THE TRAIN ACCIDENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 July 1915, Page 2

THE TRAIN ACCIDENT.

ox the main* trunk lisk. SOME XARROW JiSOAPJiS. ft is the practice of the two trains to cross at Raurimu, and on this occasion, it is stated, tlitf express was iield up outside the signals whilst the goods train entered the station yard. According to statements, the signal was given to the express to proceed, and tin; pace wa's gradually accelerated till within SO yard's of the station, when the driver of the leading engine of the express, .1. Currie, noticed the goods train oil the main line. He immediately sliut oil' steam and called out to his liromu.ii. The impact followed immediately. | Currie was shot out of the engine cab on to the ballast, but Sigglckaw (the liiemani managed to hang on. He was, lu.wevcr. scalded by escaping „Uam. His injuries are only slight, 'but would have been severe if the driver had not had the presence of mind to shut off steam. The loading engine of the express was derailed and hurled sideways into the air, where it remain peivlled on the tender. The second engine kept the rails, ami was not much damaged. The engines were immediately followed bv a postal van and two cars of .the hospital train, which reached Auckland on Friday afternoon, and were 'being returned to Wellington. The buffers of these cars were smashed, and the vehicles had to be left 'behind when the train proceeded on its journey to Wellington after about live hours' delay. It is a strange coincidence that the postal van, which esea-ped uninjured, although in front of the damaged hospital carriages, was the same van which fi<>. urcd in the AYhangamorino collision, ami (lien escaped injury. ' General anxiety was expressed as to the safety of the north express of fourteen cars, with nearly three hundred mem'bers of the Sixth Reinforcements on leave aboard. This train was held up at Ohakune for about two and a-half hours, and by tha time it reached the scene of the accident a fresh track, over u'hich the north ex-press passed, had been