ACCIDENT.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2487, 10 March 1881, Page 3

ACCIDENT.

A curious accident occurred this afternoon, when the Express from the south came in. According to a new regulation every engine has to whistle, in passing over crossings. If they confined themselves to whistling, it might be very well, but when they emit something between an unearthly howl, and a war wboopi the case is different. This is the sort of whistle which the express indulged in to-day, and the effect of it was to startle a team of bullocks standing at the foot of George street. The animals were yoked two and two, and the leaders rushed across the line right in front of the engine some"getting jambed between the train and the fence, and one pair being caught by the cowcatcher on which they sat nearly upright, their legs dangling through the bars of the catcher on to the ground. In this way they travelled for about 50 yards bellowing fearfully and struggling hard to get free. The railway hands soon came to the rescue and freed the unfortunate animals by knocking off their yoke and raising them, when they instantly bolted, causing a stampede. One other animal, having broken from the team, was pulled along on its side for 40 or 50 yards with the engine, and was found when liberated to he badly injured. The fence is a good deal broken. The team is the property of Mr George Clark, carrier, of Pareora.