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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 8, Issue 445, 10 December 1866, Page 3

A Fatal Excussion to a Religious Meeting : —On tha morning of Thursday the 13th September, an excursion train left Porfcmadoo for the purpose of conveying to Carnarvon persons wishing to be present at a great religious gathering known as the Association. About 800 persons availed themselves of the opportunity. Between six and seven in the evening large numbers again assembled at" Pant, where tha temporary station • for Carnarvon is, and prepared for the returnjourney. Fortunately, several of those who had come in the morning did not arrive at the station in time, and at seven o’clock the train started without them. The train was driven by Mr John Savin, and nothing appears to have happened which could iu any way mar the pleasures of the company until they arrived near the GHandwyfach station. Within about 200 yards of this station there is a water-tank, and here the train was brought to a stand, at 10 minutes to eight, to supply the engine with wqter. This having been done, the train again proceeded very slowly, the engine being slowed for the points, which were placed about 100 yards off, the steam being turned off. Notwithstanding this precaution, shortly after the points had been passed the engine and tender got off the line and were upset, the tender being quite across the line, and the trucks immediately following were instantly thrown up. A shriek of indescribable agony escaped from the passengers, and five of their number were instantaneously ushered into eternity. As soon as possible means were used to render relief to those to whom it was of any use, and to find the bodies of those who bad lost their lives, the result being the discovery that three women and two men had been killed on the spot. As the excitement caused by the accident subsides, it becomes possible to obtain fuller and more accurate details of the circumstances attending it. The line between Carnarvon and Portmacloc, a distance of about 20 miles, is part of tha Cambrian system, and as only just been finished by the contractor, Mr Thomas Savin, and awaits the inspection of the Government official before being formally opened for passenger traffic. Yielding, however, to the repeated soiicitators of the people at Portmadoc and at other places along the line, Mr Savin unfortunately permitted the special excursion train to run to Carnarvon. There is little doubt that the disaster is immediately attributable to a temporary disarrangement of the points just outside this station where the accident occurred. It seems that when the engine and tender ran off the line the shock broke the coupling chain of the second carriage ; thus only the two first carriages followed the engine, and were smashed, the rest of the train keeping on the main line. Mrs Evans, one of the passengers in the second carriage, died on Sunday, this making the number of deaths six. In addition to the list already published, the names of several other persons who sustained injuries, more or less severe, have been ascertained, but the total number does not exceed ten. Caution to Lotebs as TJndebdone Mutton. —The Tarrengower Times thus records another death from hydatids!—“We regret very much to learn that Mr Chambers, late of Chambers and Stow died at Carisbrook on Thursday Bth instant. His disease was a fearful one, called, we think, cyst on the liver. It is occasioned by the gathering together of a crowd of insects, which form a ball or tumour. The insect is imported into the system through the patient eating partly cooked unhealthy mutton. Drs Southee and Laidman attended the unfortunate gentleman and stated that had the deceased been attended to in time, an operation might have saved him; but it was too late.”

An Independent Paddy. —The Hartford (TJ.S.) Press tells a story of a recent accident on the Sew Loudon Railroad, An intoxicated Irishman was sitting on the track when an engine tossed him down an embankment. The conductor backed his train to pick up the dead body. The victim was found alive, however, only somewhat bruised, and taken to Norwich. Here the condutclor kindly offered to send the man to his home, a few miles away, in a hack } but he insisted on his ability to walk, and refused to be sent homo. The conductor pressed the matter, when the Milesian, who had stood the butting of the cow-catcher so well, bristled up with “Go away with your fcerridge. I’U go homo by myself j and if I’ve done any damage to yer buld ingino, bedad I’U pay it on the spot,” N

Th* Roman correspondent of the ‘Pall Mall Gazette ’ states that the Pope has lately transmit ted Considerable sums to foreign banks, and has despatched Monsiguor MicaleiF to Malta, to make a report on the rapabilities of Valstta. Monsignor Mioalcff, was formerly Bishop of Malt*