RAILWAY ACCIDENT INQUEST.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 28 February 1901, Page 4

RAILWAY ACCIDENT INQUEST.

[BY ELICTRIC TELEGRAPH—COPYRIGHT.]

(PHR PRE33 ASSOCIATION.)

Sydney, February 27,

At the inquest on tli9 Sydenham disaster, the signalman's records showed that the wrecked train left Sydney on time and left the Sydenham Junction between a minute and a minute and a halt ahead of the time. The distance from Redfern station to Sydenham Junction is three miles and 21 chains.

The Traffic Inspects admitted that if the singlemen's records are true the train passsd Sydenham at th 9 rate of 60 miles an hour.

A passenger in the train said that he travelled in England in trains going 60 miles an hour, but this one was going faster than any he ever saw. Another witness who arrived on the scene shortly after the accidont, swore that he noticed a fish plate had opaned the line slightly out of the position where it ran off. The fish plate held one instead of four bolts. The following Sunday, accompanied by a policeman, ho visited the epot and found the sleepers and fish plates replaced. Mr Carruthers, a member of the Assembly, deposed that he travelled on the following train, and arrived a few minutes after the accident. He saw a fraoturod fish plate within the rails a length from where the train ran off. With others he visited the spot on the following Monday, and everthing that could have helped to locate the spot had beon removed and repairs made. The railway officials admitted that certain repairs had been made, but not till after the coroner and the jury had seen the spot where the accident occured.