RAILWAY DISASTER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 299, 27 May 1915, Page 8

RAILWAY DISASTER.

EVIDENCE AT THE ENQUIRY. By Cable—Press Association—Copyright. ( London, May 25. At the Gretna Green enquiry, Meecham, the signalman at Quinton's Hill, gave evidence that lie shunted the local train to the up main line. He told Tinsley, a signalman, when the latter relieved him, that the train had been shunted. Tinsley gave evidence, and admitted that he forgot all about the local train when he gave the signal to the troop train. Meecham, continuing his evidence, said that Tinsley, who had travelled by the local train, relieved him at 0.32. Witness stayed in the signal-box reading a newspaper. A fireman and a brakeman were also there. The first alarm was the troop train, passing the signal-box at 40 miles an hour. A collision followed immediately. Meecham ran down the stairs and saw a lot of soldiers running about. He rushed back to the box, and sent telegrams for assistance. Tinsley gave evidence that he jumped off the local train as it crossed the up line, and so knew it had crossed. The collision occurred at 0.50. He quite forgot about the local train after he junip'ed off the train. Meecham put the down signal for danger just before the second collision, but too late to avert an accident. Wallace, driver of the local train, gave evidence that he saw the troop train two hundred yards away, too late to back. He jumped oil the engine, and got under the goods train in the siding. Received May 20, 11.55 p.m. London, May) 20. ' The driver of the local train at Gretna attributed the fire to gas escaping from the cylinders.