THE RAILWAY DISASTER.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 673, 30 May 1914, Page 5

THE RAILWAY DISASTER.

CAUSE OF COLLISION. DEFECTIVE SIGNALS. The cause of the railway disaster at Whangamarino has been widely discussed, and various theories have been advanced as to how the collision could have occurred. It is now Btated that the signal which 3hould have shown the danger light to the driver of the express was showing a clear line, notwithstanding that the lever was in such a portion that a red light should have been showing. THE MOSS VALE SMASH. The reason ascribsd for the Whangamarino smash is similar to that raised on the occasion of th 9 collision at Exeter, near Moss Vale, N.S.W., in March last, when the Temora mail ran into a goods train, with shocking loss of life. It was then asserted that climatic conditions had affected the signals, and that the smash was caused in that way. DEARTMENTAL INQUIRY.

The Railway Department has decided to leave the usual departmental inquiry until after the inquest on the I victims of the disaster. Mr C. A. Piper, Traffic; Superintendent of the North Island, will represent the Department at tha inquest. Mr M. I. Mack, General Secretary of the Amalgamated Society of Railwaymen, leaves for Frankton, to represent Borne of the railway men concerned in the accident. The Minister for Railways states that it may not be necessary to hold a public inquiry other than the inquest, but this point will be decided after the inquest. COMPLAINTS OF DELAY. The statement has bedn made that the Railway Department was at fault in not bringing doctors and relief to the scene of the accident with greater expedition. When the traffic manager, Mr Bowles, was seen in regard to this matter he said that it had to be remembered that there was no doctor at either Whangamarino or Mercer, and that medical assistance had to be procured from Pukekohe, Taukau, and Huntly. The first relief train waa dispatched from Mercer as soon as it was possible, and the second, which went right through from Auckland, left at 7 20 with the Railway Department doc- I tors on board. So far aa he knew, j there was no reason for complaint. INQUEST OPENED.

The inquest on the bodies of the victims of the accident was opened at Auckland on Thursday, before Mr F. V. Fraser, S.M. After evidence as to identification and the evidence of Dr Wake as to the cause of death, the inquiry .was adjourned till June 10th. Dr Wake stated in his opinion the cause of the death of Mr Orton Stevens was suffocation, caused by pressure on the chest, which apparently prevented respiration. Th?re was probably a fracture of the skull, but that was not the immediate cause of death. The condition of the chest evidenced some serioua interferense with respiration. Witness also aaid that he examined the body of Peterson. In his case the external injuries were not sufficient to account for death, and by instructions from the coroner, witness conducted a post-mortem examination at the morgue. There was bruising on the right and left sides of the chest, and considerable bruising on the lower part of the abdomen, the skin being broken. Extensive abrasions existed on the right thigh and knee; blood was oozing from the left nostril; there waa a wound on the right side of the scalp; and minor abrasion 3 were found on the feet, left hand and arm, and right forearm. Internal injuries consisted of fractures of the sixth and seventh ribs on both "ides, and bruising on the right side of the head, involving the scalp. There was no fracture of the skull, and no internal hemorrhage of the brain. The cause of death appeared to be concussion and shock.

GRIMSTONE'S FATAL INJURIES. Witness further deposed that he also saw George Grimstone. He was alive, having been made comfortable on a seat in a second-lass carriage. As he was suffering from internal injuries, and no further relief could be given on the spot, witnssa administered a sedative and ordered his removal to the Hamilton Hospital., where death subsequently oeurred. This morning witness conducted a post-mortem examination on the body of Grimstone. There was extensive bruising of the left thigh, bruising on the front of the left hip, and slight scars in front of the chest. No ' bruises existed about the head, internal injuries were a fracture of the pelvis, hemorrhage into and from the bladder, also a rupture of the urethra. The shock caused byjthe fracture of the pelvis had, in the opinion of the witness, resulted in death. In the case of all three bodies the injuries were of the nature of those which might be caused in a railway collision. QUESTION OF 1 DISPATCH. The Coroner: I notice that there has been some suggestion that the removl of the injured men to the hospital was not carried out with full despatch. In the case of Grimstone, would it in your opinion have made any difference if he had been got to the hospital more quickly? Witness: Even if Grimstone had been taken to the hospital earlier, it is unlikely that his life would have been prolonged. In reply to Chief Detective McMahon, witness expressed the opinion that prior to the accident all three deceased were healthy men.