THE COOTAMUNDRA RAILWAY ACCIDENT. Description of the Shocking Disaster. Wellington, February 2.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 88, 7 February 1885, Page 3

THE COOTAMUNDRA RAILWAY ACCIDENT. Description of the Shocking Disaster. Wellington, February 2.

The following are particulars of the late railway accident from Sydney papers of January 27th :— On Sunday night at a late hour news reached Sydney of a terrible railway accident to the Melbourne mail train on the southern line which was afterwards confirmed ; but fortunately the accident proved not of so serious a character as at first reported, when it was stated that 70 out of IUO passengers had been killed and wounded. The papers on Monday morning were only able to publish meagre accounts, the locality of the accident being some miles distance from Cootamundra, On Saturday, at Cootumundra, it rained heavily, an! the low - lying lands were flooded. In thirty-six hours the rainfall had reached to the enormous quantity of eight inches. At a point called Salt Creek the Hood waters came down in great volume, and soon left a channel about fifty yards wide and about nine feet depp, and into this, about half- past 7 on the Sunday evening, the whole train plunged. The ordinary mail from Melbourne contained only a few passengers, but a number of bookmakers, at the invitation of Joe Thompson, chartered a special traiu in order to be present at Randwick on Monday. This special came up with the ordinary at Albany, and the passengers were therefore transferred. On the way from Albany a good many ohanges were made, and it is estimated that the train contained about fifty persons. The night was pitch dark with a stiff breeze from south, and pelting rain fell. At the time of the accident many of the passengers were sleeping, while others were conversing and playing cards. The train was passing at the rate of 13 miles per hour, when a kind of motion like a volcanic shook was felt, a rush, and the train lay in a ruined mass in the bed of tho creek, with water pouring ove< it in a fierce torrent. There arose shrieks and cries of men and women for help. Just as those inside the last sleeping car thought they were about to bo smothered, the roof of the carriage wa3 smashed off by telescoping with the hindmost car, and this enabled the imprisoned passengers, or some of them, to get out, and to swim against the current for the shore. How so many escaped instant death is a marvel. Others were killed, and some carried down in the flood waters. As soon as possible assistance was sent lor to Cootamundra, about four miles distant, and in the meanwhile all possible assistance was rendered by those who esoaped and those who were injured. Fires were lighted with the debris of the train. Everything was over 1 in a marvellously short space of time. As soon as possible medical assistance was rendered, and everything done for the sufferers. Of the bookmakers, Joe Thompson, Saqui, Lucder, Beigus, Barnard, Levy, Cobden, and others, were more or less injured. There are six bodies recovered, and it is feared that the number may be increased. There were two <{ wash-aways" on the line, one of which was known, and a man was sent forward to stop the train, but it reached this "wash-away" or gap, which was not known, and plunged into it before the warning could be received. The wires were down, and there were no means of communication beyond sending a man along the. line to warn approaching traina,

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