Main Trunk Express.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 353, 19 April 1911, Page 5

Main Trunk Express.

I NARROW ESCAPE FROM DISASj TER. CARETAKER'S PLUCKY ACTION l_[iv TK'.r'.KA'.'it.—Pius-; ci.-xj; f.rrinx.j Wellington, This Day. The Auckland Main Trunk express, which had the Governor aboard, narrowly escaped a serious accident shortly before reaching Westfield. A passenger train had been shunted on the side line, waiting for the express to pass,when on the engine leaving the carriages, it commenced to go down the incline towards the oncoming express. There were two passengers in the runaway. The attention of R. Claude, caretaker of the Westfield saleyarcis, was attracted by the blowing of the engines whistle. Claude ran to the line and found the runaway just passed. He ran after it and succeeded in jumping on the rear carriage and applying the Westinghouse brake, with the manipulaion of which he was fortunately familiar, the train being brought up. Claude ran ahead and waved a light in front of the oncoming express and succeeded in stopping it, some three chains away. Lord Islington's carriage was I next to the engine. j Later. When Claude caught sight of the runaway train it was a hundred yards { away, and the express one and a half { miles distant. Both were travelling \ down the decline, the express at 20 miles an hour and the runaway at eight mies an hour. Claude jumped on the runaway, and applied the Westinghouse brake, waived a red light to the express and informed the two passengers of their danger. When the express pulled up she was within two yards of the runaway. Even if the driver of the express had seen the danger earlier, he could not have averted a collision. The Hon. Carroll, the Governor and the Hon. George M.L.C., headed the subscriptions to the fund to recognise Claude's services. It is intended to recommend the Government to do something subtanf.ial in that direction.