THE LATE COACH ACCIDENT,

Kumara Times, Issue 2825, 21 October 1885, Page 2

THE LATE COACH ACCIDENT,

Mr T. Tally writes to the editor of the West Coast Times as follows : " Sir—l wish to correct the report of the coach accident which appears in the Kumara Times of the 19th inst., because whoever reported it has somewhat exaggerated the facta of the case ; and, as I was sitting on the box seat, and pulled up the horses myself, permit me therefore to state what really occurred. The engine referred to was stationary at the railway crossing ac Arahura, the men in charge being employed in putting water in the boiler; consequently there was no escape of steam as reported, but the leaders, on approaching the locomotive, shied ; they were, however, immediately checked by Morse, the driver. The polers theu shied, and took the coach slightly over the slope of the road, and there being altogether four persons on the box seat, Morse, was forced from his position and thrown on the road, losing the reins at the same time. The horses, however, never bolted at all, but kept along the road at their ordinary pace. I then got my foot on the brake, and Mr Turnbull, who was on the road, picked up the reins and threw them at me, by which means I succeeded in stopping the coach in ordinary way. I deny that any other person was thrown from his seat on the box, but the driver, who was absolutely forced off. The report of there being two girls thrown down is also incorrect, and I am fully satisfied that had Mr Russell kept his seat, as others in the coach did, no injury would have befallen him or anybody else, in fact it was an ordinary shying of horses without any particular danger, for there was no commotion, other than caused by the loss of the reins, an.l the harness j was intact in every respect. 1 can only regret that such exaggerated statements should get published. Apologising for thus troubling you,—l am, &c, T. Tully."

We have merely to state, in reply, that our informant was Sergeant Russell himself, who asserts that the paragraph as written was substantially correct; and that the danger was even greater than reported. It is difficult to understand how Mr Tully, who was sitting on the box, should know better than Sergeant Russell who was or was not inside the coach at the time of the accident. We attached no blame to Mr Morse, the driver j the affair, we know, was purely accidental. We merely related the circumstance without without reflecting upon any one. It does not follow because the drivers of the locomotive were watering? the boiler that no steam was escaping from the engine; and it is immaterial whether the horses shied at the steam or the engine. The fact still remains that the reins were accidentally lost, the horses for a time not under control, and all the passengers had a very narrow escape. It is a severe loss to Sergeant Russell; and we hope the publication of the facts of the accident, which we notice has been suppressed by the Hokitika papers, will prove as a word of caution to drivers of vehicles and engines and those having charge of the railway works in the future, for whose benefit publicity to the affair was disinterestedly given by us.