FIREMAN OF Mi COMPLAINS OF LONG HOURS

Grey River Argus, 8 April 1948, Page 3

FIREMAN OF Mi COMPLAINS OF LONG HOURS

Evidence on Sadden Rail Smash P.A. BLENHEIM, April 7. The driver of the South Island Main Trunk express, which was derailed near Seddon on February 25, had been on duty for about eight hours when he and the fireman took over the express at Tuamarina, for the run back to Kaikoura. Up to, that stage, they had had a break of only ten to fifteen minutes, and , would have had no further spell until they had reached Kaikoura. These statements were given in evidence to-day at the Board of Inquiry by the fireman, Edward Donald Blackburn, who agreed, under crossexamination, that the driver taking over an express in these circumstances would have some degree of fatigue. Continuing his evidence after the luncheon adjournment, Blackburn said that the Kaikoura firemen and drivers, when lie first arrived, had arranged a 40-hour week, but afterwards the hours became longer. With overtime, the average was later 50 to 60 hours weekly, and that was the position at the time of the derailment. The witness said he could not recall having been on a goods train with a driver of so little experience as Driver Gurr, and certainly he had never been on a passenger train with a driver of so little experience. To Mr Cunningham, the witness explained that he was unaware of ail the trains Gurr had run. What he meant about. Gurr’s experience related to' his length of service. BRAKES IN ORDER Albert Mathias Imbs, train examiner, of Kaikoura, said that, to h’s knowledge, all bracks on stock 104 were in order when he examined them at Kaikoura on February 23. He bad received no complaints about brakes over the past year or so. Frederick John Shadbolt, engine driver, of Picton, said that he had been over Jhe curve where the crash occurred, about 5 a.m. on February 25. It was then in satisfactory order. Asked about the hours of work, the witness said that there were long shifts of up to twelve hours at Picton. Witness would not like to lake a passenger' train over the route without prior knowledge of it. SCHEDULE TOO TOUGH Asked about 104 X’s timetable, witness said he had personally represented to train control and the stationmaster at Blenheim that , the schedule was too tough. The timetables were still the same, however. After the accident, witness took some of the cars of 104 to Wharanui with a W.F. engine, and he bad had trouble with the braking. Another engine driver stationed at Ficton, Benjamin Rhodes, said he had driven the engine of the crashed train on February 19 when it was in good running order. “MIGHT HAVE BEEN FAIRLY FAST” BLENHEIM, April 7. Evidence was given by the fireman. Edward Donald Blackburn, and the assistant-guard, Leslie Richard Horace Goodson, when the Seddon rail smash inquiry was resumed today. Goodson said he joined the tram at Blenheim. He thought the driver had handled the train well to Seddon. Thereafter to the scene of tne crash the run “might have been fairly fast,” but he could recall nothing that gave any cause for alarm. In evidence, Blackburn said he had been with Gurr on February 10, when the 937 was on the run up to Blenheim, and the 10S back. Gurr had handled these trains very well and the same could be said for the trips south of Kaikoura. Witness said that on February 25 he and Gurr were booked to run a goods train till it crossed with the 104. There had been a lot of hard shunting before they got away and t.hev had not left lill after 5 a.m. When Gurr had come on duty at 2 a.m., said Blackburn, he appeared to be in his usual health. Gurr was definitely .-i man of sober habits. Witness said that, until they go; to the “up-homo” signal at Blenheim ne thought the train’s speed would be about 45 m.p.h. The run to Seddon was normal.

SHEET OF FLAME In his evidence the fireman, Blackburn, said: “I remember my elbow hitting the side of the cutting. After that, everything seemed to happen at once. The engine seemed to stop nearly dead. There was a sheet of flame and a cloud of steam and it seemed to get particularly dark. “I remembe r seeing what seemed to be like arms and legs coming out of the air and passing over me—the whole thing at first seemed like a nightmare.” To Mr Cunningham, witness said he thought the arms and legs belonged to Gurr. It had seemed an ordinary application of the brakes, it was certainly not an emergency one. Witness said he had noticed nothing unusual in, the train’s speed at Seddon. Gurr had mentioned that th 9 train was six minutes late. . “But we considered we were doing all right up to that point,” the fireman said. Between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m. thev had bad no refreshments and no wreak off duty. He had a cup of tea at Blenheim, which had passed for breakfast and lunch. The break at Blenheim lasted from-10 to 15 minutes. When the express was taken over Gurr had been on duty eight hours, except for 10 minutes. The next break would have been at Kaikoura after had had put the engine away. That would have been about two o’clock in the afternoon. _ Blackburn agreed that ho found himself tired after an eight-hour shift. There would be a little strain in driving an engine and some nhysical effort was involved. The drivers brought their own lunches and what a driver had to eat depended on what he brought.