MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY DISASTER .

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2161, 29 May 1914, Page 8

MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY DISASTER .

Tiiß mm signal ■ '[■/■ LEVER IN PROPER POSITION BUT RED LIGHT HOT SHOWING.. '•■' IBjr Tele£raph.~P}-*ss Asseclfttioß.)'-.^ , . , Aueklaßd, May 28. llio collection and disposal of wreckage was continued to-dtay. TJi© main line had bean cleared on Wednesday afternoon, but the swHijg wisi not be available for itso before this after-noon, A full estimate of damage to rolling stock was oiatie to-day. The locomotive of the express train remains on its 6lfle in swampy land, on the eastsfn side ot tho embankment, just as it foil. An examinaiion shosved that only » few stwm pipes have boen Woken, and when these and somo other miliar dan-.a.go l;as been repaired the engine will bo available for use again. Bight iragans of the good's train wero destroyed' by tke oallieisH. They wero two cattio and. four sheep wagons, one covered poods van, »,ud one open goods truck. Ail of these will have to be rebuilt, as onij the various parts are of any pracxieal value. Mepaira will be required in the case of several other wagons. Tho sleeper car and postal van will also require reconstruction, as both under frame and bodies wero greatly damaged by tlio telescoping; botfi. vehicles liave- been repaired so that they can bo hauled to tho repair shops.

Twenty-foor »en wore employed at Whangamariiio to-day, the ltuntjy respondent ef the "Heralsi" telegraphs, in clearing away wreckage. All tliat is useful in tho way of wheels, iron and other material is being loaded ' into trucks to be removed to the Xowmafket Railway Worksiwps, while tho wood--work that was.sltatte.red.bejojid furthor usefulness is being burned. Dircc'tipn of the work was "tifldertaken by tlio Cliief Mecliani*al Bugineer (Mr. 1:1. H. Jackson). The difficult operation ».f restoring the overturned locoSHOtive to the line will bo andettakea -on Sunday,

as tho railway will then bs> clear of traffic. Powerful plant reqmred to lift it will bo assembled in position te-<tay and to-morrow. FORTUMAtE POSTAL MEN, HOW THEY ESCAPED. Interviewed by a reporter, on© of the ofhcials m the postal van, said that he hadn t a very clear recollection of what tho impact itself was like, hut ho first remembered finding himself jammed between a mass of complicated wreckage and the wall of the carriage,. "kkuhi't an inch to move," ho said, "avid I'was dazed with tie p-aiji nml slmek. The lights had, of course, gone out, ami I could see nothing, but I coald' bear the gns hissing crat ftf the reservoir under the carriage. The tfamt&t of five at once struck me, aa.d 1 csifed out to n> y mates, but for n, few. niinntes got no answer. Presently they answered.' and I found that they wero quite doseto me. We joined l«rods, and j.»y dint of a lot of hnrd pulling got w.e another froe. We crawkd and pushed om , way through tho splintered wood, mail bugs, mid debris until we found a hole fig enough to gc't through. Whew we made a passage through this we found that there was still tho wall of the ot'hor carriage preventing. oiir escape, hat after a big strvijrgk- that hardly loft any clothes on us \"o gat tlirengli ;'t ivi.iiuoi.v, and some people outside helped «s to the ground. Wβ all imnwrlmtely called a warniiic not to tight matches,' f(ir we could still hear tftc gas escaping." { THE SICNAU. LEVER SET SOU OANGEK. A-MCfitantf, May ffii. Immediately after the wihva'y accident at Wh'Uigaanamip a Ktimber ef railway officials "and passena-ers proceeded to tho buiWing in which t\w signal levers are li.onscfi, .and found t£> lever in position io display th-o red littht for diiMgei'. At tiift litmus sfeuali 200 dietiiai, ths fog wss BUffic'teut*

ly dense to make it impossible for the povtei' wlio oporat-od the lever- to see what liglit was showing fw>m the station piatforta. After having noted that the-, lever stood correctly set for danger and was still locked with the patent lock, tlio 'party preieceded to the signal and , found a green light displayed, instead '■ 'of a red light. The nigfht was very cold, and it is presumed ikat the wires contracted, and caused the wrong sis'nal to bo hoisted, as was the case in " the Teaiora, New South .Wales,-railway I smash, two months ago.

