THE VICTORIAN RAILWAY DISASTER.

Te Aroha News, Volume 1, Issue 47, 26 April 1884, Page 3

THE VICTORIAN RAILWAY DISASTER.

Sufferings of the Wounded. One of the passengers injured by the accident at Little Paver gave the following narrative of the occurrence :—": — " I left Ballarat by the 7.10 train last night, intending to spend a day or two in Melbourne for a change, and little expected to begin my outing with such a narrow escape from a violent death. With my usual luck I had nearly missed the train at Geelong through lingering on the platform, therefore had to get into a carriage nearer the engine than I liked. There was only a brake van between the carriage (second-class) I got into and the engine. We went along pretty quickly j after leaving Little .River, and of course expected nothing wrong. All of a sudden I heai'd the whistle's scream, and felt sure something was going to happen. The brakes came down with a jerk that bumped me right forward against a woman who sat opposite to me, and sent me back against ! the carriage with a thud that nearly shook the breath out of me. I had just time to draw my feet up, when the carriage seemed to crush right in upon me, and in a moment I found myself right out of the carriage against the embankment, Luckily for me I was forced straight but of the carriage when it smashed up. Ifc was raining heavily, and very misty, but I could see that our train had tun into a long itrain of trucks. The engines had met head to head, like two rams butting at each other, and reared into the air "and fallen together in one great heap, and the coal and wood out of the tender of the goods train had fallen over pn,,the driver, who was all doubled and' jammed up under it. Poor fellow, I saw him taken out. He looked to be dead, but I heard he lived a little while after. All the breath seemed out of my v body, and I could hardly stir, being very sore and bruised with a great piece of the woodwork ,of the carriage pressing me against the embankment." I got it turned over away from •me. Presently some gentlemen helped me to push it off. A lot of trucks were huddled up together, and the sight was awful. There was a' great deal of groaning and

