The Railway Smash

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 20, 11 June 1914, Page 5

The Railway Smash

ENQUIRI' RESUMED. "" '.« TABLET PORTER'S EVIDENCE, -m By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Wednesday. C-jS The inquest on the bodies of tlift<s| threo victims) in the Akin Trunk disaster at VVhiuigamurino was ed t'hia morning. There was a 6tnong'»j| representation of tlie parties iutcredted. |1 William Donaldson, tiie tablot porter, <§| in his evidence said) that he had ..allVil the apparatus considered neci et- im cept an electrical repeater, lie got W O advance signal from Tekawhat* at 4JO Ml a.m. /that the express was going I'a through. About semi minutes were isX- 'jß lowed for the passing of the tiain be- !;S tween the two sttuoiw. The signal .'f| leviel had worked ciurrcctly at mid- % night, and he expected) the train to Vtr rive at Mercer at 4.1 A a .mi, but it did' i not arrive until 4.40. The express ij;, usually pa .-sea the train at Tekawhata, ';*! not at \Vhangamarino. When he got fr-J warning of U« Mercer train he un? $t locked tiie points into the siding, as fee ,rw knew the express was then between T'm Tekawliata and v> Imngnmarina He's was then quite satisfied that the signal Jw was showing red against the expreca. ;.;' It might have been out without him J<l{ knowing it, owing to the fog. He did '<*{ not go along the line to verify the dg>' ~'H nal, knowing that the signals worked $ accurately at midnight. He wag sitting on the lever shunting the good* train When the express collided AriflhV J the goods train. The express was hid- I 3 den from his view.by the trucks of the ?* goods train. The express was suppo* ed to leave Tekawhata at 4.40 a.m., and". .;| according to his book she left there at jjs 4.30. He did not know what time the , , oxprcss arrived at Whangamarino. He ;}j| was sitting on the lever, and the next thing he knew was recovering conscious* "f ness with one arm broken. ■ y| The tablet porter, , cross-examined, '"g| said some daya before the accident lie M found the signals had dropped!, but'.go "«§ little that he ihad just to touch the J m level to readjust them. . \ N >ij|& Walter 'Garner, a passenger by the 'ifS express, stated that immediately after ja the collision he observed Were wa» '3M plenty of fog. 'J. he weather was cold) 'tgj He could not see the signal from Jg Whangamarino station. He the guard and found Donaldson ftbototfp seven feet from the line amongst the '[§ debris unconscious. He went with ttyaiH flrenfSn of the goods train to look at' S& the south signal. He could not anything until fifty yards ms'tant. light was green, with a, Blight tinge of ;/{m red on top of the light. .The fireman readjusted the Bignal to danger. t £m The engine-driver of the express, JoJm'-'!*| A. Stone, was called. He stated 4SbaMt they passed Tekauwhata at a speed of i'• r , about 25 miles per hour. That was the' ,'«, regulation speed limit for passing --1 through a station with a mechanical tab- ' J let. He considered it'to be a good, safe, p steady pace at which to pick up a tablet ■ Mr. McMahon: How far back can you <:j> see t'lio south signal nt Whangamarino! ,?| —A good long distnnce hack. I was ill *« the dip beyond wh«n I saw it on the -",S morning in question, say, about tw©;vfl hundred yards away from the .signal -*>| Detective McMahon: Did the light up.lp, pear to be a full, clear-ahead light*—Yes, there was not a sign of red- . r. The flreman,on the engine of tfce ex- I press, Frederick G. Pordington, eowo- •, borated the driver's evidence, Botfc of ■ : them, he said, stayed at their posts as - * the engine crashed through the trucks. When it overturned they crawled out, .i practically unhurt. Witness then in* " p spected the signal, and found title lever ■ ? normal and at danger, and the light was.' showing green. \f James Wilson, guard, said that after ,'jorganising a band of willing rescuers, ne fwent to the signal, which he found show-' •"•' ing green, but the levers were locked in ~" their normal position at "danger." The ' '•'- signal wire, .lie noticed, was very tight J . ton tight, he tltought, to allow the eignsl ,* to be. put back to danger. The enquiry was adjourned. '■