SHEEP DASHED TO DEATH

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 898, 15 February 1930, Page 13

SHEEP DASHED TO DEATH

Train Smash at Raetihi RUNAWAY TRUCKS LEAVE RAILS - Many Animals Killed or Injured From Our Oicn Correspondent RAETIHI, Today. BREAKING loose from the hand-brakes and rushing' down a seven-mile incline from Rochfort to Raetihi, 11 trucks of sheep and a guard’s van smashed through the stopblocks at Raetihi railway station at 1.40 o’clock this morning. They finished their mad career by crashing over the blocks into a gully alongside, killing most of the sheep, and wrecking the trucks. No one was hurt.

About 12.30 a.m. today a special sheep train left Raetihi conveying more than 200 sheep that had been bought at the ewe fair held by Freeman and Jackson and Company on Thursday. Mr. C. Lynch, manager for Freeman’s, Mr. R. Jackson and staff had been busy trucking all the evening and a full stock train of 27 trucks and a large van left Raetihi under the charge of Guard McCarthy, When the train was between Rochfort and Ohakune, it was found that the engine would not be able to draw the load into Ohakune Junction, and the usual dividing of the train was done, the engine going on with about half the trucks. The guard put on the brakes and started to place detonators on the line, so as to warn the engine-driver when returning from Ohakune Junction of the near approach of the remainder of the ' trucks. FOUND TRAIN HAD GONE After going some chains along the line, the guard returned to where the trucks had been left, but found they had gone. In dismay he started to run along the line toward Rochfort, but he failed to locate them. In the meantime the trucks had started to move off in the darkness and at 2.52 a.m. the Raetihi stationmaster, Mr. W. Moorman, was awakened by a loud roar. Mr. Moorman rushed out of the house and down to the station yard, where he saw a number of sheep trucks over the end of the line. At once he climbed down to the guard’s van to make sure there was nobody aboard. Finding no one there, he telephoned and acquainted the district traffic manager at Ohakune of what had happened. The railway staff at Raetihi went to the assistance of the sheep. Many were killed and others badly injured. The stationmaster also got into communication with the inspector of -stock.

Mr. L. H. Brown, and Mr. C. Lynch, the district traffic manager. Mr. Hutchinson and Mr. Smith, the district engineer, arrived by motor-car, and after viewing the smash gave orders for the district breakdown gang to be called at once. The engine-driver, upon returning to the place where he had left the balance of the train, proceeded slowly toward Rochfort and picking up the guard, came on to Raetihi. BREAKDOWN GANG ARRIVES The breakdown gang and the travelling crane were brought up to the scene of the accident, and it was found that 11 trucks and a van had broken away. The van and at least nine of the trucks had smashed the stop-block and crashed over the bank. The van was embedded in soft, swampy ground, which acted as a buffer. The crane lifted what remained of the other trucks, while a stock inspector killed all the animals that were badly injured. It was clear that about 200 had been killed. and all were * badly knocked about. The noise of the smash was heard by several residents, who went to see if they could give assistance. Animals were being released for about six hours after the mishap. How the runaway train kept to the rails all the distance is surprising. It is evident the railway track must be in splendid order. There are many curves on the line, and at least one S bend. There is a steep pinch at Pakihi, where the grade i£ said to be lin 50. Several small bridges were safely passed. A close inspection of the line, made by the district engineer showed that no damage had been done anywhere. It is considered that the large guard’s van at the front of the runaway train served as an • anchor kept the trucks on the line. The pace at times must have been more than 60 miles an hour.