TELEGRAPHIC.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1814, 15 October 1884, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC.

(United Press Association.)

Auckland, Wednesday, A railway accident occurred on the Auckland line this morning, While ohunting, the engine was standing taking coal, the driver being engaged oiling the wheels and the fireman on the engine. A truck being shunted struck the engine rather violently, and caused the regulator to fall down letting the steam iuto the oylindera and the engine started off. It had not gone many yards before the fireman became alarmed and jumped off, leaving the engine going at half speed along the line towards the Domain tunnel. Engineer Burnett had been thrown against a water tank, and had two fingers out off. Great alarm was felt as the Onehunga train with a large number of passengers coming into business and school children, had left sTew Market just about the time of the accident. A collissipn between this train and the loose engine occurred in the tunnel, Soon after the driver of the Onehunga train turned a bend in the tunnel, he saw the other engine coming from the opposite direction, He blew the whistle as hard as he could, but, • as the other showed no decrease in speed, he concluded something was wrong and put on the brake, Great excitement prevailed among the passengers on the train. The guard called to them to hold on and lie down, but the shock did not prove bo great aB was expected. The passengers were thrown in every direction, but none were hurt. The front of the Onehunga engine was broken, and the cow-catcher carried away; Neither carriages tor engines were thrown off the line. - A party of gangers arrived but were not needed, and both engines came safely into town, The escape was miraculous. If- the loose engine had been two minutes earlier the collision would have occurred near a bend and the driver of the passenger train could not have seen it in time to slow down, If two minutes later.- the train would have been going at full speed down the heavy Parnell incline, coming up which had exhausted the power of the loose engine and reduced its momentum.