BANKSIDE RAILWAY COLLISION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8440, 14 May 1907, Page 5

BANKSIDE RAILWAY COLLISION.

By Telegraph —Press Association. CIIRISTCHU RCH, May 13. _ An enquiry into the Bankside jrailway collision was opened to-day, before Mr Bishop, S.M , Mr Beattie (Chief Mechanical Engineer), and Mr Buxton (Chief Traffic Manager). Mr Piper (Christchurch stationmaster) and Mr Whitcombe (District Traffic Manager) were also present. Mr Harper_appeared fori thej driver and guard, and Mr Hall |for the Railway Department. Mr Hall said he understood a ruling had been given as to the scope of the enquiry being extended to ascertaining the facts in connection with the collision. Mr Bishop said he had given no ruling on the matter. The subject of the enquiry v/aa caused by a collision and *he was not prepared to say how far he would allow the enquiry to go outside of that. If Mr Hall suggested the court would allow the enquiry to include the whole scope of railway administration he certainly would not allow that. Mr Whitcombe, the first witness, said that after the accident he .interviewed the guard and] asked why he had overrun the crossing place. The guard (Seaman) replied that he did not want to get anyone into trouble, but ("he stationmaster at Christchurch, when checking the advices, never pointed out that he had a crossing at Bankside. Witness asked the guard if this Jwas not shown in the train advices, and the guard replied: "I did not think the volunteer train affected mine. I omitted to read my instructions through." Witness added that he had not received Communications from the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, and would not have read them if he had. He knew they made serious complaints about the nature of special train advices. The Society's recommendations were such as would quite prevent the running of special trains in emergencies. John William Piper, stationmaster at Christchurch, stated that the special advice as to the train for the south was placed in Guard Seaman's pigeon-holes, and a copy in_the guards' room two days before the collision. Before the train started, witness checked the advice of both the guard and driver in their presence. A copy of the circular was placed .in the train notice book, but had been stolen since the date of the accident. Another circular, T4OO (the Easter circular) had also been stolen. James Meikle, engine-driver, said he could not say that he noticed circular T450 on the notice board. -He scanned the notice board hastily. Drivers frequently had to sign that they had read and understood long circulars that it was practically impossible for them to understand thoroughly without a very long perusal. Until he passed Bankside he had no idea that the volunteer train was on the line. Seaman, guard of the train that collided with the volunteer train, said he did not know of anyjnotice board. He took the advice circular from the box. He got a copy of circular T450 from the foreman's office. When he left Christchurch with the',train he had no knowledge that he had to cross a train at Bankside. The enquiry was adjourned till tomorrow.

CABLE NEWS.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph Copyright