THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 892, 4 May 1877, Page 3

THE RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Inquest. An inquest was held yesterday at the hospital before J. W. S. Coward, Esq., coroner, on the body of Richard Drury, engine driver, Avho met his death by being struck with a splinter at the Racecourse crossing the night previous. Mr A. Makeig was chosen foreman of the jury, and after the body had been viewed, evidence was taken, the most important portion being as follows : D. M. Owen —I am outdoor inspector of traffic on the railway. I was on the engine driven by deceased yesterday evening. We left the Rakaia about 8.50 p.m. Deceased was sober. When we got near the Racecourse crossing we saw that the gates were closed over the line, and he tried to pull up his train. We broke through the gates. Just within a few yards of the gates deceased knelt down, as I suppose, to prevent any of the splinters catching him, and he turned his head sideways to look at the gates a little beyond the edge of the tender. I stood beside him. The next thing I heard was the crash of the gates breaking, and as wo went through I saw deceased all of a heap on the footplate. Part of a splinter of the gate was on top of him and part between his legs. The fireman called to me “ My God, Dick’s killed.” Deceased was falling oft' the engine. I kicked the splinter off (it was about a yard long) and caught hold of him and lifted him up with the assistance of th« fireman. Deceased was quite dead. We could not feel his pulse nor detect any beat of the heart. We pulled up the train, uncoupled the engine, and brought deceased on to Addington, put him into a cab, and sent him to the hospital. The gatekeeper knew that the train was coming and should have had the gate open to allow it to pass. The driver kept whistling until he saw it was too late. He commenced to whistle full half a mile before we got to the gates. The train was going at about the rate of ten miles an hour, and there were forty loaded waggons of grain. There was no light at the gate. A white light shows that the gates are clear for the train to go through, and there being no light should have been a reason for stopping. There was ample time for the gate keeper to have opened the gates if he heard the whistle as soon as it was blown. The driver was not under my control, except as to what station he was to stop at, or what to do with the load. The accident happened about 45 minutes past 10 o’clock last night. The train was coming from the Rakaia to Christchurch. The engine had the tender in front of it instead of behind. It went up to the Rakaia the same afternoon, with the tender in its usual place behind the engine. Between the tank and the engine there is a sort of verandah, partly covered over. There are two windows on the engine for the driver and fireman to look out of if they are on the footplate of the engine. If the engine had been going in the usual way I cannot say whether the driver would have been protected from splinters better than the position he was in at the time. There is no turn-table at the Rakaia, nor a loop line, consequently a return train must come down the reverse way. I don’t know whether the train which preceded our train had two tail lights. Such lights indicate that a special unadvised train is following. Our train was a pilot train. All other gatekeepers and station-masters, but the Racecourse gatekeeper, where on duty when we passed, knowing that we were returning. When they saw the pilot engine go up in the afternoon they were on the look out for her return. It was their duty to remain until she came back, if they Avaltcd all night. The pilot train is known by the guard, Avho is known as the pilot guard. I produce a notice given to the gitekeeper of the Racecourse crossing thal a pilot train Avould leave Christchurch at

4 p.m. on the 2nd May, and return at an uncertain time, the notice is signed by the said gatekeeper. The notice referred to a trip which the pilot train made at 4 a.m. returning at 10 a.m. The accident happened on a second trip that day, of which no written notice had been given. It is not customary to give notice of the pilot train if she goes up country in tire day time. The pilot train passed the Racecourse, going South, between 2 and 3 p.m. on the 2nd May. Deceased made the remark as we passed the railway gates, where the accident happened, “ There is no light there.” I do not know whether the gatekeeper was there or not when the accident took place. I am positive that the South line trains have only burst through the gates once during the List six months. Had the engine been going in the ordinary way the deceased need not have had any necessity to kneel down to protect himself from splinters. The pilot train is well known by lamps on the sides of the van, and the word “Pilot ” is written on the van.

The evidence of G-eorge Sterling, fireman, was corroborative of that given by the previous witness. He also stated that had the engine being going the right way deceased could have looked through the glazed holes at the lights. When the accident happened deceased was crouched down behind the tender for protection. The whistle had been blown about a mile from the Racecourse platform, but was not continuously blown. In the evidence given by Charles Heaton, guard of the train, he stated he had been told that about three weeks ago the gates at the same crossing had been forced through by a train.

Mr J. Lawson, traffic manager, produced a copy of instructions to gatekeepers and station masters, when a special train is arranged for. A gatekeeper receiving such a notice would be expected to look out for the train as often as it might pass during the day, and even to wait up for it through the night if it did not return before.

George Morse, gatekeeper at the Racecourse crossing, admitted receiving a notice of a goods train going to the Rakaia in the morning, and he had seen it go up and return. He saw the train pass through the gates again to the Rakaia, and took it to be a goods train, which would return before the ordinary train from the Ashburton; but he noticed that it did not. When the ordinary train did pass he looked for an additional tail light, which would have told him that a goods train would return, but as there was only one tail light on the train he thought the goods train woidd not return that night. Ho went to bed about nine o’clock. He was awoke by the whistle, and got up, but the train passed through the gates when lie had got about six yards from his door. Had never known a goods train pass without the previous ordinary train having two tail lights at night time. Had been gatekeeper for two years. These were the only witnesses examined, and after consideration the jury returned a verdict of “ Accidental death,” adding as a rider “ That the printed instructions, Ho. 17, should be strictly carried out; that no regulations which are simply supposed to be understood should be considered binding on signalmen ; and that it is thought advisable that a danger lamp should (be shown on each gate across the line every night, and for the whole night.”