Railway Collision in the South

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVI, Issue 43075, 30 March 1907, Page 2

Railway Collision in the South

LUCKY ESCAPE OF PASSENGERS r

(By Telegraph-—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, This Day About one o’clock yesterday morning a train from the South, carrying volunteers fo the Easter camp at Sheffield, ran into another train 5 from Christchurch between Bankside and Rabia at a point about a mile north of the latter station. It seems that the train from Chrietchureh should have stopped at Bankside in order to allow’the uptrain to pass, but did not do so and a. collision was the result. The impact - * was a very severe one, arid both, engines and the adjoining carriages; were smashed up badly. The. first carriage on the volunteer trail! happened to be empty at the time, the volunteers having changed their quarters only a little time before. Had this carriage been occupied, all its, passengers would have been killed, for the force of the collision drove the', under part of the carriage right under the engine, while the roof and upper part were knocked clean \)ff. None of the passengers were injured, but Mickle, driver of the train fromChnstchurch, received a number of bad bruises through being pinned in Lis; cab and also- sustained injuries to hisleg: he is also suffering badly from; shock. Mickle was qualified as ar first-class engineer eighteen months; ago and was to have reached .his 1 maximum salary on Monday. McGrath,, the fireman on the same train, was cut: about the head, and the guard was also severely injured. Two or three of the passengers were injured, but. not to any serious extent.