RAILWAY PERILS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1001, 16 December 1910, Page 8

RAILWAY PERILS.

THE DININC-CAR GANGWAYS. SHOCKING EVENT. ,■ (By Telegraph—PrcEa Association.) i Dunedin, December 15. At tho inquest on the body of Kathleen Coughlan, who was killed by falling oil the express tijain near, Ivartigi on Tuesday, tliu ovidcnco showed that she must have fallen oft' while attempting to cross from the dining-car to tho next carriage. The "guard said that the train would be travelling about 30 miles an hour at the time of the accident.- The line was pretty straight there. There was simply a .small recess at/ the end of tho diningcar, and. then came tho bridgeway. It was possible that'children might'slip or bo blown under the rails- of the bridgeway, and he was always afraid of them when crossing from ono carriage platform to another. Tho coroner: Would it not be better to have an extra bar rail? Tho witness: An extra bar rail would be a good thing. In answer to Mr. Hay (solicitor), witness said that there,were two half-circles of iron standing up about six or eight inches from tho'floor of-'the bridgeway. The bar was about 4ft. up. Mr. Hay: So that there is ; about 3ft; unprotected? Witness' remarked that" an - extra, bar would materially enhance tho safety of the crossing. ' , • ■ .Mt. Ilay: Anyone .coming out of the recess oil tho dining-car steps out on to tho, cross platform. Don't you think that dangerous?' If the door is shut they walk" right out on to tho cross platform without any warning whatever.

.. Witness: The door opens from inside. '-Mr. Hay:-Doesn't it strike .you that 'deceased stepped' on to this narrow crossplatform and turned to shut the door ? Witness: There is a rail to hold on to. Mi. Hay. But here we have it—a little girl stepped on to this narrow bridgeway, and may have turned to shut, the door. , I suggest that there ought to bo . another-. platform for people: to - stand on l they. shut .tho door,' ana -step Oil to . this,.narrow ..bridgeway..,', .

The oironer said that, after hearing tho evidence, lio couldcome to no other conclusion than that the unfortunate girl met hen death by ; accidentally falling from the railway train in motion. ,Ho would, add a rider drawing the attention of the . railway.' authorities to the advisability.' of having.- these crossings further safeguarded, especially, on trains "equipped .with a dmins-car.V Steps should be taken' to .'lessen tho present danger. They had, a good system in connection ■with : tho electric' tramcars, where they ■liad gates, on' the sides." He'would leave' :it to the . Railway I authorities to make these crossings more secure; EXTRAORDINARY MISHAP. A most extraordinary . occurrence is 'reported-by :tho Auckland'"Star" to have happened to the ".mixed, train which arrives \at. .Taumarunui from the -run ,through the King Country, " northward ■bounc'., at night. On Saturday, at RaUrimu station, the train being, stationary; some shunting operations were in progress, . and one sharp bump was felt. When the train began to move, it tore out the'end'of : One of;the"c'arriages completely. ; Fortunately no one-was-.hurt. The disabled .carriage .was .left behind at Haurimu.', , ,

THE STORY OF A RUDDER. What is regarded as a somewhat., extraordinary delay occurred in; tho carriage of, tho' broken rudder of tho steamer Strath'clyde''.-i.fr.pm .V'Lyttelton", to. Port 'Chalmers last . week, (states', tho "Press"). The vessel was^'placed'in .dry; dock .on Saturday,i December J, -and. the-blade of the rudder, weighing about' five tons, was: lifted •. and " put on a large; railway truck. : It was' ready to • leave.. Lyttelton at- 5 p.m., ; but, the truck' .was - attached to , the' 9.45 1 . p.m. train,, and reached ChristchurcH at 10.10 p.m. on the Saturday • night The rudder was .'still at Christchurch on' Tuesday, - three days later, and it finally , reached Port Chalmers last Thursday, ;'five 'da^s : 'after leaving Lyttelton.' The late arrival of tho rudder at PortChalmers seriously hampered the operations of Messrs. Stevenson and Cook,"' who have the contract for making a new, rudder, and it means four,.or fivo days of furthei expensive delay to the Strathclydo at Lyttelton. The' agents of the steame:, had they had any idea that the rudder would''take-five days in-transit by'rail, to Port Chalmers, could have arranged to ship it south by .the steamer sailing on the Saturday, in which case tho rudder-would' have- reached the. foundry by Monday-" morning; i ; ; Eveiii' .if - 'it - had been held back for '."last" Wednesday's steamer, it would have reached Port Chalmers on the Thursday. : '