AN UNPLEASANT ACCIDENT.

Evening Star, Issue 4252, 12 October 1876, Page 3

AN UNPLEASANT ACCIDENT.

The 'Grey River Argus ' of October 3rd says :—"An accident eccurred yesterday which was very nearly attended with a fatal result to more .than one concerned, and which ,in itself is sufficiently.startling to form an incident in a sensational novel. The coach plying between Greymouth and Kumara, the one popularly known as the gin case, was precipitated in the Teremakau with a full freight of passengers, all of whom, however, fortunately escaped, although one of the horses was drowned. The accident occurred as follows :—At the time the coach reached the slope leading to tho river the punt was on the opposite side, and the driver, instead of pulling up, trotted down the incline, trusting to his brake, which seems to have given wayi On nearing the bottom of the incline, Mr Whitworth, who is visiting Kumara for the Melbourne press, called out, 'My'God, we shall be'in the river !' and the next instant the horses; and coach were completely submerged, the passengers in the body of the coach escaped with a wetting, and the driver, who was on the bank side, managed to scramble out, bufc Mr Whitworth, who was on the box seat, had, in his own words to ' Make a dive for it, and swim out.' This incident, fortunately unattended wit{i loss of life, ought to be another added to the many serious warnings drivers have had against rash or reckless driving. In justice to the driver, we must say that-our informant tells us that he did his best to pull the horses off when the danger became imminent, and that the brake gave way at the last moment; but all he could do was insufficient to prevent the downward course of tfye coach,"