RUN DOWN BY TRAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 January 1921, Page 9

RUN DOWN BY TRAIN.

FOUR PERSONS KILLEIt TRAGEDY NEAR SYDNEY. A party comprising a mother and her two children and a man, whose guests they had been at a week-end cottage at Woy Woy, a holiday resort near Sydney, were run down and killed by a train on the railway bridge at Woy Woy, on the night of January 3. Two children had miraculous escapes. The tragedy was a terrible end to a week-end holiday party. The party included a man, a woman, and her four children. They were overtaken by a fast train on Woy Woy bridge. Two of the children escaped injury, although they had a most remarkalble escape from death, while the others were cut to pieces. The killed were:— Mrs. Gladys Jean McKenzie, aged 42. Harold John McKenzie, aged 8. Thyra McKenzie, aged 2. Clifton Wilmot Roughley, aged 3fl, j Mrs. McKenzie, who lived at Gosford with her husband, Mr. Victor McKenzie, and lier children, Harold, John, Thyra, Isdna, and a boy 11 years of age, with Mr. Clifton AV ilmot Roughley, who lived at Dural had been spending a holiday at Mr. Roughley’s cottage at Woy Woy.' On the night of the accident ‘they had arranged to visit another friend near Woy Woy, and shortly after six o’clock they left the cottage. There is an iron railway bridge about 400 yards on the northern side of Woy* VV r oy station. The party decided to walk along it, in spite of the fact that'people are continually being warned against such a dangerous practice. They got to within a short distance from the end of the span when a Sydney-bound train from Newcastle came through the circular and dangerous cutting, in which the first view of an oncoming train can lie seen from the station. That cutting, however, was some distance from the actual scene of the tragedy. The party, all of which had their backs turned to the train, were overtaken. To stop the train was an impossibility for'the driver. TWO CHILDREN JUMP. The girl Edna and her younger brother I were almost clear of the rails, and. terrified, they jumped. The girl missed being struck by the engine, merely by inches. The boy was knocked down. " i here were a few short agonising Screams and the others were cut to i pieces. The driver of the train had seen the pajTty immediately he came level with it, but by the time he brought the train to a standstill most of the carriages had either passed over the victims or had rolled them along between the rails for a great distance.

The baby was hurled with great force some feet into the air and through the trestles of the bridge, falling headlong into the water below. The child sank immediately. Some holiday makers * and residents had heard the cries, and they actually sa ~ .J' ,<? bab y foto the water. Efforts were made to recover the body by diving and dragging, but it grew dark qiuckly, and they had to abandon their efforts. GIRL RESCUES BROTHER. One unusually pathetic incident of the tragedy is the fact that when the train was pulled up—in the circumstances it was stopped fairly speedily—the girl Edna, who had meanwhile been clinnino to the side of the bridge, saw her young er bi other who had jumped frm the rails with her, lying beneath the train. He was crying pitifully, and , he ,?' Ve 7 Pluekily Edna ran tovaid him, and it took all her strength to n . pu . llnn out. He was unhurt init suftermg very severely from shock This rived 1 ' 1 ’ ° f COUrBe ’ before hcI P 111>d arl»rive^tting ‘ i 8 reg ’ u ’ <led a ’ * Particularly dangerous one, and, it is statedthe formation of the country round about makes it somewhat dintenre tor ,Ttrain° hCartbenOiSeof an a P thf I fol^ i '"’ ay Comm!ssi °ners furnished the following account of the accident.from r' 1 r he i s ' 3 '’ P ' m ’ P ass onger train ove? t ’° S w d u- Sydney P a «ing a naifv .) y y bridge il r “" a paitj of persons crossing the bridge t B h ; e a7s aman ' awomanra?th/d r » Ver ' Vh r iBtled ! «™<’<liately he san the danger ol an accident, and did too ±° tn pn « up ’ b,,t H he n C „I fl, ‘ en t,e lrain was topped su."‘ “• •“

ff irl lt w i L b ) e l , , !. eVed ‘ l,at anothor child-a to j; ”"’ n thr ° Ugh the