TELESCOPED.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2008, 16 March 1914, Page 5

TELESCOPED.

AWFUL TRAIN IN NEW SOUTH WALES. FOURTEEN KILLED* FOG OBSCURES SIGNAL. INDESCRIBABLE SCENES. By Tebiffraph—PreEe Association—OopyTlghl Sydney, March 14, There has been a sensational train smash at Exeter, on tho southern line, 03 miles from Sydney.' The Temora ma i! from crashed into a stationary goods train, telescoping a passenger car and a. sleeping car, and derailing the engine. The_«wildest confusion resulted. Relief trains, conveying officials and doctors, have been dispatched. Rain and mist obscuring the signals, is believed to have caused the collision. Among tho killed are Fred Koezengog'an, of Mittagong; Alice Eva, Cootamundra: James Eva, Parramatta; two women's, and one man's names are unknown. Also the mail guard. It is officially stated that fourteen have been killed and Bix injured. LIST OF FATALITIES. SAD FEATURES OF THE DISASTER, (Reed. March 15, at 5.5. p.m.) Sydney, March 15. Late advices state that fourteen were killed and thirty injured, but that confusion still exists as to tho identiricaii the killed arid injured in the disaster, latest "advices giving the corrected list' of killed' as follows:—Mr. Heaver, senior; Mr. Arthur Heaver; Miss Alice Heaver; Mail Guard Bray; Mr. J. C. Minnis; Mrs. Minnis; Mr.' G. L. Pollard; Mrs. Clarke; Mr. Fred. Kurzenhagen ; Miss, Eglington; Miss Shelley: Mrs. L. A. Parker; a youth, supposed to,he named Walker; and a woman believed to be Mrs. Knrzenhagen. ■' " Nineteon of tho injured have been sent to hospital at Bowral, and are progressing favourably. The disaster is the most terrible in tho history of tho New South Wales railways. ' Reports state that at -themoment of the impact the goods train was being shunted on to a siding clear of tho main line, in order to allow tho Tomora mail to pass. A dense fog obscured tho signals, and tho mail crashed into the goods train , , telescoping two carriages. Neither ttagine left the rails. . ■■'~. The first arrivals state that the scene was one of indescribable horror. Tho mail van was reduced ' to matchwood, aud ghastly heaps of human beings lay around, screams and groans of the' im-prisoned-victims coming from'the mass of debris. Perhaps the saddest 'feature was that connected with the Heaver family, whose members were -travelling to Cootamundra to bury Mrs. Heaver, senior, whose body was on the train. The widower, the daughter, ■ and daugh-ter-in-law were killed, and the son was seriously injured. ; Bray, the guard, was in,tho mail "van", 'and about to throw .the mail bag out when he was killed, while a, companion in the same carriage escaped,. sad i, "'case : was that ; oP"' a father and mother, and three young children, who wero buried under the debris;. The ' eldest child appealed piteously to the mother for help. ■■" The mother replied: "Love, I cartnbt help you."* l Tho children were ultimately roseued, but the parents wero' tlidn dead. ; ■■■.'■■.■■ DRIVER'S VERSION. SAW THE SIGNAL TOO LATE. (Rec. March 16, 1.45 a.m.)

• ■■• Sydney, March 15. The Acting-Chief Commissioner of Railways, referring to yesterday's disaster, states that signals, brakes, and everything else were in proper working order. ■

Tho drivers and firemen of both cngihes escaped with slight injuries. Driver Irwin, who had charge of the Temora mail, states that the distant signal showed a green light, showing tho home signal "Up," but owing to the thick mist he was unable to see it. He reduced speod as soon as ho caught sight' of the home dangar. ,The fireman shoilted: "Hold her, for God's sake!" He applied the brakes, hut it was too late to avoid the collision. . " . -i