WONDERFUL WORK ACCOMPLISHED

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 7, 9 July 1923, Page 8

WONDERFUL WORK ACCOMPLISHED

JTNE SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERS.

*-" (HI HtEORAPH.—PBESE ASSOCIATION.)

'TATJMARTJNUI, This Day.

*Thß huge crane from Auckland did wonderful -work at Ongarue in clearing the line of the.debris of the engine and broken carriages. The work continued In shifts all Saturday and Sunday, and Ine* last shovelful of ballast was spread on!sie new portion of the line about 5.30 pjri. on Sunday. The first train to pass through being a ."goods" from Taumaru-nui-at 6 p.m. . '*':." . „. >On Sunday the '• scene of the disaster n'as visited, by numbers of* settlers and re>idents.,df Ongarue, and the clearing operations were watched with interest. The damaged engine, and the partlydamaged car D were drawn up to the Ongarue railway station, and the debris .vas burned in heaps on the bank. Among the debris could be seen the broken iron frames of the wrecked sec-ond-class .carriages. These are so badly broken' that' one could readily imagine the'-force* of the impact and reason for so many mangled'bodies among thevicums. On'thV side of the crack were also "seen a .gas. .cylinder intact and another one which had been either smashed or exploded. -Further along was the cowcatcher'of the'derailed engine. It was severely twisted and bent up, evidence; of the rough handling it had received in the collision with. the three-ton boulder. ■ . . ■ ■ -

The hillside from which the boulder and other material fell shows a fair -gap, such as is seen in hillside slips. It is not: a dangerous-looking overhanging cliff, but an ordinary-looking hillside on aggrade,, and overgrown with fern and scrub. There are far more dangerouslooking«spqts.; on/the Main Trunk line than thisV'but 1, local 'experts''say it is nevertheless a bad spot; in fact, some consider that the whole of the face-at this bend is on a slide towards tiie river. and that at some time in the past, there hag been a huge slip there, which narrowed the river into a small fast-running torrent such as it is just below Ongarue township. ..■

The; railway officers are exceedingly grateful'for the fine spirit shown by the men of the Public Works Department. Immediately the accident was. notified ta them at Okahukura, Mr. 'A. C. Pascand, assistant engineer, and Mr. S. Holmes,-foreman, discontinued the day's work on the Matiero section of/the railway, and jumped into the emergency, organising: all hands, and' placing them at the disposal of the Eailway Department. This band of willing workers set off at once for the scene of the accident, and undsr the able leadership of Mr. Holmes, did splendid work until relieved by the' railway workers. -Mr. Keller, resident engineer, did not hear of the catastrophe till 8 a.m., and was more than gratified to hear that his men at Okakukura had responded: to duty's call without waiting for orders. It was one of those.occasions which called ; for_ prompt action and initiative ■without appealing for. formal instructions, and officers and meni are to be commended for their foresight. .The latest bulletin from the hospital regarding the injured states that 'W.Collins, whose case is serious, had a good night, and his condition has improved.. W. F. Campbell, also a serious case,-is doing very well. M'Farlane shpw s an improvement, and J. Neale is doing well.. There has'been some anxiety, over Mrs. Smith, but she. is now doing: well. The following are making good progress:—Dignan, Tyler, Brown■He, Walker, Fley, Wheeler, Shepherd, Billing, Hughes, Morgan, Miss Morgan, Miss, Gordon.- and Mrs. Henderson.