Railway Accident.

Manawatu Herald, 1 December 1898, Page 2

Railway Accident.

An accident occurred to the mixed passenger and goods train which left the Wellington Station at 4.30 yesterday afternoon. It was rounding the curve which sweeps along the sea beach about two miles from Petone, W. when the axle of one of the trucks, " constituted the first half of the train, broke. One of the wheels was swung under the train, with the result that several trucks were derailed and were eventually thrown with their contents — groceries, galvanised iron, chaft, beer, corn, etc. — down a concrete embankment on to the sand below. The train was travelling at a fast speed at the time, and as the driver did not at first notice the accident, it proceeded a quarter of a mile before being pulled up. The carriages remained on the line and were not Ih damaged. Some of the passengers were a little shaken, but no one was

hurt. A large crowd soon assembled at the scene of the accident, many of them driving and cycling out from the city to view the wreck. Mr Peterkin, Locomotive Inspector, and a staff of men from tne Petone workshops were quickly on the spot, and within two bouts the line was restored for traffic — a smart performance. The only delay caused was to the Napier-Wel-lington mail train, which had to remain at the Petone station for twenty minutes.