THE ACCIDENT.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 71, 15 September 1880, Page 3

THE ACCIDENT.

The^inoit conflicting : . accounts were girin^ of the acoidept on Saturday before. <;he »*% rival of the passengers, the most important iiicrepth^ frbnii the >«ai fact beii»g that {he coupling! pfj-the. carriages, joiaing them i* the t»gine, had parted when th« cavriagti had blown oVer^Mbst -jKroyidentially this irai not 10, or otb-erwiae, instead of tne •»t*stropli» b»iihg fatal to three only, more than twenty been hurried into eternity, ancTa shook have gone through the as'^nj greater than that caused by the Kaitangata disaster. The simple ttattthent of the acyident, as. giyen by many of the .pa»V^is aM follojrsi-^The ■ordinary:. morning Mftiinl frojp Wiiferapai; to reach Wellington tirßjitj minutes •fter ioon, left - i^rejtp^n at B.3ft am.j ' pi.ssed:;Wopdiille > al^SjiS^Ferntide afcß/57j lefyEeatherstbn^at 9.5; and reached Oroii«'s Cr«k atthe bottom of -the incline at a.301 ,He:a the ordinary engine nas detached, and th# Fell: engine substituted. $he train V»i 'then composed of— First, a'comppiite carrk^e ■- i»ith r th : e second-class compartment •m front, the : first- clais portion- being a jiiinokinf jarriajtV then another oomposite ( carriage vjitH the firsfc-clasi i portion inf roHt 5 then.ttie ordinary guard'ii break; ran With tli« guard (Mr. Qsborne) inJt; then the jPell-engine, then tyrp 1 bggage vans, filled . irith^ fumiljurej prbdiice^ahd, sundty goods 5 f, nd latfc: theindine breatvan, with a guard XMr.^erry) m it. The wind on the plain flraa not stronger, than,; usual, there being Only an ordinary breeze, but as the train. wer.t up, the mountain's side very strong gusto were. Wt at different spots nhete the configuration of the hills aUpireA; them to .ffcike the train. Nothing, . heweter fcap,:.jpi#9d. X and the train went on all -right iheocgh the S.nb tunnel, and; had emerged f^hr^ugfca^utting within SO.or^6o yards of 3 the .stebJid *nd|middle tunnel. This. 'spot is .called Siberia* on accountof the violent and ( that sweep dow.n the.hollow ofHhe hi?L The line runs along a sort of fmbankment fprtned from the stuff taken • out -in i^aEng-Me^tuiinely^Vuf •ide formed, byi,the embankment. .»ia§,s)iid j;he,a^jacent ; hill jg, only* few;,|e«t 4» B P*: I "'hile on tb,e otherside there is a steep „of oye^ .100 f^ee^runping down^jfco • creak.;, The train was, going slowly alcng fyjt if^baDkmegt, Fhinthe wind batching \k tytW&ityWi v «Q*nAptjr ibj^^^a^ut

andnstant's vrarnmg, lifted tbre.-t.wo front carriages and van. clean off the rails and swung them around and down tnedeep embankment, hanging to the other. The carriage*! twSre swung around" further than what would have been at right angles with the rails, andaas they were when motionless formed- an acute angle with the engine. The first ,ojir ; nage.-asjit swung over; went on it«: sideband tjießbflck, started .the .J^pd j from thf\bjs^and>^he^ls,^Vs^bocly:: rolled away down.'breaking'to pieces as it went, and the wind carried the pieces in' every' direction. The ,second f ,carriage was .turned square on its side, anqs'bretnained windowi, of coursej being •s^atterf d m. ''The van was partly thrown' over and rested obliquely, two-wheels ( ,being sunk, m the embankment, and tW otheV t^wo m the air. The engine, 'tjhe two goods vans, and the other break le- ; tamed tbeii' position on the rails: :