COACH ACCIDENT.

Evening Star, Issue 4018, 12 January 1876, Page 2

COACH ACCIDENT.

A serious and somewhat singular accident occurred to the coach from Ohiistchu.ch to Hokitbe l7rh of December, about ten mi es from the Kawaka and thirty from Hokitika An aerount of it, supplied from ore of the sufferers, now appears in print for the first time in the ‘Nelson Mall i—The eoach was ou a level piece of road at the time, when by some means one of the leaders’ traces camo undone and by flipping against his side so frightened him that he started off at a gallop, in whioe he was at once joined by the others. A short distance ahead was an awkward turn l i the road, with a cliff on one side, at the foot of wide i flowed a river. The driver unable to pull up his horses, made up his mind to adopt a novel expe ient for stopping the coach, and so he drove straight at a telegraph po-rl, determined, as he said, to stop their rand career, or “break somesomething.’' He did both. The post, though of hard rata, was splintered in three places, the driver hy the sudden shock was dashed against the splash-board will) such force as to injure his chest and to bring on spitting of blood ; tho passengers were thrown out, and one of them, Mr Ihompson. brother of the membtr oi that name of the firm of I’homp on and Beattie, of Invercargill, was severely injured about the head and legs; and Mr ADVicar, of the firm of Mathrsou and Co., of Dunedin, was stunned hy a severe blow on the lend, and had his hand much cut about. The leaders g>o clear, and coutiuu d to gallop on until tliey came to the dreaded turn in tbo road, when they fell over the c iff So oof the ] asKongers atili bear the m irks of their wounds, and, judging from their appearance, are likely to do ao for some time to come,