AHUROA ROAD ACCIDENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 71, 26 March 1915, Page 7

AHUROA ROAD ACCIDENT.

THE INQUEST. The adjourned inquest on the body of William Thomas Pearce was hold yesterday afternoon at the Courthouse, before the Acting-Coroner (Mr S. B. Hunter), and a jury of six, comprising: Messrs J. W. McMillan (fore- . man), A. Moon, T. Lonergan, W. McDonald, E. C. Fotfter, und A. D. Stanley. I The Acting-Coroner, jury, and counsel visited the scene of the disaster in the forenoon, proceeding thither by special trian. Mr R. Spence was present to watch proceedings on behalf of the widow and relations of the deceased, Mr A. H. Johnstone (New Plymouth), on behalf 'of the Railway Department, Mr P. lO'Dea (Hawera), (acting under instructions from the Locomotive Drivers' 'Association) for the driver of the engine, and Sergeant Dale for the police. | Dr. Steven gave evidence as to attending the deceased on March 10th at Toko. Deceased was suffering from injuries on the head. He wus removed to the Stratford Hospital, where he died on March 17th, having only partially recovered consciousness. A post mortem examination disclosed the fact that the wounds on the left side of the head which had been stitched, had healed. He found evidence of extensive effusion of blood under the scalp 'on the right side and also under the skull on the same side at the back of the skull. The deceased was a healthy man. I To the Foreman : The cause of death was cerebral oebema as a result of cerebral laeceration caused by the injuries received. | Ruth Morris, of Ahuroa Road, in her evidence, said that her house was not far from the railway. On the morning of March 10th she went to a tank to fetch some water. Before leaving the house, however, she heard the train whistle. Tt was not a very loud whistle, hut witness could hear it plainly enough. When she had got the water, witness looked up and saw deceased's two horses on the line, the train being just on them. She did not see deceased. The train did not go far before it came to a standstill.

I By Mr O'Dea : The house is about

200 yards from the crossing. I James ) Baulger, a lad of thirteen, said that on the morning on which the accident occurred he was going to school along the public road. He heard the train whistle when he was at the footbridge, which was about 100 yards from the crossing.!On reaching the crossing he saw the enginedriver and guard lifting the deceased 'on to the grass. The two horses were on the line about fifteen yards' on the other side of the cattle stops. ' j By the Foreman: It was a calm morning. I By Mr O'Dea: He did not see de- ' ceased coming down the hill . j By Mr Spence: Tt was a good long ■train. I James Robert Donaldson, the guard on the train, said the train left Strat-, ford about 8.25 a.m. The train did not stop at any place after leaving Stratford until reaching the scene of the accident. Witness was in the van [all the way out. The Westinghouse brake was coupled throughout the I train, and he could stop the train from the van, independently of the driver, The brake was in good working order .when the train left Stratford. Witness saw deceased approaching the line, the cart being then within one or two horse lengths of the railway line. The horses were going very fast; they ;' I were cantering. Deceased was stanciH ing up in the body of the cart at the i-j back of the seat, holding the reins in Jj 'a loose way and making no attempt ft] either to stop the horses or urge them / on. When approaching the line the S:\peed the horses were travelling at made it appear they had been either 'forced along or had got a fright. The iwhistle was blown when the train was •about 300 yards from the crossing and before witness saw the horses on the road. Witness did nothing when he saw the horses on the road. As the N engine was going on to the crossing he felt the brake being applied. He *J considered that an accident could not m have been avoided. He could not have stopped the train as well as tho driver could. When witness first saw the 'horses on the road the train would be travelling from 18 to 20 miles an hour, [the usual speed over tho crossing. The engine \vas on the cattle stops when he first saw the horses. By the Foreman: Ho could not say whether there was a second whistle or not. By Mr Johnstone: The brake held the train as usual on that morning. The weather was showery. The accident took place about 8.55 a.m.

By Mr Speiice: He saw the horses when he was about 90 yards from the crossing. Tho engine driver, if he had been looking, must have seen them earlier than witness did. it would take about 120 to 130 yards to pull up tho train, from the time he saw the horses till the impact was only a moment or two. .By Mr O'Dea: When the engine struck the vehicle tho deceased fell out and a newspaper foil (Hit at the same time. Deceased had nothing in his hands when approaching the line. The train was hacked 25 to 30 yards, The place where tho accident occurred was 7$ miles from Stratford, and the averago speed of tho train was 15 miles. By Sergeant Dale: The newspaper ! was found folded once. I William George Godfrey fireman on ] jthe train, said at the time of the acci'dent he was looking out of the left I hand side of the engine, looking j straight ahead. The first intimation I I , . • . . i 'witness received of the accident having ; taken place was the engine-driver shutting off the steam and applying ; .the emergency brake. The next thing

1,.-. -•»«- v?*: the two horses-coming out on hi'j side ol the line. By the jury: Tlu» whistle was Hot blown a second time. By Mr O'Dea: The impact came almost immediately alter the brakes had been applied. Percy Edmund Thomas, the driver of the engine, after being warned by the Coroner, gave evidence as to the testing of the brakes on the morning oa which the accident occurred. At a distance of about 300 yards of the crossing he sounded the whistle. On emerging from the cutting at a distance of thirty or more yards from the crossing witness saw a two-horse vehicle approaching the crossing at a fast pace and a man standing up in it. Witness immediately pulled in his head, shut the regulator, and applied the emergency brake. Knowing that derailments often occur when horses got blocked in the cattle stops he immediately started to climb out of his seat, after applying the brake, so as to be ready to leave the engine in case of a derailment. The engine struck the horses about the tail-end, and deceased fell out of the vehicle, also the milk cans. When the train came to a standstill he immediately went back to ascertain the condition of the man. Deceased was lifted clear of the wreckage and laid on the grass. Witness then becked the train down the lino uniil the van was- opposite the injured man. The train was then taken back to Stratford with the injured man on board, Dr. Steven coming on the train at Toko.

By Sergeant Dale: The van stopped :J3 yards from the craving. If I had been expecting a man or looking that way I would have seen him earlier. By Mr Spence: He did not blow the whistle a second time before reaching the crossing. By the jury: The brake would take effect by the time they had passed the Icattlo stops. By Mr O'Doa: It would have been a Waste of timo to blow the whistle a second time. Whey or milk was spilt on the rails at the time of the col.ision. It was a damp day. The train an 111 .yards from the middle of the crossing. I consider it was a reasonable stop. Some time back he had just missed two boys on horseback on tho side road, and he was keeping his eye on it. By the Coroner: They were supposed to watch their own line. By'.Mr .Johnstone: The engine was exhausting on the incline, and a quantity of exhaust steam was arising from tho funnel. After an adjournment of about 20 minutes, the jury returned the verdict: "That the deceased, William Thomas Pearce, met his death according to Dr. Steven's evidence, from injuries received by colliding with a railway train at Ahuroa Road on March 10th, and in the opinion of the jury no blame is attachable to anyone."