SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 93, 5 September 1912, Page 5

SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT

TRAINS COLLIDE IN MELBOURNE. 2 KILLED, 39 INJURED. HEARTRENDING CRIES. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. Received 5. 12.5 a.n:. Melbourne. S ptember 4. A disastrous raihva. accident occurred to-night, when a special tiain from the Fleniington Showground crashed into the Coburg train between North Melbourne and Spencer Street Station. Two men, named A. WiNon and McDonald, were killed, and many were injured. These were removed to the Melbourne and other hospitals. The number injured, so far as is known, is 39, the mo-t serious injuries being broken limbs. • Many escaped with shock and bruise*. The accident occurred where two sets of rails cross. That the fatality was not larger is due to the fact that the trains were travelling slowly. The impact hurled the passengers in all directions. The trains were heavily laden with passengers. The women were panic--atricken, but were soon reas-tired. Two second-class oars on the Coburg train were smashed, and the debris scattered in all directions. The first car of the P'iow train was partially telescoped. Those in the undamaged care quickly detrained and assisted in the rescue. A number of the injured were pinned in the wreckage, and were difficult to extricate. Five men in one of Hie Coburg ears were held fast in the d-hr's in a standing position, and it was ihree-quarters of an hour before the la«t was released. With the assistance of the breaking, whose sufferings and groans were heartrending, were got out as quickly as possible, and sent to the hospitals. The line was cleared in an hour and a half. Received 5, 1.10 a.m. Forty-eight were injured, and 24 still remain in the hospital. Of these, two are seriously injured, the others bein<* mostly minor wonnds. r The cause has not been explained. It is stated that the Coburg train was running three minutes Into". The crews of both trains apparently realised that a collision was inevitable, and ,nit on the brakes in time to avert a more seriou< accident. The majority of the passengers were women and children, and tneir screams and cries added to the bewilderment There were many pitiable wenes. and the groans of the wounded pinned in the debris were heartrending. The Coburg cars were of the old tvpe and splintered to matchwood. The paswngers by this train were mostly workpeople returning to their home*