TRAGEDY AVERTED.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1105, 19 April 1911, Page 5

TRAGEDY AVERTED.

BARELY IN TIME. RUNAWAY TRAIN ALMOST HITS EXPRESS. LORD ISLINGTON A PASSENGER, MAN'S SPLENDID ACT. (By Telceraph.—Press Association.) Auckland, April 18. The Main Trunk express, which loft Auckland on Monday evening,, and which numbered his Excellency the Governor among.-t its passengers, narrowly escaped meeting with a serious accident shortly, before reaching WostiielA, between Penrose Junction and Otahuhu. It was due to a prompt not in stopping a runaway train that the threatened disaster was averted. A passenger train leaves Auckland for ' Otahuhu every evening at five minutes to nine, and arrives at Otahuhu at 9.28 p.m. It is then shunted on to a siding, whore.it awaits the passing of tho Main . Trunk express, which leaves town at 9.15 p.m. The train then returns to tho city, leaving Otahuhu at 9.43 p.m. This train went out lc Otahuku as - usual on Monday evening, but after tho engino had been uncoupled from the carriages, in connection with the shunting. operations, the' train (consisting of four carriages and a van) by.some means got away,. and ran back on the main lilld down the incline towards Weslfield. ' ' The engine remained at .the station, and, as the express was nearly due, the alarm whistle was sounded vigorously in order to attract the attention, if possible, of the driver of the express, and warn him of the threatened collision. There were, at tho time, two passengers in one ot' the carriages of tho slow train. The blowing of tho engine's whistle attracted the attention of Mr. R. Claude, caretaker of the Auckland Sakyards Co.'s yards at Westfleld, who was in his housenear the yards at the time. On looking out, he saw the runaway coming down tho incline from Otahuhu in one diroction, and the express coming up in the distance in'the othev direction. Mr. Claude, realising the, 6erious.ness.of the situation, ran to .the railway line, leaping over two or three fences as .lit went. On reaching the line , the runaway train had just passed, but he ran after it, and succeeded in jumping on the rear carriage, and applying the Wostinghouse-. brake with the manipulation of which he was fortunately familiar. The train having been brought to a standstill Mr. Claude then van in front of the train, and waved a red light, and tho express was\ pulled up safoly within only about three chains of tho other train. Naturally, the two passengers on the train which got away, as well as those on the express who were mado aware of tho causa of the sudden stoppage, experienced a considerable shock on learning of their narrow escapo from participating in a collision. Lord .Islington's special'. carriage was in front of the train, next to tho engine.