RAILWAY FATALITY.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 231, 6 January 1898, Page 2

RAILWAY FATALITY.

A coronuk's inquest as to the death o r John Barker, the fireman who was killed hy the derailing of a train between KauUapaknpa and Helensville on Monday, was held at the latter place on Tuesday. The body as viewed by the jury was in a dreadful state, portiocs being pirboiled, indicative that death hid been mainly caused by seal ling. A special train conveyed the jury to the scene of the accident. The first witness was tin enginedriver, Patrick Neville. On Monday he ran the usual train There were about 20 passengers aboard. He was going about 23 miles an hour. Tho limit by the regulations is 30. About SO or 40 yards from where the wieckage lay he noticed the rails buckled in front of the engine, lie at once shut off steam and called to the fireman to put on the break, which ho did immediately. He also reversed the engine. The engine shortly afterwards left the track, and in a second or two the engine turned over. He then loit his senses for some time, could not say how long. When he came to he found himself in the cab. His mate was there also. The first thing he recollected was his mite holding his leg. He tried to take his mate out with him, but could not, and then got out himself as quickly as he oould. Then, with others, he tried to get hold of deceased by groping down through the steam, but they w 7 ere unsuccessful, as they could cot see his position till the water and steam were out of the boiler. Deceased never spoke, but held up his hands. He was dead when takeu out. His foot was jammed between the handrails, which were bent; this was the reason they could not get him out sooner. In.reply to the foreman of the jury witness slid he had been driving on the railways for 20 years, aud on the Helensville line for eight. Once before he had known of a buckling on the lins. There was no means of shutting off the steam as all the tools were under the engine. The buckling on the occasion of the accident was instantaneous. The line was in good order and condition. He believed the great heat was the cause of the buckling. The guard, Thomas Manning, gave evidence as to the measures taken to extricate deceased. Finding they could not get him out they protected him from the steam, as well as possible. William. B\ Osborne, ganger, said he had been on the section where the accident happened for about five years, fhe length of the section was inspected every morning, and was inspected on the morning of the accident. The inspection was made about half past n : ne by McDonald and Lee, platelayers. Saw them after they had made the inspection, and before the accident, as they made no report to him, he understood the line was all right. He considered the line perfectly safe, though in some phces it was a little slack of ballast, thi3 would net affect the stability of the line. Where the accident happened was as good a bit of line as auy on the road. He considered the ballast underneath the sleepers sufficient, but it was deficient in the filling up. He meant that it would be hotter it the sleepers were covered. He considered the line perfectly safe for traffic if tho baHnst were not over the sleepers. It was his business to ask for ballast or material when he wanted it. He had never been refused ballast. Donald McGregor gave evidence as to extricating tho body, but his evidence only corroborated the evidence already given. The platelayers win inspected the lrhe said it appeared all right on the morning of the accident. Cyril Holm Bias, Resident Engineer, stated he had charge of the permanent way where the accident happened. He was over the line within the last two months. The Hue was in average running order, would like to see more ballast on the line, this want had been brought undi.r his notice, and application had been made for a supply, and as much ballast as possible had been supplied. He believed excessive heat to have been the cause of the line buckling. If the line bad been fully ballasted it would not necessarily have prevented buckling. Buckling was not an uucommon occurrence in hot weather. He had seen it occur on the Invercargill-Bluff line. It was customary to slightly shorten the rails to bring them into line after buckling. Considered the line in question as safe as any under his charge. The jury returned the following verdi t :—" That deceased, John Barker, met his death accidentally by the overturning of the engine, on January 3rd, near Kaukapakapi. The jury are of opinion that the line where the accident occurred is insufficiently ballasted, and recommend that a most searching in» quiry be made into the cause of the accident."