CABLE NEWS

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2171, 22 April 1908, Page 2

CABLE NEWS

FEARFUL RAILWAY CATASTROPHE. TERRIFIC COLLISION NEAR

MELBOURNE.

MANY HEARTRENDING SCENES.

A HEAVY DEATH-ROLL,

United Press Association—Copyright. MELBOURNE, April 21. A dreadful railway collision .occurred late last night, near Braybrook Junction, where tho Bendigo- and Ballarat lines meet. A heavily laden passenger train from Bendigo crashed into a train which had just arrived from Ballarat. It was tlie most appalling disaster in Victoria’s railway history. The Bendigo train smashed into tho Ballarat train with terrific force. Tho foremost carriages were smashed to matchwood. Tho wrecked trains immediately caught fire, adding to the horror. The line was strewn with wreckage, dead, and wounded. 'Tlie women shrieked, and the cries of the injured were heartrending. The collision occurred a dittlo before 11 o’clock. The Ballarat train was running a little late. It was just coming out of the ■ station, when the Bendigo train, which.was drawn by two poweiful engines, crashed into the rear of tlie moving Ballarat train, which was going so slowly that the force or the impact was not lessened to any considerable extent. ■ " The guard’s van of the ißallarat train was splintered to pieces. iho next car, a second-class one, was also smashed to atoms, and the next, v, Inch was a first-class car, was telescoped. . A horrible scene was witnessed. The dead and dying were imprisoned within tho burning debris, and those not already killed were practically roasted to death before they could' be extricated. . , , When tho relief train arrived at a midnight those on board found the platform strewn with dead, and tho wounded were lying all over the place. > - ", Tho shrieks of tho affrighted passengers when the trains collided, the screams of women and children, and the groans of strong men in agony were so dreadful that the hardiest nerves gave way under the awful strain. . •One man was lying groaning on the platform, moaning, “Shoot me, •shoot me, for God’s sake, and end my suffering!” Medical men were promptly on the spot, and rendered every assistance, though of course it was impossible to deal promptly with so many people. The Fire Brigade nut out the fire in the burning carriages, and • the iescuers were then able to take some tallies-of the dead and wounded. A poor little boy who was killed in the smash was thrown about like a bit of lumber by the impact, and a dozen almost equally • heartrending scenes were witnessed. In the third of the shattered carriages there was a party of nine. When the crash came a carriage diot on top of one car with another ::ar piled on toil of it, and the hottom cars caught fire. The party in the third car had a thrilling experimce, the flames licking through the door of the prison. Herculan_>an force four of the party managed to buret the door of the compartment uul escaped. What became of the remaining five is unknown. Miss White, who was dragged from the wreckage, says: “I had just got into the train from 'Ballarat, which was very late. Before I moved off I iieard a whistle. A gentleman said, Is that the Bendigo?’ Before there could be any answer there was a ter■ific crash, and the Bendigo train dashed into our train. , Women creamed- and men shouted orders. I started to go along the wrecked carriages, but the sight of the .killed and wounded was too much for me, and I collapsed on the platform. The scone was a terrible one, women creaming and moaning with pain, vliils grouped around the wreck of tlie train, where a number of woundid passengers were helping one another to bind up their injuries, were i lot of children, whose cries as they looked for their parents were heartbreaking. To add-to tlie horror of tlie scene the carriages caught fixe, (t looked as if a number of the wounded 'would be burned alive. The Fire Brigade, however, soon got the lames subdued. Another passenger states: A battlefield scene could not have been worse than the frightful scene of carnage in the big room of the Sunshine harvester works, which, large as. it ■van, would not hold all those who urgently needed attention. I saw a very large number of people horribly mutilated. Indeed, it was the exception to come across anyone who had ■iot been injured in some form. A very large number of passengers were panic-stricken and lost their heads, md added by their rushes to the cerror of the . tragedy, while several people were burned to death before any help could be rendered them.” It was half-past 3 .before the injured reached Melbourne. It is impossible yet to give a list if the killed, but amongst those identified are:—Alfred Ulingsou, Maria Dannoch, Amy Baffin, and Alice Lafan, while of those seriously injured are: Jessie Williams, Alex. Oliver Rose Acreman, Annie Maffin, Harold-deters,-P. Oxlade, George Needham, Percy Walsh, W. Young, Wilfred Reynolds, J.Varty, Ethel Lynch, G. Boslier, and 43 less seriously. , All. victims so -far yet known are Victorians. Medical reports state that a. ghoul jvas caught robbing a mail mangled m a bad ivay. but the absence of the ponce prevented liis detention. One child was disembowelled. A bride and bridegroom were on their honeymoon The bride -was injured 31 '' 1 * l6 -husband, desperately The fire brigade from the Sunshine tiaivester Alorks close by rendered splendid services in- quickly extinguishing the fire. - " • r The Bendigo train was drawn bv two engines, travelling at about- 15 miles an hour. JtJZtT and fir ? mcu escaped were injured. tllG Bendigo lingers i The d'river declares that the signals showed a- clear line. - The list of killed is not yet available, but the latest report from tlie scene of the disaster is that forty-one bodies-have been recovered, while that sixty people have been injured has been officially recorded. The stationmaster- at Sunshine says that he was the only one oil duty fnr th/ n .n”- l 1! h ? d set the points the Onfe,' 1 ‘ Bla i t il l3lll COmo Into sit nn<l t]l e Points'remained -€t in that way. fie was lmsv «n+ tending to the despatch of the'Balaiat train ,and had not time to release all tlie points, even if he had ‘■tee.T' .'Consequently- the points >tood against the Bendigo train, tho driver of winch disregarded the signals, with the result that tho train ran over the points and smashed into the Ballarat train. Hie cars which' wore demolished contained about 120 passengers. Driver Milburn, who was on tlie oilgine attached to the Bendigo train, stated that when lie noticed the signals were against him the Westing- ' house brake refused to act, then ho reversed the engine, but it did not respond immediately, and then tlie collision occurred. . Had the Ballarat train been got away to time the accident would never have happened, ft was about ho minutes laie, i lie noise of the'collision was so great that the whole neighborhood was aroused. ■ I he platform was quite dark. Jt was impossible for tho injured passengers, as they rushed up and down in the excitement, to avoid trampling or tumbling over the d“:id and wouiideu. When the firs: ambulance train arrived it took out Dr. Percy and n corps of railway nub.dunce ' workers who provided first aid requisites. As their lanterns began to flit about the - platfoi m the terrible scene displayed was one of gruesome horror.- 1 • the bodies of women and men witfi their features battered dtR df re^gi

