Railway Disaster

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 21, 12 June 1914, Page 5

Railway Disaster

MORE ABOUT TUB SIGNALS.

A THEORY OF COL]> AND CON. TRACTION.

By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Last- Night. I The inquest on the victims of the Main Trunk railway disaster was resumed this morning. Joseph Hill, engine-driver of the goods train, stated that when lie passed the porter tho latter was sitting on the lever. He saw no light-ahead. His engine and eight waggons had gone on the siding and 41 vehicles were still on the main line when he saw the head lights of the express just beyond the station building. He gave the danger signal and the crash came a few seconds later. He walked to the signal lever, which he found at "danger," and inspected the signal itself, which showed a full green light for "all clear." William N. Colley, fireman on the goods train, corroborated his driver's statement respecting their doings prior to the collision. Stone and others came past between five and fifteen minutes after the crash. Stone suggested that witness should accompany them along to the signal. He went. He saw no one interfering with the signal wire, and after going about 20 yards past the light they were quite satisfied it. was showing green.

Alfred Christian Larsen stilted that the light was showing green, while the levers were in the "danger" position after the accident.

Joseph Henry Whitburn, carpenter, in the employ of the Railway Department, stated that he was a passenger by the express. After the accident he made one of a party that went' along to inspect the south signal. Witness went about 50 yards past the signal, and saw the full green light, with no streak of red showing. In company with Stone, lie then inspected the lever at the station, and found it at "danger," and locked. Witness, who stated that he had erected the signals, declared that it was quite possible for the back light to be obscured and yet for the front light to bo showing partly red and partly green. Detective McMahbir: Did you touch the wire at all? Well, when I was on the track after looking at the light, I fell across the wire, and as I picked myself up I thought of the possibility of the wire having contracted through the low temperature, so I felt it and found it quite tight. Witness added that he had been camped on one occasion for about three weeks at Whangamarino, but did not hear of or see any difficulty regarding the signals or the levers while there.

John Henry Crowhurst, train examiner, stationed at Mercer, said in answer to a question that his only explanation of the derangement of the signalling »p----paratus was that the cold weather had contracted' the wire, but he had never known such a thing to happen before. Nf> BLAME ATTACHABLE TO DRIVER STOXE.

Auckland, Last Night. A great deal of further evidence was given by the drivers of various trains in connection with the signal, which; it was stated, was working correctly at two o'clock in the morning. This concluded' the evidence for the dav.

Before the enquiry, adjourned, Mr. J. R. Reed, X.C., asked the coroner if ho were prepared to exonerate Stone, the driver of the express. Ko evidence, he said, would be called implicating Stone at all.

The' Chief Detective agreed that this was so.

"As far as Stole is concerned," said the coroner, "the matter is at an end. No blame is attachable to him."

The enquiry was then adjourned until Friday morning.