RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Gisborne Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1368, 1 February 1905, Page 2

RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

FIVE G ARBI AGES LEAVE RAILS. MIRACULOUS ESCAPE. ‘(Her Press Association.) Oamaru, last night. Q?he passengers travelling by the second express, that from Invercargill to Christchurch, had a most miraculous escape this evening. The express was timed to reach Oamaru at 5 p.m., but about four miles from town, near Deborah, five carriages suddenly left the rails, three and the guard's van remaining on. The front wheels of the engine remain on the line, but the weight of the carriages that left the rails carried the tender and part of the engine off the metals. It was a miracle that no one in the train was hurt, and this is attributed to the fact that the carriages left the line in a zig-zag fashion, there being absolutely no crashing into each other,, and although she train ' was going at a good rate of speed there was no shock. The carriage wheels took the ground, and this acted as a buffer that drew then] up, although the driver with remarkable promptitude applied the Weetinghouse brake, which acted in a moment along the train. There were not a great many passengers in the train, but experts say that but for the zigzag manner in which the carriages left the line, there must have been serious I loss of life. The ends of the carriages were torn about by the couplings, but there was no telescoping. The rails and sleepers were . bent and broken, and it will take some I time to repair the damage. Traffic is expected to bo resumed in the | morning over a loop line. Passengers by following ?»raius are being carried on by trains that- meet at the break. The cause of the accident is difficult to conjecture, buG it is surmised, aud there is evidence to support this, that the wheel of one of the cars mounted the rails, and threw the five cars off. The only injury was to a passenger who had his hand grazed.