SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 467, 30 April 1890, Page 5

SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Sydney, April 25. A terrible railway accident happened at Bathurst to-night. A great crash, like an explosion, was heard about seven o’clock, proceeding from the gates in Russell-street.

An engine was found with the front crushed to atoms, as were the carriages and trucks, and several dead bodies were found lying about. It appears a mixed train left for Sydney at 6.30 p.m., and when near Raglan several truck couplings gave way, and many trucks came down from the Zigzag past Raglan at great speed, and dashed through the Kelso station. At Bathurst a goods train, just about to start for Sydney, failed to get out of the way of the runaway trucks, and a terrible collision resulted.

The loss of life at present is indefinitely known, but five bodies have been discovered.

Some of these had been killed by the shock, while others were dreadfully mutilated.

The guard’s van and the passenger carriages were completely telescoped by the engine, and the train from Bourke is nothing but splinters. So far as is known, several children named O’Connor, who were returning from school, were all killed. Mrs Franklyn and the driver of the Bourke train were also killed. A child named Noonan was seriously injured.

The driver of the Burke train is severely injured, and not killed, as formerly stated. The two firemen, who are also very seriously wounded, had a miraculous escape.

Amongst the killed are Michael Downey, Henry O’Connor, Mrs Franklyn, Maude Radford, and Miss Godfrey, and two others, whose names are unmentioned, are seriously injured, and unlikely to recover. Raglan had wired to Bathurst of the danger, but the tremendous speed attained by the runaway left no time to clear the line. The station-master at Bathurst states that Kelso wired that No. 26 had broken away up the goods line. The goods train had then left the station for Kelso. He rushed down the platform and saw the train crossing at a terrific pace.

No time seemed to have elapsed before he heard a dreadful crash, and followed by the noise of escaping steam and smashing timbers. The runaway train consisted of five trucks of goods and sheep, one empty horse box and one six-wheeled carriage and composite brake van. The two latter, besides several of the trucks, were smashed to atoms.

Some portions of the wreckage shot over the top of the engine on to the tender.

The engine itself was broken and crushed up to the tubes of the boiler.