MOTOR AND TRAIN

Hokitika Guardian, 17 July 1925, Page 4

MOTOR AND TRAIN

WAITAKI BRIDGE INCIDENT.

WELLINGTON. July M

In the House of Representatives today, the- Minister of Railways made the following .statement in regard to the question asked by Mr J. Kitchener in connexion with the reported narrow escape of Mr JO. J . Meredith on the Waitaki bridge on July 2nd. l!)2b. On the date referred to, a Dost and Telegraph repair gang was working between Glemivy and Waitaki bridge, and a contact occurred with the Mot so wire and those of! the Dost and Telegraph Department, as a result ol which the telephone worked intermittently. The usual advice could therefore tint he sent to the bridge-keepers or trom Glenavy to Morven to the bridgekeepers. Glemivy endeavoured to give the signal to Die bridge-keepers that tin' express train had lelt Morven. hut owing to the wires being in contact no acknowledgement could he obtained. The porter tit the south end admitted Mr Meredith’s car to the bridge as he concluded that the express train was running late as the usual telephonic advice had not been received. When the motor-ear approached the south end of the bridge between 12.00 and 12.J0 p.m.. the porter looked across the bridge and not iced the north end signal at danger. He could see no sign of tile train approaching Glenavy, and lie could not cmmnunieat.e with the hridgekeeper at the north end or with Glemivy. he judged it was safe to admit the car. As soon as the ear entered upon the bridge, the porter closed the gates and again tried' the telephone. and managed to gain the attention of the north end keeper, who asked if till was clear, to which the south end porter replied that he had admitted the ear and closed the gale. Thereafter he noticed the express in the vicinity of Glenavy. hut by tael time the ear was almost, clear ol Hie bridge. The north end bridge-keeper was advised from the south end that the ear bad been admitted, and seeing it some distance across the bridge be stepped across Die line and stood by lus home signal which be kept at tlanegr until the ear was clear. He t -ten put the signal at (bar and tbo bam passed on to Die bridge. Tbe engine-driver of Die express states, that just after Die train bad passed Glenavy bis liroman called out Dial there was a car on the bridge, and noticing the lmme signal at the bridge dancer lie shunt olf steam and reduced speed. lie was waldlilig the signal and the ear all the time, and when the latter cleared Die bridge lie was prepared for the signal lo be lowered, which it, was. He then resumed the usual speed, and when Dm home signal was reached, the hmlgekeeuer was dosing the gat< s alter toweling the signal, and Dm motor-car was then quite one hundred yards di.-tim on the road towards Gle.utvy. lieexpress was not char ol the culling when the signal was lowered by br bridge-keeper, and Dm eiigmc-dnv e. estimated that the tram would m " hundred wards distant at Die Hum Dm oar cleared the bridge. He was quit" prepared to stop before reaching • •"> s j..,ial had it not been lowered.