TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2160, 28 May 1914, Page 6

TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE

OF IMPRISONED MEN PINNED IN WRECKAGE IN THE to A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT. (By Tclecraph— Press Association.) Auckland, May '17. A graphic account of the disaster as it was observed from t-tre sleeper wagon was Riven by Mr. W. J. Hill, a luembor of tbo Auckland "Herald" stair, who was returning from the south. "I was only dczing when the express ran across the AVliaiigam-arittO swamp," said Mr. Hill. "The first warning of the disaster was a grinding crash, followed by tte splintering of glass. During an appreciable interval nothing further was heard, and then came a succession of crashes apparently caused by the scattering of the wooden partitions as the postal van ploughed through tho sleeper. Tlio train .bumped and jotted severely, and then came to a standstill. As it stopped it seemed as if tho whole.carriage uad collapsed, upon us. The lights "were extinguished by tho shock, and We were left in darkness; ignorant of what had happened, and confounded by ignorance of ivhat might happen. J. tried to niuve, but found that my showlffcr was pinswd by part of the carriage wall and other wreckage.

A TERRIBLE SITUATfON. ■"Someone called out: 'Strike a niatch,' but others sh-mitod- a waffling as p;as was escaping, and Biting tlic car. " 'I have been in a SMisli before, and if anyone strikes a flight there's no hope for us,' somcono exclaimed. Pot a long time ■ everyone lay stiil, mail at last, the silence was broken hy groans, and one of the iuj.is.fed passenKers called out, 'My God, lift this tip,' Then I managed to get out of ay fruitk, and found Mr. Borrie already standing up. /In every direction our 'bauds encountered woodwork. I fouttfl ,a hoot, and one of the other m«n took it from me and smashed the only window that was at all clear. Thou we cleared away most of tho broken glass mul Crawleil out. By this time tho other passengershad come to tho front of the train,"l«rt the only ]j£rht was a lamp earned by the guard, and tho full extent of the disaster could not bo appreciated in the darkness. Only two men were groaning, anil we could not imagine tfea,t any otliea had escaped alive. Then, an aeMyieiio lamp was brought,, and those lriio had already started to. relwsfi the imprisoned passengers were alite to see a Kitfo better, though lack ©Might, , owing to tho fear of using matches, fievere-h' handicapped their efforts.

RESCUING THE IfMDftED. "The few- iyho had escaped injury had forced their way out of the Wreckage, and with tlio assistance of.some ot!iof passengers, wcro hard at work in endeavouring to break a way into the injured men. The car steward had Wn imprisoned between the floors of the telescoped cars, and his first in<j«jry on crawling out was for the safety of the passengers. A lead was Riven in reseae work by Mr. Borrie, ami' after labouring for half an hour Mr. Stevens was brought out. Ho was already dead, "The wreck was so . complete that debris had to bo cut away iii pieces, until the men were immd in turn- Mr. Peterson was the last teactied. 'Owing to the lack of proper tools, the work had progressed so slffttly tfett ft mis nearly eight o'clock before lie was found. Throughout nearly }hreo tows fce had lain with an iron rail across his throat, forcing his head back., and , with mw of tho coiling lamps crushing his chest. Ho was freed'at'last..only by cutting away tho wreckage beloV. * Fortunately for tho relief of tho injured men,one of the' passengers on tlw train.' was a nurso, Mrs. Neville White, of Tβ Mawhai, near Te Kuitf, and sljb worked -heroically in directing moasttMs fair the alleviation of their pain, Mr. Peterson was alive when he was released from the wreck, and on her advice too men worked for nearly an hour m endeavouring to restore ' respiration. Ho seemed to recover. consciousness lor a moment, but iinmedistot.y collapsed. ' ■'Mr. Grimstono was aJsn found , --to have been very gravely injured, H<s stated that hehad no seiieation in tho lower part of the body. Mrs. White did all she could to relieve his suffering, and she also temporarily set tho porter's broken arm wbfiii- he was .fomsd unconscious alongside the tttiek. When the cars were telescoped, Mr. Geldriig* ham was driven through the partition' into the last compartment, ami wo found him thrown on one of the hcftlus Weeding from a rut on hin forehead and unconscious. Wo were able to pull him out through the broken • window, and his injuries were aE'te-ndetJ to. RELEASING THE POSTAL OFFICERS "We expected to find tlw men in tho postal car all killed, but they ha-tl escaped injury., Tliey were discovered in. the forward cVid of ttie van, imprismisid by wreckage and soaked by tho water which had escaped from ifce tajik in tlie roof of tho van. They wore drawn j out through a window. and it was j found that tho only wrjury was a cut j above tiro eye in the case of, -otto man.