ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXVIII, Issue 7930, 2 January 1906, Page 5

ACCIDENTS AND FATALITIES.

THREE MEN SWEPT OFF A SCOW. WELLINGTON, Jan. 1. A sad fatality occurred uear the Heads last night. The scow Obau. 40 tous, from Blind Bay to Wellington, coal laden, was entering thb harbour under tow from the steamer Duco about 9 o'clock, and vvheu a mile inside, or about abreast of the Pinnacles, it was observed from the tug that the scow was steering badly. The tug dropped back ou tho scow and hailed her, but got no response, and it was then discovered that her crew of three men had been swept overftoard, whether by the sea or the tow rope is not known. The weather wn° and the tug failed to bring the scow into the harbour, JD Worser JBay, where she now lies badly strained. Captain D. W. McKenzie, of Auckland, was in charee of the scow, but the names of the two men whom he engaged are not known. Mr E. Piicher, of Wellington, owns the scow. THE KAPANUI DISASTER. A SIXTH FATALITY FEARED. AUCKLAND, January 1. Luke Lanton, far&er, of Maungahuroto, left Warkworth on December 23 to catch the steamer Kapanui on her ill-fated trip, and he may have been drowned in addition to the five lives previously reported. The captain of the Kapanui states that he is certain that Mr Langton was not on board, but inquiries have failed to discover any ttaoe of him. LATER. One of the passengers saved from the Kapanui states that he saw Langton on the steamer and conversed with bim. A TIMELY RESCUE. NAPIER, January 1. The steamer Rosamond, which arrived in Port to-day, reports having picked up off Cape Palliser an oil lau-aoh the Napoli having on board four Italian fishermen, the Captain's name being Maklo Meo. The launch machinery had broken down, and she was drifting to sea in a sinking condition. When the Rosamond took the n.en on board, the launch was taken in tow by the steamer, but during the night she broke away and has probably gone down. The fishermen are all married men and belong to Wellington. A TRAIN ACCIDENT. NAPIER, January I. A train accident, which might have been very serious, oocurred near Matamau on Saturday evening. The 2.15 p.m. train Napier to Woodviiie should have crossed the 4.30 p.m. train from Palmerston North to Waipukurau at Matamau, but by an oversight the Napier train did nou wait at Matamau until the other came up, and it met the train from Palmerston at a spot about three miles beyond Matamau. The place where the accident occurred was on a steep grade, aud in a deep cutting, so that it was impossible for the enginemen tc see that anything was wrong until the trains were almost together—in fact not until it was too late to do anything. The result of the collision was that both engines were damaged and derailed, also several wagons from each train; but fortunately only one passenger car was damaged, and that only slightly, the trucks on each train acting as buffers for the cars. A train from Dannevirke went to the scene of the accident, and took the southward-bound passengers to their destination, and a train from Waipukurau brought on the north bound passengers. A special train left Napier as soon as it could be got together, with workmen, breakdown tools and crane, and cleared away the wreck, having everything clear by 8 o'clock on Sunday uioruing, Luokily none of the passengers or men was hurt in any way, aud the cars are all in use to-day. An inquiry is teing held at Dannevirke.