ration J , “" B ’ co ' lo> ' Jav close by .the mangled S of a mother with her dead baby ' clwped in her arms. . The body ot a man was hangmgup between two of the carriages in a position where for a long time tlio workers could do nothing to extricate it. ,jt was with the greatest difficulty that, many of the bodies could be extricated at all, as they were impaled on the ends of the sharp splintered woodwork. A number of the injured are likely to succumb. (Received April 21. 2.39 p.m.) MELBOURNE, April 2J. •Iu addition to the dead, as alroat®y cabled, bodies have been identified as follows: —Elizabeth Williams, 11. Peal6/(eonimercial traveller), T. E. Doriiu, George McCall, Mrs J. I l ’. McKean, John Bright, May Rushbrook, J. Bannock, J. Hawkins, lloso Aercman, F. Sawyer, W. H. Bent, F. Hughes, T. E. Doran, George McCall, Mrs. J. F. McCano, A. .Blight, May Rushbrook, J. F. Williams, J. Bannock, J. Hawkins, Rose Acremnn, F. Sawyer, Edward Dent, F. Williamson, S. Bunyard, J. Thomas, AV. Thomas, R. Gates, A. Clarke, May Clarke. The latest estimate of the deathroll is 53.

(Received April 21, 6 p.m.) Additional passengers who were killed are:—Faucis Balling, Victor Pascow, William Wnnkorvis, J. Brown. Ernest Dennier, Airs Hughes, Mrs. Tucker, Agnes Wright, Dolly Green, Alex. McKay, Fred O'Connor, Thos. Huntington.

FURTHER DETAILS.

- FIREMAN RECOVERS HIS SISTERS’ BODIES.

A SCENE OF CARNAGE

DRIVER’S FATAL MISTAKE.

