ONGARUE SMASH INQUIRY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2609, 21 July 1923, Page 3

ONGARUE SMASH INQUIRY.

EVIDENCE OF OFFICIALS.

SECTION CONSIDERED ONE OF THE SAFEST.

■ Taumarunui, July 19. The Commission appointed to enquire -into the Main Trunk railway disaster opened its sitting here to ■ day, after adjourning from Wellington. Mr W.’O. Riddell, S.M., is chairman of the Commission. The first witness was Thomas Mahoney, police constable, stationed at'~’Ongaruei - He described how he saw the express train pass through Ongarac about 5.45 on the day of the accident at a fairly slow rate. Witness first heard that a fatal accident had occurred about seven o’clock, and at once proceeded to the scene of the accident, and said there was nothing to complain about concerning the treatment of the dead. There-were sufficient tools forgetting the injured and dead out. It was not tine that civilian's were allowed to search for the dead. Detectives Walsh and Revell took papers for identification purposes from the dead. To Mr Marchbanks: Witness said the train was travelling at about 20 to 25 miles an hour. He had seen the express on occasions travelling at about 40 miles an hour.

Charles W, Turner, ganger at Ongarue, deposed that the section of the line on which the accident occurred was under his supervision and he had to inspect this section once every day. Witness inspected Jhe line on the day prior to the accident and passed the spot where the slip occurred four times. The line seemed.to be in good order, and there was no more water than usual. Witness instructed his‘leading man to inspect the line on the day of the accident. Witness had not seen anything in this particular cutting which required special attention. There was a small slip on the cutting last October but there had been very little trouble on this section of the line. Witness saw the express on the morning of the accident and it seemed to be going very steadily. In describing the scene of the accident, witness said the smoke-box of the engine was off and there was mud on the lamp. The engine would have got through the slip but fhr the boulder, which weighed about a ton. Witness did not hear any complaints as to insufficient tools or ambulance appliances. To Mr Riddell: He would go out at night if a slip was threatening. To Mr. Marchbanks: He made his inspection"during the day and had never had any occasion to walk over that length at night. To Mr Sterling: Witness had no occasion to go out on the night of the accident. The weather had* cleared and it was a clear, frosty night. . David A. Robb, inspector of permanent ways stationed at Ohaknne, said he had inspected the length where the accident occurred every week. That was the general custom. He regarded this section of the line as one of the safest. To Mr Marchbanks: On this section of the line he did not consider it necessary to go out at night. Joseph Blacker stated that he had been on the permanent way for 18 years. At the time of the accident he was acting inspector stationed at Ohaupo. He arrived at the - scene of the accident at about 12.30 p.m, and made an inspection of the line. Witness had never had anything to complain about concerning Turner’s work, ( and the latter was conscientious and reliable. Witness had seen the line's t this point in bad weather and did not regard it as a bad section.

George Alfred Rayson, inspector of permanent ways at Te Kuiti, said the Ongarue section of the line was one of the safest in his district. There had been a small slip there in October last, but only a small pocket of pumice had slipped out. Witness could rely on Turner’s judgment. \ i To Mr Marchbanks: There was a. considerable amount of patrolling done during stormy weather, and trains were signalled if necessary. Sidney J. G. Holmes, overseer of the Public Works Department at Okakukura, said he put fifteen men with tools aboard the first relief train going to the scene of the accident and . witness went .with more tools by a secopd train. He considered the big boulder caused the derailment. Witness saw no shortage of material and.- the.-dead were,properly treated; f The head.light of the engine was covered with mud. • To Mr Marchbanks; The mud on the headlight must have come from the slip. J ■ Alfred Ei Uaeksou* porter, off Ongarue, gave evidence as to ringing up Taumarunui immediately he* was informed- of the accident for assistanee.

