1 KILLED, 9 HURT when Rail-Car is Derailed

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 3, 19 January 1937, Page 7

1 KILLED, 9 HURT when Rail-Car is Derailed

-Press AsaociatioH.)

HOKITIKA SMASH Passengers Thrown About LikeNinepins CARRIAGE WRECKED

(By Telegraph-

HOKITIKA, Jan. 18. The rail-car that left Hokitika at 2.25 p,m. left the rails at Arahura at the Stafford crossing, smashing to pieces. There was a full load of passengers. William Jeffries, auctioneer, was killed and nine others injured somewhat aeriously. The glassware of the car caused Kany -of the outfl and other injuries. The list of casualties available is— ' KILLED WILLIAM JEFFRIES, auctioneer, Hokitika. INJHRED JAMES PHIBBg, assistant xailcar driver, Greymouth, both knees bruised and injury to left foot. WILLIAM HANNAH, carpenter, Blaketown, injured ara and strained back. JOHN THOMPSON", driver, Kennedy's bus, Greymouth, bad sealp wound eight inehes longj ara injury and shock, J. A. GUY, 38 High Street, Greymouth; broken thigh. WILLIAM D. MACKAY, truant officer, Hokitika, head injuries, abrasions and shock (under X-ray at preoent). MRS MACKAY, (his wife), bruises and cuts, not serious. .PERCY EVANS,. of Greymouth, driver of the car, Cuts on thigh and face. POETER WRIGHT, acting guard, slight injuries, including cuts. MRS JEFFRIES, fracture of wrist and bruises on ara and leg. Of three Sisters of - Mercy aboard, two wero froni Christchurch. One, Sister Madeline, suffered broken ribs. The others are suffering from shock, but will go out of hospital to-jnorrow. The other passengers escaped with slight injury irom glass and some are iuffering from shock. The cause of the accident apparently was a stone on a crossing whieh lifted a wheel over the rail, the front portion careering along one and a half ehains before the tear wheels swung the car over. It was a miracle that all aboard were not killed. Mr Jeffries was born at Reefton in 1872. He leaves a widow, four brothers and two sisters. He was the proprietor ef the auctioneering firm of Messrs W. Jeffries and C©., a member of the West1an3 County Conncil and a well-known eitizen. Rail-Car RM 78 was bnilt at the Hutt workshops and had been running about three months. The rail-car was proeeeding at from 25 to 30 miles an hour. Approaching the Flowery Creek level •rossing, near Arahura, it slowed down, ttade the crossing and then veered off the rails fdr 50 yards, capsized twice and faced the opposite direction. When it came to a standstill it was smashed almost to splinters, wood being thrown some yards away. % There were 19 passengers, the driver, guard and another driver, Mr Phibbs, who was learning the run before taking over. Thc car was divided into two com--partments, eight single seats in front and three long seats in the baek portion, which was used in the morninga to ttanSport papers from Christchurch. Oidy three passengers on the back teats were injured. Mr Jeffries, whose death occurred on admission to hospital, was sitting in the second row of the front seats. He had no visible maTks of injuries, but appeared in a bad way. The passengers uninjured included Plunket Nurse Gee, of Greymouth, who Tendered valuable assistance. There was no panic among the passengers, who were cairn and quiet throughout. They wefe thrown about like ninepins in the smash. . There were several remarkable escapes. Mr "George Eeed, Tacing starter, had a seat across his throat on the gipund, but struggled clear. Another narrow escape was that of Mr GCOrge Laing, employed by the Transpott Department, Wellington. Mr C. OBaker, of Christchurch, also escaped. The rail-car is a complete wreck.