SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 380, 22 November 1898, Page 3

SERIOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT.

SEVERAL LANDSLIPS. A TRAIN FALLS THROUGH A BRIDGE. (BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION). Wellington, Saturday. Last night's rain was specially severe among the hills at the head of the Hutt Valley, and railway traffic suffered in a most remarkable way. A mile beyond Kaitoke a train was blocked by a car getting off the line, and the Northern express, which ran down to take the passengers off, was blocked by a slip in front. The train got the passengers on board, and on trying to return it was found another large slip had come down in its rear. Both trains were thus hemmed in, and the passengers had to stay in the cars all night, as the slips were impassable. A dangerous boulder came down the hill-side, burst through a van, and struck Guard Payne, on the leg, disabling him. In the meantime a rescue train despatched from Upper Hutt disappeared altogether. All that was heard of it was a short message after midnight saying that a culvert had fallen iu. _ Three trains were thus stuck up within a few miles. In addition to these misfortunes a brief message was received stating that the late goods train from Masterton to Cross Greek had fallen through a bridge over a small :,*ream near the latter. The men on the goods train must have had a narrow escape. The flood had undermined the supports of the bridge over the creek, and iu the darkness the engiue plunged on to a rickety structure, and without warning turned over on its side, and the waggons were piled up in all directions. Yet no one was hurt. There are 30 large slips on the line, averaging about 500 square yards of soil, and about 30 smaller ones, all within a radius of about eight miles. The first train, which was stopped near Kaitoke, is half buried in debris. The carriages were filled with mud and a stream of water was running through them. The Carterton bridge, which has given way, is near Barton's woolshed, and it subsided owing to the material being washed out. The engine bumped and threw the driver (McNally) clear of'the engine into the water. He had a narrow escape from drowning. When the engine capsized the fireman (Skidmore) was penned in his compartment, and had to break the glass of the window and crawl out. The night was pitch dark, and it was raining in torrents. The engine is apparently not much damaged. Sunday.

The train which was blocked between the two slips near the summit on Friday night was freed this morning. The trucks which fell through the railway bridge, near Pigeon Bush, are smashed almost to matchwood, and the damage is estimated at upwards of £IOOO.

The waggons were loaded with bales of wool, cases of cheese, etc. The wool is uot much damaged, but the cheese is smashed into pulp. It appears that the Napier-Wellington express tram went to the assistance of the up train from Wellington on Friday night and took off the passengers, but was itself blocked by slips before reaching the summit, and had a narrow escape of meeting with a disaster at the bridge which collapsed and caused the destruction of the goods train. If the line had remained clear the intention was to send the Wellington-Napier express with her double load of passengers back to Featherstone for the night, but the fact of its progress beiug barred by further slips probably saved it from destruction at the damaged bridge at Pigeon Bush.

The passengers had to stay in the train all night. Rocks and boulders were crashing into the carriages all night, and by the morning debris was piled up as high as the windows, while streams of muddy water were running through all the carriages. The goods train, which was smashed up, included a ganger's travelling compartment, but the four gangers who had been residing in it, left the train at Mastettou, and they probably owe their lives to this fact, for the compartment was completely wrecked, and had they been in it, they would have had a poor chance of escaping with their lives. Owing to the disarrangement of the traffic some prize stock, which was returning from the Palmerston North Show, had to be turned out near Pigeon Bush, and one or two valuable beasts were injured. Last Night

Although it rained freely in the night, no further slips came down Through traffic was resumed to-day.