THE RIMUTAKA ACCIDENT.

Manawatu Times, Volume IV, Issue 71, 15 September 1880, Page 2

THE RIMUTAKA ACCIDENT.

[tromoitb owtf cobbesfokvdent] ; GbemowS, Siptember/12; ;1880. This township was -yesterday suddenly put into a state of commotion, caused bj the news coining along I "the . wire that the train from Grey town to.: Wellington had been blown over the ' hill, and was a. complete wreck, and that several persons were killed, and the remainder of the passengers all more or less severely injured. This intelligence arrived a few minuses before the train from Wellington was due, and ! and many of the frightened people at once made for the raUway sfcafcion^infordir, if ; possible to glean some further and ; more • reliable information ,of the catastrophe. But %\o train, which had bee.n delayed on ; the hill, did not arrive until about two o'clock, and consequently the good people of Grey town, m common .with, those of other townships, were kept m a slate of unbearable suspense. When the traurdid arrive, there was quite a crawd' ,of anxious inquirers awaiting it, many of whom had friends aboard, who, sad to say, were m a bad plight ; and when some <of tnem. were carried from the carriages, they presented such a fearfully mangled and bvLjtered appearance — :»ome ju»t aLle ,to walk, .others:having to be carried ,with tb* ' tenderest care — that one and all of the spectators groaned with pity.. As soon as the ntws of' the ; accident "reached Gtre.yt«jvn, . the Standard reporter was despatched to the scene with all possible speed, and his return w,itb full particular* of- tl?e sad event was anxiously looked for, and as Voow *s it, wa?- known that h,e had; returned, the printing office was besieged .by th* eager people, who, : before the printers had time to prepare' ah f -i exiti*,' Were allimpatiencej arid hegan dlamoTittgloudly, audjitJie pffict doors had to be looked to keep them from rushing m; nor. ;Were .they; .quieted .down until they were m posseiion t>f the iad facts. The train had; reached what is known as " Siberia Point," a' spot on the Kimutak'a inclina well worthy of the name. k s^ ii the moit dAng«?oijs 'jpifa oil

whole line, although none; of it appeari to me saffrenqugh to travel'ovtr m a'wind, cespyciallyisuoh a gale as blew on Saturday. The train^ consisted of two passenger oarriageaf which were m advance of "Big B^n,' > sithefijttolin# engine,, and the guard'e brake-van : m : the reap. Exactly as the train got on the extreme point a tarriflo giist of wind caught it, and completely bTer-turntd the passenger carriages and brake van. Tht front carriage was the flrat-dasa one, and contained a number of passengers; It was turned bottom up.nards^_an_d _ in^tatn^y. the. whole- -thing col- v- ;; lapied, the bod/ v of course beihgfraash' •ditto atoms, and aent ' ot h«adlong speed wfth its freight- into a chasm^-aboufc -200. tf«et-hv depth, which ia now strewed w.ith. fragments of^the- : broken carriage, cushions, ipassengersj parcels, &c, 'The - Misaaa Phara-« ' , zyn, "jirid two little *b6ja\ named NichplsJ^v were inmates of the carriage. : The younger lady was . instantly. kiHidV being, thrown ' with trtinendons Violence ' against '■' th^ rocks. She was terribly lacerated. On# of, the poor little 'boys shared tlfe same fate ; the other boy ,and thar-au.rviving, Mias Pharazyn being l •- ~ ; aeverelji c<injur«l^ thf -:'■ former getting . tjie of. r IMb] hmdr, knocked completely off,'.'a;nol'; he was' alsa' terribly mangled. • ' H'e^ir still 'living, but m > ladute pain. The »econQ-clai» r .carriage- was ,■ ' full f 'bf thwi'^eirig'-alrinS , jladies among tne ; numbek yThis^carriage, •'-; was turned upside <mest f of the pas- ' • sengers being hurled through the windows into bhe;d«pthi balo.Wj/as'theicarriaiJafOTeSturned; the remainder .were huddlad^one on the other, all -baing;in aji insensible condition. A little boy,', son of Mr. J. Qujgi : qf ftreytpwhi was t'crushetf/ito death bjt;*^; number of the ptopl* falling upon hiin^ Sut one and [allofthe unfortunate ipassefifgers have received, injuries,^ which to" seyeral, it ia feareji, wilt piovetatal. This is. . the -first- o£ what:Tnay beya aeries of acci- a | dents, such aa, I predicted m your columns | some timeago." ..--•--. „-.._,.-,„ ..^c- |: A" inqueit on the bodies of thoaa killed, !will be held yJ |%morrW^jat9seatherston, where they now ; ;lie^;'^vßKUl;.is]kf an early ;opportunity \>f; "acguw^in^yjO^Awithi thaj. . jresnlt.v,;..-. „;, { y^.^ >„*£■: -t.-/ V :->.j«*-'