To Mr Riddell: The headlights ,of the engine were shining brightly as the express passed through Ongarue. Herbert M. 6mith, stationmaster at-Ongarue, gave evidence as to sending for assistance immediately he heard of the accident. Witness considered there were too many a,t the scene of the accident to work in the limited space. " Robert S. Cochrane, assistant relieving officer at Taumarunui station, who was a passenger on the wrecked train, gave evidence as to proceeding to Ongarue to inform the porter at the station of the accident.

Arthur K. Dyne, who was relieving at Taumarunui on the day of the accident gave evidence concerning the quick dispatch of relief trains to the scene of the disaster, also of ringing up Waimiha, Porootarao, Taringamotu and Oha-

kukura for gangs to go out. The first train arrived at the slip between 7.20 and 7.25 a.m. Witness described how he arranged for the removal of the dead and injured. The treatment of injured was not delayed by the Railway Department. At this stage the inquiry was adjourned.

Members of the Commission visited the scene in the morning with Dr. Henderson, assistant director of the geological branch, who made a geological examination of the ground. Taumarunui, Last Night. The Ongarue disaster inquiry was continued to-day. D. K. Kyne, a railway official, said that he heard no official complaints from the injured. There were plenty of men and tools at the wreck. Angus Ross and Thomas Durry (guards) gave similar evidence. John Denahy, storeman at Tauluarunui, said he made no reference to charging for storing of luggage and no charges were made. Robert Crozier, ganger in charge of the Taumarunui section, ‘ gave evidence of how he procured equipment to go with the first xelief train. There were plenty of tools. The cow-catcher was bent and appeared to have' been hit in the centre with something solid. The boulder was about a third the size of the Kaknhi boulder and the latter weighed about ten tons. The Ongarue boulder was three feet high by five feet wide. The slip was a small one, but full of boulders, otherwise tlie train would have gone through it. He had known trains to go through slips. He heard no complaints as to the shortage of ambulance appliances. It was not a bad section. There had been rain off and on for sixteen weeks prior to the accident.

Alfred W. Kirton, stationmaster at Taumarunui, deposed as to having arranged with the officer in charge for relief measures. There was a large amount of left luggage brought to the station, and witness instructed a porter to hand it over to owners on application without char--o*o, .Walter J. Enticott, Methodist clergyman at Taumarunui, gave evidence tliat he was a passenger on the wrecked train. Witness and Dr. Bathgate took part in the rescue work and found a shortage of tools at first— that was until the guard came along about ten minutes later with'implements: There was no iodine and no picric acid, but there was lysol.

Robert M. Isaacs, district traffic manager at Ohaknne, stated that he received word of the accident at G. 30 a at. He considered the arrangements for the running of. relief trains from Ohaknne the best that could be made. It had been'the wettest season since the trains wore put through the Main Trunk.

Evidence on similar lines was given by Phillip G. Russell, district, traffic manager, and W. R- Davidson. district engineer at Ohakune. The fatter declared that the Onga-rne-section was classed as the safest in the district and nothing to speak of had come down for 20 years. -Pumice country gave no indication of an impending slip, on account of its non-adhesivc nature. Witness considered if necessary for him to inspect the line before allowing the relief train to run south. Witness produced photographs showing that the driver would have a view of the cutting where the accident occurred for about fifty-two yards in day light and half that distance at nigl)t. He considered everything humanly possible'tfns being done to minimise the danger of slips. It was a mechanical impossibility for the boulder to have been carried for two and aImlf chains unless it came down in front of the engine. THE FIREMAN’S STORY.

William Frederick Campbell, the fireman of the wrecked train, deposed that immediately before the collision the power was shut off. Witness was keeping a. good lookout, but he did not see anything before the «pnsh came. At first there was a sound like metal under the wheels, then a loud report. He thought it was the smoko-box being smashed, because all the fire shot out into the cal). Witness described his experiences after the smash. He thought the boulder must have come down just as they got to that spot. Tt did not sound as if if struck the engine anywhere else but in the smoke-box. The engine seemed to leave the road right away. Witness heard the driver pul the brake on, and then came the crash. After hearing further minor evidence, the Commission adjourned to Auckland.