AN AWFUL DISASTER.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 30 November 1901, Page 3

AN AWFUL DISASTER.

A Terrible Train Fire.

The Vienna correspondent of the Daily Mail writes under date September 22nd : Full details are now to hand of the terrible railway accident on Friday to a Eoumanian express. It seems that the "Bucharest train arrived at Palota at two o'clock on Friday morning, and proceeded to Turn

Severin. From Palota to Turn Severin there is a steep decline. The express was travelling at the rate of 25 miles an hour.

Ascording to the railway time-table, a goods train, consisting of 16 trucks, each one carrying 20,0)0 pounds weight of petroleum, followed the express train on the same line from Palota.

While going clown a steep decline the brakes of the goods train failed to act and the heavily laden train dashed down the hill at a terrific speed. The guard in the last van of the express train saw the goods train coming up behind and in his confusion he pulled the communication cord, and the driver of the express stepped. A minute later the catastrophe occurred. The goods train dashed into the roar of the express, which had come to a standstill, with such force that the two trains were smashed to bits, only the engine of the express and the last two trucks of the goods train escaping destruction,

An enormous quantity of petroleum caught fire, and in a few seconds, the whole area of the accident became one huge lake of flame. Mr. Marcovies and his wife escaped from the flames to see their only daughter burned to death, in fearful agoi.ies, which they were powerless to relieve.

A Eoumanian millionaire, Mr Dinu, got his foot jammed between two pieces of the train wreckage, which prevented his escaping from the flames. Hebegged the guard to cut off. his foot with an axe promising to make him a rich man if he did so. But before the guard could help him Mr Dinn sank back into the flames and was burned to death. The sleeping car conductor, Mr Schwarz, was also jammed so that he could not get away. A workman tried to extricate him, but in vain. Schwarz in desperation, clung so tightly to the neck of his would-be rescuer that the latter sustained deep flesh wounds and had to be dragged out of Schwann's grasp just as the latter perished in the flames. All the trees, the grass, and everything inflammable was burned up over an area of a quarter of a square mile. Out of 3G passengers 32 were killed, besides eight railway servants.