NARROW ESCAPE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 December 1924, Page 5

NARROW ESCAPE

TRAIN DASHES INTO SLIP

ENGINE DERAILED. ON BRINK OF DISASTER. (by TELEGIIAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, Dec. 19. The engine of a goods train at Paekakariki has a narrow escape as a result of heavy rain, which caused' a slip on the side of the hill, and a large quantity of earth and clay covered the railway line. The train was coming on warily, but as the slip was just round the corner it could not be pulled up in time. '

The engine 'dashed into the slip. The driver, Southail, and the fireman, wl.o received slight injuries, acted with commendable promptitude. The speed of the engine was lessened, the engine being cast.over,on its side. The track just here-is carved out of a cliff on the seaside. There is a drop of 750 feet on a narrow ledge between the rails and the precipitous slope, but the engine held.

The New Plymouth mail train did not arrive until ten minutes to eleven last night- owing to the accident which occurred to a goods train at Paekakariki.

A passenger from the West Coast, who arrived by the mail, said that the New Plymouth and Napier trains from Wellington did not leave there until late. They finally steamed out as a combined train. On reaching the scene of the mishap the train had to- lie stopped in the tunnel and the •, passengers, of whom there were some'hundreds, had to file through the carriages to connect with a relief train. WASH-OUT ON THE NAPIER LINE, TRAIN SERVICE DISORGANISED. NAPIER, Dec. 19. As the result of heavy rain in Southern Hawke’s Bay, a wash-out on the railway line about two miles north of Matamau lias disorganised traffic, borne telephone wires being down makes communication with the men at the scene of the trouble difficult. Consequently details -are meagre. Apparently the wash-out started last night, hut the line was made safe by use of tressels until further erosion took place. All trains got through except the noon train. The Napier mail trains were both halted at the scene of the wash-out. Later reports indidate that something in the nature of a cloudburst near Norsewood caused the water in the culvert to overflow and undermine rails for a distance of 19!) yards Passengers north and south were trans ferred across the wash-out and those tor Napier are due liereiat two o’clock m the morning. Th e mail train is expected to get through to-morrow.