(Received April 21, 10 p.m.). ■MELBOURNE, April 21. When the Sunshine Fire Brigade turned out to extinguish tlio burning carriages, the first man to reach tho station was Auxiliary-fireman Laffnge. Ho worked energetically to put out the flaming debris, and, when it was possible, to remove imprisoned passengers. Amongst the first bodies recovered •were those of two of his sisters. Legs and arms that had been cut off wero lying around, and in wrecked carriages eome people were found •with the life crushed out of them, hanging by their chins from the liatracks, "against which they had been jammed when the Bendigo engine ploughed its way into tho train. Dr. Vox was the first medical man to arrive on -the scene. He graphically described his iuspecJaoii of tho dead and wounded which -viSfiivere lying on tho Sunshine railawy platform. The spectacle that met his eye m as awful. Thero wero telescoped carriages from which the railway officials wore extricating dead bodies, and, having his attention first called to a carriage in which an injured man was totally jammed between three partitions of a car that had been smashed together, concertina fashion, was one of the most ghastly sights ho ever witnessed. Every third or fourth person he camo up to appeared to be dead. Amongst the first sixty lie examined, quite fifteen or twenty were lifeless, and tho bulk of the wounded wero suffering from very serious injury. Tho dead, in particular, appeared to have received shocking injuries, which must have killed thorn outright. (Received April 21, 10.25 p.m.) Mr. Tait, Chief Commissioner of Railways/ interviewed, stated that all signals and points at Sunshine interlocked, and trains wero working on ■ * the block system. There appears to be no question that the signals were against the Bendigo train. This is shown to be a fact through tho points breaking when the train went over tho connections. Tho driver of the leading engine of the Beudigo train, Milburn, claims that when he saw tho distant signal at caution he applied tho brakes, intending to stop at tho homo signal if, on reaching it, •he found it standing at danger. Milburn also states that when the home signal was hot clear, lie applied the brakes, blit they failed .to' act, and the collision occurred. Shortly after the accident the brakes were tested, and disclosed ample breaking power, and the brakes were iu good order. Tlio guard of the Bendigo train states the brakes worked satisfactorily. ■Mr. Tait added that the night was clear and tho signals .were burning properly. As tlio Bendigo lino was straight for more than three miles west of Sunshine, and there were no obstructions, the enginoman of the approaching train should have had a clear view of the signals.

IDENTIFICATION OF BODIES DIFFICULT,,

BODIES SHOCKINGLY MUTILATED.

A PITIFUL SPECTACLE

United Press Association —Copyright (Received April 21, 9.25 p.m.) MELBOURNE, April 21. Little or no information as to the identity of the killed could be ascertained this morning, owing to ■ the great difficulty in identifying the bodies, which were almost inextricably mixed up in the wreck of' the shattered carriages. _ , Officials at Sunshine had to leave the work of identification to relatives when the first mortuary train arrived at Spencer-street. Meantime an army of cabs had arrived at the station, and waggons were drawn up in readiness. , , . Doctors, niirses, and ambulance men were waiting to render aid, and anxious friends were patiently standing in groups, all making a wend picture in the moonlight. ' The bodies, as they lay ranged round the walls of Spencer-street station, presented an awful spectacle. The majority were shockingly mutilatln tho course of identification, some heartrending scenes were witnessed. It was pitiful to see tlie grief-stricken relatives led away as their sad business was ended. As soon as identifications were completed, tho bodies were placed in coffins and removed for burial. In some eases the injuries were so terrible that the doctors had to administer morphia and strychnine before the iwftmds could bo dressed. The majority of cases were very serious, more than tho usual percentage consisting of fractured limbs, shattered hips, thigli3, injuries to spine, in addition to »the inevitable- shock. There were about 60 victims in tlio first relief train. Eight of them were dead. Tho second relief train brought 31 dead and 11 injured Very few sufferers were able to .be sent to their homes. One particulaily bad case \Vas a man who had a fractured thigh, and‘who had neatly bled to death. ' There were a great many fractured legs, arms, hips, thighs, and in some cases the eyes oi tho victims had been put out. there were many cases of spinal injury, and great deal of shock. The sights which met the gaze or anxious spectators as the first relict bomm to discharge its lreight was enou'di to touch the stoutest heart with their pathos and tragedy. A spectator suggested it was like a battlefield with its toll of victims. ■' first aid had been'rendered at Sunshine. Broken jimbs were jn splints, and briiisetl'-liends 111 bandages. Some of the victims were apparently unconscious ; some showed a livid pallor of death in their countenances; tne sflices of some - wove covered with blood, and here and there a "Oor broken head showed through an extemporised handkerchief bandage. Pathetic groans broke from the Ims ' of some of the worst as they weip lifted into stretchers, evidencing tpe l .i ■'intense pain they were enduring. X 1 (Received April. 22. 12.55 a.in.) it'i A corrected list makes the total killed 37. M