CONDITION OF THE INJURED. •sjl '. ALL DOING WELL, ' ■ ."'*;■■ Auektaridj, May 23. progress was reported, tonight in regard to all the passengers who wero injured iu the railway- disaster at Wiiangamariiio. Tho jmjvqks shock caused by their terrible experience in the wrecked slcepiag ■ car was modified for sotte krnrs by their excitement, but the four passengers who eiiffetod most lia-3 ail developed symptoms of severe shock to-day, fiioso who. escaped physical injury wore als® virtually prostrated. The condition of Mr. GeMkgha.n? was slightly improved. He was able to sleep for about three hoars during the night,' but he is sn&ring from severe ucttous shock, and will be , confined to bed for souse- tints, His physical injuries include a.dee}) WOTttd. below the left «yo slid extensive bruising on the shoulders. Satisfactory progress is being made by Mr. John Sw-inson, of Weliington, who is a patient in the Waikato Hospital.. Tlib ritsht thigli is fractorcd. Jlr. Swinsaii had a fnirlv pood night. Mr. H, A. Fos, of Welhiißton, is a oaiieiit in the Mount Pkasant Hospital. H<s is suffering from shock and brnisiflst. and had olio dislocated. Tp-nigltt he was- reported to he progrespiag fitvoHKibly. The physical injuries' repeired by Mr. H. (1. Maclcay, of Jfolliaufae, iverenot serious. The jwtter who tfas iu eaarge -it \VTjangamarino, , William Donajclson, was in t,ho city to-da.y carrying his fract-uiv f»d arm in a sling.. Sβ is suffering also from very general bruising a.s Iμ ttas thrown off the points lever as though from a cataflult. COBQ'NER'S IfiIQUEST. OPENED AND AJMfOtJIINED. Auckland, May 28, The Coroner's inquest oh tho lnotjios

of tie three victims of the railway dis» j aster —Messrs. Orion Stei'ejis, George i Grimstofte and G. ftis eorning. Evidence of identification was taken and the inquest was then adiotiriied till Friday of nest week, PROVISION FOR AC6IDENTS, APPLIANCES ON THE TRAINS. In the ieleeraphod' account of ika accident and the rescue fforl? jjubltslj'cd yesterday morning appwired somo couiula'ints by a passenger. who was assisting to' extricate loss fortunate people from the wreck against tho lack of tools available. Hβ said that tli© only tools procurable oit the scene were twe Want axes and an& very heavy cfovc-kir, and tlwt. the lack of t<nsls (Jelayett tho woilc of rescue.Speaking alout the alleged lack of iooU to a wjwrter -yesterday, Mr. -U. W. M'Villy, Cljief Clerk of th-o Railway Departiise-Mtj surd that the guard's van on every train earned 3 sat of took, nild that as there Were two trains fere, tiro sets of- tools' shodd have 'been avnijablo. This equipment was ■•regularly inspected, and it "could, be. presumed that tlio tools .wore in goofl oi<ler. Tlio erow-har w.oultt .'of ceiirse. ha a heavy one, but. it was iat-ciidod i'<ir use in shifting railway'; vcliiVlcs or. Dortiems. of railway veiuclcs,' nnd .therufwo l>ad to iio strong. It "was possib-k , f that -the axes were not- as .keen as whoa llwy Hero now, tint he thought' tliis would make, for safety rathej ,, ' ihnn otlwsrwtse. Ho contended thnb'nnskiH* od, oxcited jtejple sniflS-hiug into Wi'ci-I;-oge iis bail light with sliarpascs might very (Kissibly inflict grierous tlijuty.'ou passengers not in sigiit, imprisoned' iiv a v.-ui, or iis a heap of dehrss; Tito equipment carried in every van mdt.id-o-'l one rrowbar, one axe, owe sprag (tor passing Utrouaih v\\cxh Us prftvait thfiw rttating), scotches. {Cor J'»ttirtS undi-r wtiwU to cnoje llwtm tn -siij* \v\m\ a •fgkinip wag- tiejiig dragged off tbs track

or osi to the track), one'tail ropfe (for coupling on to an engine enabling te» htefes to bo moved), coupling Iwoks a&d pins, awl oftß bucket.