A SHOCKING FATALITY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10554, 9 February 1912, Page 5

A SHOCKING FATALITY.

I TWO MEB KILLED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHMSTGHUJEIfIH, Last Night. I A shocking accident occurred at Btvx railway crossing-, shortly after noon to-day, when the north train . from Christchurch ran into and | smashed an "Overland" motor car and killed its two occupants—Marshall Brown, of 17 Kipling Street, Aldington, in the employ of the b.A. Farmers' Co-operative Association, , and Peter Fransden, of 11 Angus bt., Christchurch, formerly in the employ , of the Dresden Piano Company. | I The car was proceeding to town at. the time. Just before the accident, j however, it was seen to be travelling . :at a fast pace. The crossing is a dangerous one, approaching trains being obscured, whilst an easterly | ! wind blowing would prevent the en- I gine's whistle being heard by the oc- j eupants of the car. The result was that the engine caught the car fair in the middle, and carried it along for 25 yards. When it was first struck, there was still a slight chance for ihe occupants ot the car, but a point lever was encountered, and the car must .have got jammed between this and the engine, j the petrol tank immediately exploding, and.nothing but a. few fragments . remained to tell the tale. .. ' '. Fransden must have been ..killed instantaneously j- but Brown breathed for a few minutes after, though he did "iiot again recover consciousness.., Brown's injuries consisted of a fracture at the base of the skull and a compound fracture of the right leg. j Fralisden's skull was also fractured, and his right foot cut off. | . Brown was a married man, about j 28 years of age. Fransden, who was ( also married, was older. Brown was . joutside salesman to the N.Z. Fanners' Co-operative Association, and is. stated to have been an expert driv-, er. I 1 It is? considered in certain quarters , that, taking all the circumstances of ( the case into consideration, and judg- ( ing by the position of the bodies, it was not Brown who was driving, but ( Fransden. "Fransden was considering the purchase of the car, and it is thought very likely that this was the j reason of his being with Brown. Immediately after the accident the train pulled up in its own length. An examination of the front of the engine reveals absolutely iio damage whatever. It is stated that there have been several minor accidents at Styx railway crossing, and many narrow cs-r capes of more serious accidents. Approaching trains are practically ob-. seured from the sight of nny.bodv in the road by the high thick hedges .which run along both sjde.s of the line. Portions of the car were carried as far as Styx railway station, fullv fifty yards away. The remains of the car were scattered'in all directions. The bodies of the two victims were . left on the raij.jy.ny track until a " conveyance arrived to take then into town. R. Prir.gle, who was driver on the : train, stated to a reporter that he wn.s driving the train leaving Chris t- - church at noon for Rangiora. When " at the crossing, about a hnudred y.wlfi from the town ride of Styx railway station, he heard his fireman. Albert Skerton, cry out", "Look out!" and at once applied the brakes to emergency. A.s he did so. he saw a motor car dash on to the front of the cowcatcher. It was smashed to pieces. The car was going south. The train, consisting of three carriages nnd a guard's van, wa,s pulled up in its 'own length. He alighted from • the engine and went back. He found the body of one man lying dead alongside the line. It had been carried about forty yards beyond the crossing. The other man, who was not dead, was lying on the other side of the line, twenty yards nearer the crossing. He died about five minutes afterwards without having said a

word. Of the motor-car "there remained nothing except fragments. There was not enough of it left for those on the train to tell what make it was. or even what colour it had been.