TRAVELLERS SCARED

Hokitika Guardian, 22 February 1921, Page 4

TRAVELLERS SCARED

SENSATIONAL AFFAIR IN NORTH ISLAND. WELLINGTON, Feb. 18. Passengers by tTie express which left Auckland for Wellington at mid-day on Wednesday had a disconcerting thrill at Hunterville yesterday morning. Just as their'train, the south-bound main trunk drew into the platform at Hunterville, the north-bound express dashed by at hull speed on the metals that the other train had left but a few moments before. Passengers on the stationary train were astonished to see' the other express whizz past, but they thought no mere about it until the train had waited at Hunterville about an hour, and some of them alighted to make enquiries. They asked one of the men on the engine the cause of the delay and he replied: “Don’t bother about bow long you have to stay Here. Be thankful you are alive, for I am.” ft was further stated that the up express had missed the tablet at Hunterville, having passed through at express speed, and had not left tho tablet for the down express. That indeed was the cause of the delay, as the train could not proceed without it. The station authorities at Hunterville had telephoned to Mangaonohe, and the down express had to wait till the tablet was. brought back to Mangaonoko. , Each express could have been travelling at '35 to 40 miles an hour, and bad a collision occurred there would have been a heavy death roll.

One of the passengers from Auckland said: “There were only two racehorses in the loosebox between U 6 and the engine, and with a head-on collision at such a speed all in our carriage would have been dead men. The passengers were considerably shaken when they realised what a very, narrow escape they had lmd.” He had boon told that it was notorious that railwayman had to work unreasonably long hours, and that the only wonder was that accidents did not occur more often.

The general manager of the railways being away in the South Island, a “Times” reporter, Mr 0. Macdonald “'rimes” reporter interviewed the assistant manager, Mr ( ! ). Macdonald. On being told the passengers’ story Mr Macdonald said 1 : “We know that there was some misunderstanding up there, hut T don’t think it was quite as close as that. I don’t think there was any occasion for much alarm, not according to the information we have had.” “The passengers were very much’alarmed,” said the pressman. •‘Very likely,” added Mr Macdonald, “there was some misunderstanding on tho part of the driver of the up express, but I don’t think it was so narrow as all that. There will, however, bo an enquiry, and the officers of the Department are going up to-morrow to inquire into the affair.”