ANOTHER FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 33, 20 December 1878, Page 3

ANOTHER FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

: ♦ : i Tnvercargill, 17th December, j The first of the oxpected series j of fatal accidents through cattle; straying on tho railway lines, conse* i quent on their unfenced condition, | unfortunately occurred on Saturday The locality of the accident was 52 miles from Invereai'gill, between Oteraia and Pukevau, and the time was about 4.15. in iho afternoon. The train concerned was Mr Proudfoot's (tho contractor), and consisted j of an engine and some trucks of baK | last, also carrying several workmen. ! It was going in tho direction of Glin- i ton, when just boforo reaching its '■ destination, soino cattlo wero soon on ! tho lino. Tho usual alarm was whis i tied. Suddenly one animal atteinp- i ted to cross tho lino ; tho steam was j instantly shut off. Tho brute, caught j by the cow-catchor, but unfortu- ' nateJy the apparatus did not per j form tho operation it was meant j for — that of throwing tho beast oft'j tho line— but over rode the auimilj the engino getting above it, ami ! going with the obstruction about two chains It then went off tho lino and j an along about thirty feet, ultim- | tely capsizing ovor a six feoi en- ! bankmeDt. The truck nearest the en- i gine turned completely over, partly | burying the engine, and tho two j next trucks topple J over on to tho j first, all the woodwork being smasher 1 . Mr Proudfoot'a carpenter, Joliii--Mainland, who was travelling in ih'i first truck, was under the inas3 of! wood, iron, and ballast, only a srna 11 portion of his legs being Icftprotrud- ■ dinfe. His death was instantaneous j John Hough, the engine-driver, was j thrown off tho engine, and his face was severely scalded ; ho also received a nasty shaking. Potor Oliver Wobb, tho firemun, almost miraculously escaped when the en gine wont over , the bank. Ho was thrown off and dragged a considerable distance, finally being bulled under a portion of the ballast which fell ou the do- j ceased tiaan. lie says ho uiusthuv

boon uu-oasiblo at the tim >. owiu-r to tho s.io i!c and siiiT»t-i ioi fr>m t!i-» natni') or tho stuff which envelope. i J hrn, Ijufi it is 1 k.-ly that ho ouu » t ••, t aiv.l, finding tho apeituro leaning L . under tho c.iweu'cher, minagi'd io t . csj ap-s Nearly two chains oi r&U t have boon displnml, an I tho rai « aiv twi.stal into all sorts of shapes , riw svorlcaen who were w.'t!i th-> {rain comniohcel to clo.ir t!ie track |. i-umolia'ely afcorw.-ud;, a^i-jU-d i»y : a gang brought from Gore specially ' j Uie passenjors from Dutwdin by tho up-train to Invorcargill wore .! transferred to a special train, reaching their destitia'b i two and a half hour* late. — Lost.