Railway Collision.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 376, 23 April 1908, Page 4

Railway Collision.

Crash Into Passenger Train. Trains Catch fire. Killed, 27; Injured, 100. Details of the Disaster. Heart-rending Scenes. Persona! Accounts and Experiences. Melbourne, April 21. The most dreadful railway collision in Victoria’s history occurred late last night near Braybrook Junction, where the Bendigo and Ballarat lines meet. A heavily laden passenger train from Bendigo crashed into a train which had just arrived from Ballarat. Twenty-seven were killed outright, and about 100 injured, _ The Bendigo train smashed into the Ballarat train with terrific force, the foremost carriages being smashed into matchwood. The wrecked trains immediately caught fire, adding to the horror. The line was strewn with wreckage, and dead and wounded passengers. Women shrieked, and the cries of the injured were heartrending. . , . , At half-past 11 o’clock a specia train left Melbourne with a medical camp equipment, ihe fire brigade also sent out detachments to Braybrook, which is about seven miles from town. The collision occurred a little before eleven o’clock. The Ballarat train was running a little late, and was just coming out of the statiou when the Bendigo train, which was drawn by two powerful engines, crashed into the rear of the moving Ballarat train, which was going so slowly that the force of the impact was not lessened to any considerable extent. The guard’s van of the Ballarat train was splintered to the next car, a second class carriage, was also smashed to atoms, and the next, which was a first-class car, was telescoped. Three cars which were so crowded with passengers that some of the people had to stand up in the compartments, took fire, and a horrible scene was witnessed, the dead and dying being imprisoned within the burning debris. They were practically roasted to death before they could be extricated. When .the relief train arrived, at a quarter past midnight, the platform was strewn . with dead and wounded, who were lying all over the place. The shrieks of the affrighted passengers when the trains collided, with the screams of women and children and the groans of strong men in agony, were so dreadful that the hardest nerves gave way under the awful strain. One raau who was lying groaning on the platform kept moaning, “ Shoot me ! Shoot me, tor God’s sake, and end my suffering !’ ’ Medical men were promptly on the spot, and rendered every assistance ; although, of course, it was impossible to deal promptly with so many people. A poor little boy, killed in the smash, was thrown about like a bit of limber by the impact; and a dozen almost equally heartrending scenes were witnessed. In the third of the shattered carriages was a party of nine. When the crash came, the carriage shot on to the top of one car, with another car piled on top of it. The top and bottom car caught fire, and the paity in the third car had a thrilling experience. The flames were licking through the floor of the temporary prison. With herculean 'effoits, four of the men managed to burst the door of the compartment and escaped. What became of the remaining five is unknown.

MISS white’s story. Miss White, who was dragged from the wreckage, says: “I had just got into the train from Ballarat, which was very late. Before it moved off I heard a whistle. A gentleman said, ‘ Is that Bendigo?’ Before there ■ could be any answer there was a terrific smash, and the Bendigo train dashed into our train. Women screamed and men shouted orders. I started to go along the wrecked carriages, but the sight of the killed and injured was too much for me. I collapsed on the platform. The scene was a terrible one, with the women screaming and moaning with pain, while others gathered round the wreck of the train, where a number of injured passengers were helping one another to bind up their wounds. There were a lot of children there whose cries as they looked for their parents were heartbreaking. To add to the horror of the scene, carriages caught fire. It looked as if a number of the wounded would be burned, but the flames were soon subdued. The most pitiful sight was the terror of a young mother in my carriage. She was nursing her baby when the smash came. The collision knocked the infant out of her arms. The baby fell into my lap and then on to the floor. The mother was almost distracted as she searched about the compartment for her baby. On finding it uninjured, she gave a great cry of joy, and fell fainting. A SCENE OF CARNAGE. Another passenger stated that a battlefield scene could not have been worse than the frightful scene of carnage in the big room of the Sunshine Harvester Works. This room, large as it was, would not hold all those who urgently needed attention. “ I saw a very large number of people horribly mutilated; indeed, it was the exception

to come across anyone who had not been injured in some form. A very large number of passengers were panic-stricken, and lost their heads. They added, by their wild rushes, to the terror of the tragedy; whilst several people were burned to death before any help could be rendered.”

SOME OT' THE KILLED AND INJURED,

It w r as 3.30 before the injured reached Melbourne. It is impossible yet to give a list of the killed ; but amongst those already identified are Alfred Illingson, Maria Dannoch, Amy Taffin, and Alice Baffin.

The seriously injured include Jessie Williams, Alex. Oliver, Rose . Acremau, Annie Maffin, Harold Peters, P. Oxlade, George Needham, Percy Walsh, W. Young, Wilfred Reynolds, J. Harty, Ethel Lynce,. G. Bosher, and 43 others less seriously hurt.

All the victims so far known are Victorians.

A medical man reports having caught a ghoul robbing a man who had been mangled badly, but in the absence of the police be could not detain him.

One child was disembowelled. A bride and bridegroom were on their honeymoon. The bride was killed and the husband was desperately injured. The Fire Brigade from the Harvester Works, close by, rendered splendid service, quickly extinguishing the fires. The Bendigo train was drawn by two engines, and was travelling at about fifteen miles an hour. The drivers and firemen escaped serious injury, but were bruised. None of the Bendigo passengers were injured. The driver declares that the signal showed a clear line.