AUCKLAND TRAIN COLLISION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 316, 30 May 1913, Page 5

AUCKLAND TRAIN COLLISION

.FURTHER DETAILS. \ ENGINE-DRIVER'S ACCOUNT. By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, May 20. J. Benny, an engine-driver of 14 years' 'experience, who was with the fireman in the engine-box on the outward-bound train, in speaking of the accident, remarked that the whole thing happened so quickly that he had only a lew seconds to decide what to do after he caught sight of the other train as it showed up through the fog, and dashed over the bridge. "My train (the 5.25 a.m-. goods from Auckland) was running right up to time," he said, ''and the tablet picked up at Avondale was dropped: at New Lynn. After taking water we iwent on up as usual past the station towards the bridge, in order ' to back on to the siding to let the passenger train through to Auckland. It wast just before the engine had left the bridge, and as I was about to reverse the engine gear to shunt back on to the .siding that I saw the' othor train coming. My mate noticed it at the same' time, and we made a simultaneous shout of warning. Our train had commenced to move back very slowly, but, in to ofl'er as little ■ resistance as possible, when the smash came, I gave the engine .full reversing steam, and we had got baek two or three car-lengths when the engines met." Benny is of opinion that, had not his train been moving back at the time. of the collision, the sin&sh would have been a great'deal more serious. , ' ' There were twelve trucks laden with general goods, a covered van, and a guard's van behind the engine of the outgoing train. As a result of the collision, the buffers and drawing and brake gear between the vehicles were damaged, and, the contents of the trucks suffered some hurt, Except for the damage to the engine, no harm was done otherwise. The effect of the accident was to cause a stoppage of traffic on the line for about seven hours. The I wreckage was cleared away by 2 p.m I

"SOME HAD FOREBODINGS." _ Auckland, May 28. For some time past people who know something of railway working have had apprehensions of trouble at New Lynn Station. Here there is a water tank, and. the inward passenger train from Avondale crosses an outward goods train. The passenger train is brought to the water tank on the main line, the engine is watered, and the train moves up the line to the bridge, and backs on to & loop line* to await the passing of the goods train. Apprehensions have arisen from the fact that the time-table makes the passenger train an allowance of only somethfn" like five minutes for all train crossing and shunting operations, including watering before the goods train is due, and it has been thought by some who have had experience in the working of the time-table that this time allowance is too short, and leaves an undue possibility of collision between the two trains.

From ,what can be learnt of what actually happened this morning, it seems almost certain that, in the first place, the accident is attributable to the insufficient time allowance for shuntin" allocated by the time-table. Whether of not such is the case, the fact remains that several people have had forebodings of some such accident at this place.

PERSONAGE WHO DREAMED. John Reidy is a middle-aged labourer who resides at Waikumete and does manual work for the Mount Albert Borough Council. He was one of about 40 other passengers in the second-class carnage, immediately behind the telescoped portion of the train. While recounting hm story of the smash to a reportei. Reidy (who is a man of staid enough appearance) said that he gave warn'n» of the event at his breakfast table aboiu a week ago. "The wife and family laughed when I told them that I had dreamed of a train accident at a bridge on the way to Aukland," he added, "but my dream has come true. (This with a self-satisfied head-shake). My wife awoke me during the night, and' asked why 1 was so restless. I replied that if she had dreamed what I had dreamed she would be restless too. I then told her about my dream, in which I saw a train collision on (lie first bridge on the Auckland side of Waikumete-one bridge before this bridge where to-dav's smash had happened. There seemed'to be a carriage end-ways across the line, and a lot of people thrown out of the train/although I did not stem to notice that any were hurt."

Then you wore not unprepared for this morning's smash? commented the reporter in encouragement of the storv. No," was the reply. "I have been nervous every time in rros 3 in» the bridge near AYaikmnete for a week past."