EXCITING COACH ACCIDENT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3851, 20 November 1883, Page 4

EXCITING COACH ACCIDENT.

Tlio Ncl.son Mail of November 8 .says : — A most, extraordinary mid exciting , accident, occurred last week to the West Coast coach on its trip from Nelson. There woro "on board" lit the time Mi , Green, tlio driver, the groom, Mr Conrad Saxton, Mr \V. Adams, two ladies wlio.se names as'c have not been able to ascertain, and a child. • On reaching the Hope river it was found to bo flooded, but it was thought safe to attempt to cross it. However, in doing this the coach was washed down a short distance Tjclow tlio culling by which the ascent from the river bed has to be made. The leading horse—the team was a " unicorn"—got his fore feet on to the cutting , , and did his very best to drag the vehicle out of the river, but could not manage it, lost his footing, and the force of tlio water was so great that the coach was swept down slei'ii first, the water at one time being so deep that inside the couch it was within a foot of the roof. Down and down the stream the vehicle continued its career, amidst the screams of the women and the .struggling of the horses, until it reached a shingle bank, -where it lodged fortunately still stern first. Night was approaching, and there were no mean, of escaping from the awkward predicaments bo at last the groom clambered on to the leading horse, cut him adrift, and endeavoured to swim ashore to get to Kaifc's accommodation house, but shortly after leaving the coach ho and the horse were seen to roll over together, and to bo washed down. Mr "VV. Adams then said ho would swim ashore, but he too got. washed down until ho landed on a spit, where to his relief ho found that the groom hal , also been washed ashore. Here they waited the whole niii'ht expecting every nioriiunt to see the coach and its occupants floating down, and hoping that they might be able to render assistance. The coach, however, with the aid of (he horses which were kept headed up tlio stream, and of the brake which prevented its being wheeled down the river bed by the water, retained its position,, but what the feelings of those on board, the women especially, must havo been throughout that livelong night must bo left to the imagination. Cold, wet through, and half drowned, there theyhadtoremainutit.il the next morning when Mr Adams and the groom contrived to reach Rait's, from whence, to the intense joy of thoso on the couch, they returned with assistance, landed the passengers, and got tho coach out. tiuch is onw of the inconveniences, not to say perils, to bo occasionally met with in a New Zealand journey.