RAILWAY TUNNEL DISASTER.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1889, 18 October 1913, Page 5

RAILWAY TUNNEL DISASTER.

SIGNALMAN'S LAXITY ALLEGED.

A TELEPHONE CALL. By Telesrapli—Press Association—OoDyrlffM London. Octobor 16. It is reported that a toy at tho central signalbox at Liverpool frequently attends to the telephone. Ho answered a call on Wednesday, while tho signalman was busy with the levers. The signalman, thinking tho message was from tho first tram, asking him to clear the way, pulled tho lever, admitting the 'express. Then, on second thought, he asked tho boy what_ the message was, and was told that it-re-ferred to another train. Ho at once realised his awful and set the lights in tho tunnel against the express, but his effort to prevent disaster railed. VICTIMS MOSTLY FOREIGNERS. "Times"—Sydnoy "Sun" Special Cables. London, Ootober 18. The passengers killed or injured _ in the oollision at the St. James Station, Liverpool, between the Harwich boat train and the express for Warrington, Were mostly ScandinavianSj Swedes and; Norwegians, who had arrived by the steamer Campania from Now York, and were proceeding homewards by way of Hull. TWO STORIES OF THE CAUSE. "Times"—Sydney "Sun" Special Cables. (Reo. October 17, 7.20 p.m.) London, Ootober 17, It is stated that three lunatics. In charge of two asylum-keopors, had a compartment to themselves in the teleBcoped train. They became exoitod on entering tho tunnel, and one of them pulled tno communication cord. Anothor story goes that a number of the foreigners in the train were quarrelling-, and a threat by one of them that ne would use his revolver caused another to pull the cord in self-defenoe. The engine-driver is confident .that the cord was pulled, and therefore stopped the train.