho -;'.; : liormaUy.': Tho defect, if called,;'of this brako; is one .that ;" : ;lt requires te , ■ be carefully inspected in order to ascertain : > that' the.' different connections' have■ : been all proporly made, and that each part is working rightly, i -.r lt' is tho custom on thc Ncw Zealand; Go;';ivernment(.': railways Vforvthov Westihghouse j ; brako .to be- carefully • examined before any ; train ; is allowed :to leavo. Tne brakes are ex'Vamijied 'at-'different.'stations'; any, aro found . bo'i working'badly; tho engine-driver •■■ is mado, •acquainted with . 'the fact, and he is consequently in .a ; position iratters by making allowance for tho hbn-offect-ivc • brako. The regulations rega«ling the inspcc-"tionof-.the 'AVestinghouse' brako have beoii very: stringently^"enforced ;on ths -HumnuiBluff ; section at'least,': with the result ' that - few instances aTo known, of tho brako failing . ,;to act.:':, On-one occasion;''it is linder-stbod,- a • ; train overshot a . certain. " station - after the hrako had : ;beeh''app]ied, \ but : it, was - found ' ! on inquiry'that one of the:cocks of the braka -v ;: oonnccting the 'engiho' with 7 the. Vehicles .had ; . .'not beoh turned on, after having been turned off ' preparatory to ;-tho ybngine ' bcing uncoupled to get water—an operation that was not .fully oompleted,';as 'the driver' came to the . conclusion that itwas to water at .the place where it was proposed to unoouplo. ' ■' ;;