ACCIDENTS ON NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 167, 26 June 1884, Page 3

ACCIDENTS ON NEW ZEALAND RAILWAYS.

An interesting return has been prepared, showing the number of persons killed and injured by accident on the New Zealand Railways during the year ended 31st March last. Altogether it appears that 16 persons met with deaths, and 123 received more or less serious injuries. The majority of these were servants of the department, of whom 3 were killed and 72 injured from causes beyond their control, 4 were killed and 12 injured from their own misconduct or want of caution ; 18 persons were injured in the workshops, but no lives were lost. As regards the passengers, it appears that two were injured from their own misconduct for want of caution. Trespassing on railways is evidently highly dangerous, since no fewer that four persons were killed, and six injured while offending against the by-laws in this way. These persons were injured while crossing at level crossings. In addition to the last two deaths and seven minor casualties were put down under the head of “ miscellaneous.” The majority of the accidents occurred on the Hurunui-Bluff section, as might be expected from its length and extent of its traffic. Of the total number, 12 deaths and 81 easualties are set down as having occurred on this line. It is interesting to note that in March, 1884, there were no fewer than 4,830 persons employed on the railways of the colony, as compared with 4,483 in March, 1883- There are 218 locomotives, 450 passenger carriages, 144 brakes, and 9,930 trucks of various kinds in use on the railways. During the year the trains travelled 3,891,061 miles, or more than thirteen times the distance separating the earth from the moon. The number of passengers who took out tickets was 3,282,644, nearly five-sixths of whom travelled second class. Season tickets were issued in addition to the extent of 8,036. The goods carried weighed no less than 1,700,039 tons, for which £589,782 was paid. The receipts from the passenger traffic were £589,782.