AMERICAN ITEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 December 1923, Page 3

AMERICAN ITEMS.

TRAIN SMASH. (“Sydney Sun” Cables). (Ileeeived t.his day at 12 noon). NEW AN ill K. December 11. Ten jiersons were killed in a .sensHiionrl wreck of the Twentieth Century T.imited. near Buffalo, before daylight. The iiist -(i ti'.n of America’s gu-ate-t train wa, sj:eeding westwards at sixty miles hourly, when the driver saw on automobile across the Dark ahead. The- chauffeur Icaj.t out un<! Wa- nut seen again. The train eiasheT into the motor ear. which derailed tite locomotive. Ihe so ond sect ion of tin.: Twentieth ( en l ui y Wits sm-ee--ITilly halted hall a mile back. The third section of the Gam. however, took no notice of the < autiun signal two miles back, and w hen it reached the position half a mile behind the second Gain, spurned a positive stop signal. In face ol this the engineer, notu itii-t Hiding all the |,recant ions, crushed into the rear coach e.t the second section, killing neatly all the slcejiing j assengei-s. .lolm .Patterson. the engineer, admits he saw the

s-gnals and cannot explain why he disregarded them. He had been on this run twenty-five years and never before had a serious accident.