Sailors Caught in Lyttelton Tunnel

Grey River Argus, 22 September 1948, Page 3

Sailors Caught in Lyttelton Tunnel

CHRISTCHURCH, Sept 21.

Surprised by the Lyttelton boat train —which was running latethundering along the single track line, three sailors who were- walking through the Christchurch-Lyiteiton tunnel last night, set fire to a newspaper, stopping the train. .Because of the power failure, the train was being pushed through the. tunnel oy a steam engine and the electric umi at the head of the train was without a light, stated Chhristchurch railway officials to-day.

Men Fined for Walking in Tunnel. -

P.A. CHRISTCHURCH, Sept. 21. The men who walked through Lyttelton tunnel, stopping a train, delayed the restoration of the Lyttelton service by steam engines for twenty minutes. '

The men were fined 10s each for trespassing in the tunnel in the Magistrate’s Court at Lyttelton to-day. The men were: Henry. Carson, ninth engineer of the overseas ship “Huntingdon,” and Derek Earle and Peter Rawlings Caben, seamen of the same ship. They were on one of the trains held up by’ the breakdown, and as one of them was due to go on duty aboard the ship, they decided to walk through the tunnel from Heathcote, to Lyttelton. The men pleaded guilty to trespassing, and the circumstances were explained to the Court by Senior-Ser-geant F. Hayhurst.