crying from the pepple in the carriage I hae been in. The roof of it had come righi down on them, and the sides had given waj and got smashed in. I wont to help as well as I could, and we found one poor ladj actually pinned to the floor, with the rooi lying on her. We got her out somehow, and laid her on the ground. Everybody who was hurt was thirsty, and cried out foi water, and I felt myself as if my tongue was sticking to the roof of my mouth, We could not move without tumbling over the ruins of the carriages, and so made matters worse for me. I got d nasty wound on my shins from tumbling among a heap of ironwork all twisted up with the collision. We could not see much either, and were afraid every minute oi treading on someone. It seemed like a month before anyone came, but by and by aome people began to arrive, and they brought us some whisky and some brandy, but we wanted water most, and we were a good while before we got any. The stationmaster from Little River brought some at last, and some of the people got some more for us. Everybody was very kind, but there was a great deal of confusion. I felt very faint, and had to lie against the embankment in the rain for some tim». Just as I felt going off a gentleman gave me some brandy, which put a little life in me, and 1 tried to help to build a fire to give a bit of light, but I felt veiy sick and faint, and had to leave off soon. I went and sat in one of the carriages for a while, and kept out of the way, because I thought if I could not help I would not hinder them. Then I must have got insensible, because it was a good while before I knew where I was. My watchglass was smashed, and the hands dented into the face, and it ha 3 stopped ; but somebody said a train was coming up from Melbourne, and that it was getting on for 2 o'clock. I could not walk then, but they very kindly lifted me into the special and brought me down to town." An unduly long time elapsed before assistance was at hand for the sufferers, nearly four hours passing before the relief train reached the scene of the collision. On this subject a narrative furnished by Mr Thornley, M.L.C., who was in the firstclass compartment with Mr T. F. dimming, M.L.C., Mr Woods, Under-Secretary of Mines, New South Wales, and others, is very instructive. He says :—": — " The first intimation I had of the collision was a violent vibration and jumping of the carriage, and Mr Bradshaw, who sat opposite, was pitched against me with considerable force. We were all thrown riolently backwards and forwards, and it seemed as if there were two collisions. Our carriage was bulged out of shape, so that we could not open the door, and Mr Gumming got out through the window. Getting my back against the door, I managed to burst it open, and we all left the carriage. The cries and groans of the injured were most heartrending. The darkness of the night, with rain falling heavily, increased the wretchedness of the poor sufferers. Ail who had escaped without injury lent them what help was in their power, but little could be done to assuage their pain. When the collision took place, nearly all the lights were blown out, and some little time elapsed before wo could get the lamps re-lighted. Meanwhile, as may readily be imagined, the confusion was indescribable. Very soon after the accident, a lamp was placed at the end of the train to stop any coming train When the excitement had partially subsided, I set to work to get the cushioned seats out of the first-class carriages, and with these we improvised stretchers, on which we carried the injured into the guard's van. Soon after the accident, I inquired if anyone had gone to the nearest station for assistance, and was told a messenger had been despatched to telegraph tidings of the disaster to Melbourne and elsewhere. The collision occurred at 1 minutes to 10, and I confidently expected that a relief party, with medical assistance and requisites, would arrive by midnight ; but hour after hour passed by, and no relief train appeared, and meanwhile the agony of the sufferers was fearful to behold, and their piteous moaning and wailing would have pierced the stoutest heart. Whether any satisfactory explanation can be given I know not, but the relief train was an unconscionably long time in coming ; in fact, relief might have been sent by road from Melbourne sooner than it arrived by rail. Into this matter the most searching inquiry should be made. With information of the disaster telegraphed to Melbourne very shortly after its occurrence, it seems monstrous that within an hour's ride of town injured passengers should be left without relief for the space of four hours. The publ'c will want to know why medical aid and necessax'ies were so long delayed, and whether it would not have been possible to have promptly despatched a relief party to attend the injured, to be followed as soon as arrange ments could be made by a breakdown gang to clear the line. At a time like that prompt aid to the injured is of the utmost importance, and one cannot help feeling that the most awful responsibility rests on the shoulders of whoever is blamable forthe avoidable delay. I would suggest that are lief carriage should be kept in constant readij ness at Melbourne station, equipped with every requirement for the relief of the injured, and that the head official on duty should have authority to despatch a relief train as promptly as possible on receipt of intelligence of a disaster of this kind."

The Inquest.— Station-master Charged with Manslaughter. At the inquest into the circumstances of the accident, several witnesses were examined. Annie Biddle, daughter of the Werribee station master, said that when her father went to the choir practice he told her that if the goods train came before 9.30 it was to go on, if after that time to put it into the siding, and have the "line clear" message sent to Little River. The goods train arrived at 9.25, when the driver threw out the staff, and the porter gave him the other one. Witness sent the telegram as stated, but could not explain why she did it, for she had not forgotten that the train had been sent on. Witness was not in the employ of the Railway Department. She was 17 years of age, and had been accustomed to do the telegraphing, and had done the telegraph business for the last two or three years. Had never made a mistake in a telegram before. Thomas Biddle, who was cautioned before giving his evidence, explained that he had told his daughter that he should be back by twenty minutes to ten. If the goods train was later than 9.30 she was to detain it. He admitted that he had accepted the blame for the affair in writing. There was nothing in the regulations to prevent him being absent occasionally. His daughter Was not paid for her services. He told his daughter that "line clear" should be given to Little River not later than twenty minutes to ten. When, on returning for the passenger train, and the mistake began to dawn on them, his daughter became terrified and amazed. He had been hopeful of getting his daughter into the Railway Department, and had been instructing her, He had not ejiven the porter any instructions about the staff on the night of the collision. Witness often worked for 16 or 20 hours, and had never been

absent on the arrival of the passenger trains. The jury found that the accident was due to the telegram sent by Miss Biddle, in the absence of her father, who absented himself without leave after giving her such instructions as he thought necessary. The Coroner said that the verdict was not definite enough. The foreman replied that it was understood the Coroner would, from what he had said, take it upon himself to commit Biddle for trial under any circumstances. The Coroner committed Biddle for trial for manslaughter to the next Assize Court at Geelong.