A Narrow Escape.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 20, 22 June 1885, Page 3

A Narrow Escape.

[Saturday's Herald.'] The passengers by the 11.30 train from thu South- received a scare this morning, which' .vaa due to the j^ross i:-4iHes«tiraß of the engine-driver,B(iiker, iinl guard. : Itiippear.slhaj, on cuiiiiug up th«.. JVa:.ij|aehu.- hill' ihe ■'rails were fo.ii.l to be .very slippery ; the train .was la-ought to a standstill, when driver, stokeiv<nnd ff.«laroja.J|sfot out to sand the rails so an to gse;the wlmelsf a grip. The passejjgjffs djd qpytake muohnotiuo ot this until they found the train "lipping backward^ *ud this m itself would not have caused a scare, bnt that some of them had noticed that there was no one on the engine, A small pnnic ensued then, for the velocity was increasing. One youug mau who was standiug on the '-platform made a jump, and narrowly escaped with his life, for on reachiug the ground he fell backwards, and was just falling between two carriages, when Mr Troy, the well-known athlete, caught hold of his body, lifted him up, and gave him a good push, which threw him on to the bank—that aud nothing else saved his life. In the meantime the passbngers were getting frightened— tho females patieularJy. Mr Troy at one* s<it to work and. put on the bhikes, getting others to assist. His presonce of mind m tin's inspect stooil the passengers m. good steai I ; for the trian was! brought up after haring gone a distance of about 350 yards. : As soon as the trahi was brought to a standstill again, tho;pjißß6ngevßgot out, and then they /saw, thedriver, stoker, and guard rushing tdwVirda them as hard as they could. In consequence of the delay the ...train wan 20 niiitiiwa late on, igriyUtg here^ The pasae.ijgerß were[.v.Si^ : >.inueh put out at the 4.-ardcßßiiesß' ot' tlid ': bffioials, and it was Agreed thai tha. matter should be reporteiko headxqtiarters. Thoso who have travelled up the.j.tjll: referred to, can ini-. agine the sensation passengers would feel had the train been allowed to travel round the curves at a breakneck pace. Tho; aifju'r certainly caila for full investigation.