DISASTROUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Evening Star, Issue 3663, 18 November 1874, Page 3

DISASTROUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

One of the most destructive railway accidents ever known in New South Wales happened on August 12th, at Bargoed station, on the' Rhymney Railway, A mineral train of forty ten-ton waggons, laden with coal, was taking out of the siding of the Dowlais Ivon Company’s Yoclmew Colliery, drawn by one powerful tank engine, and with an ordinary break-van at the tail. A dizzling rain had come on ■which made the mils slippery, so that the brake would not act with, any effect, and the speed increased with such rapidity that it soon became evident that the train was running wilfl, and the brake whistles were sciuidocl for the alarm of everything ahead. The distance between Deri station and the Bargoed Junction, three miles, was traversed in a few seconds over two minutes. The curves ou this part of the line are very sharp, and nothing but the tremendous weight of the metals travelling at such a , speed kept the waggons on the line, WJjon the r'uu-

away train arrived at the Junction Road, an engine, which had several detached waggons behind it, * was taking water at a tank on the down main line, and into this locomotive the coal train dashed with indescribable force. The stationary engine was literally lifted off its wheels and pitched in exactly the same position into the ravine 100 feet below, while the engine of the runaway train rolled over with the shock and came to a stop on the side of the enbankment, lying on its bank. The waggons were crushed into one undistinguishable heap of broken iron and wood and coal, many of them being totally destroyed, while scarcely one of them escaped material injury. The driver and fireman of the runaway train were killed instantly, their remains being afterwards recovered from the wreck in a dreadful condition. The breaksman laid himself flat upon one of the trucks of coal, and was mixed up in the general wreck of coal and trucks, from which however he escaped most providentially without greater injury than a few concussions. The guard had previously, on finding that the train could not be stopped, detached his van and so saved himself. The driver and fireman of the watering engine had only just time to save themselves by jumping from their places, and the detached trucks, started by the collision, ran several miles down the main line before they could be stopped, having been finally thrown off the rails at Hengoed,