FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2554, 28 May 1881, Page 2

FATAL RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

SECOND EDITION

[By Telegraph.] Dunedin, May 27. A man named Thomas Bell was killed on Thursday night on the railway line, close to Dunedin. He was timekeeper at the Government workshops, and was evidently walking along the line homewards when the train overtook him, mangling him fearfully, One leg was altogether cut off, while the other was only hanging by a shred. The body was only recognise 1 as that of Bell by a letter found in his pocket. THIS DAY. According to the facts as yet disclosed regarding the death of Bell, no blame can be attached to anyone ; both crossing keepers were at their posts. David Thompson, engine driver, states that he whistled at Anderson’s Bay road and again while approaching the Ocean Beach road. He does not recollect sounding the whistle at the spot where the deceased was found; he did not see anyone on the line, and the first intimation he got of any obstruction was something touching the brake ; he then slackened speed, until he reached Kensington platform. From enquiries made late in the evening it appears in all probability it was not the Walton Park train, but that which arrived at Dunedin at 6 o’clock from Mosgiel, which ran over the deceased ; indeed th°rc are facts which point to this conclusion. On the cow-catcher of the Mosgiel train’s engine there was a quantity of human hair found, and a pool of blood was also noticed on the Dunedin side of the place where the body was found, implying that it must have lain bleeding at this spot for a considerable time before it was dragged in the direction of Kensington crossing. The probabilities are that deceased was knocked down by the train coming in from Mosgiel, and then run over and dragged for some distance by the Walton Park train. Sparrow, the driver of the Mosgiel train, however, did not notice anything unusual on his journey. Decease I was 50 years of age, a married man, and leaves a family of seven ; his wife says that he left home to take a walk at about four o’clock ; he had not been to work that day, having been up all the the night attending to his children who were down with the measles. Evidently at the time of the accident he was returning home by way of the railway line as he lives at Warkstrops (*ic).