THE BEAUFORT DISASTER.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9999, 21 March 1910, Page 5

THE BEAUFORT DISASTER.

THE CORONER'S VERDICT.

Received March 20, 5 p.m.

MELBOURNE, March 20,

At the inquest on the Beaufort disaster, the Coroner found that the accident was primarily due to the unskilfulness and carelessness of the driver, Coward, or to an error in his manipulation of the brakes, and that if the fitter Fewster had done his duty faithfully the accident would not have occurred. The drivers Gronn and Coward, instead of insisting upon the fitter doing his duty, had taken the risk of running the engine as it was. Contributory causes of the disaster were failure to properly repair the engine, and to the long period of fourteen hours that Coward was on duty.

A railway accident resulting in the loss of three lives occurred at Beaufort, 128 miles north-west of Melbourne, on the 6th of last n.onth. A goods train from Ararat, drawn by two engines, instead of drawing up at Beaufort, ran into the buffer stops. The driver, Coward, and the fireman, Russell, of the second engine, were killed instantly. The fireman, Gillan, of the first engine, died subsequently, while the driver, Gronn, of the leading engine was badly scalded. The signalman states that he saw that the train was travelling at a terrific pace, and in order to prevent a collision with a goods engine which was standing on the line he switched the Ararat train into the dead end. Coward is stated to have remarked to his wife: "There is sure to be a smash one of these days. We have to work so long that, we are otten half asleep on the job."