Alarming Railway Accident at .Pigeon Bush.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2802, 19 January 1888, Page 3

Alarming Railway Accident at .Pigeon Bush.

Whole Train Blown Over. (Special Telegram.) \ ' Feathkrston, this day, 12.20. The whole of the Wellington train Wds blown over four miles from here while coming down Pigeon Bush Hill. Two passengers are very slightly injured. • The train has not yet arrived. . The passengers have been forwarded on. . The engine remained on the rails, but the guard's van turned right across them. It is blowing a terrific gale here.

The. Press Association forwards us the following report on the accident: The train which loft here early this morning for Masterton when half a milo on the Featherston side of Pigeon Bush was blown over, fortunately the line there is level, and none of the passengers were severely hurt, All the train, with the exception of the engine, was blown off the rails, but the passengers have reached Featherston on the engine. A special train will be despatched from here to the scene of the accident.

LATER, The following additional particulars were obtained by our reporter at the Masterton Railway Station, .on the arrival of the special train which brought on the passengers. The train, which consisted of two large double carriages, and four covered Goods vans, was travelling at the rate of seven miles an hour, when it encountered a severe gale on the flat, j opposite the lagoon, on the Featherston side of Pigeon Bush Station. The whole of the train, with the exception of the engine was blown bodily over, without the slightest warning. Tho carriages were thrown over on their sides, but, with the exception of the wiudows being smashed, they remained intact. . The passengers, of whom there were between fifteen and twenty became greatly alarmed, but only one suffered any injury, and that, fortunately, nothing to speak of. The four goods vans were less fortunate, three of them being literally smashed to pieces, and the goods scattered in all directions. The redoubtable Guard Turner, with his van, were thrown athwart the rails, but beyond the sudden fright, he received no injuries. With as little delay as possible, Guard Turner despatched the engine, with as manyot the female passengers as he could safely stow on board', to Featherston, the engine returning with a double carriage and guard's van, to take the remaining passengers and mails on to Masterton and MangaIraalioe, ,

The traffio will in no way be interfered with, as with the exception of one pair of rails, being torn up, the line is not injured. To give a pretty correct idea of the force of the wind, we may mention that a goods truck containing nine tons of goods, which was attached to one of-the passenger carriages, was blown off and smashed up. We are informed that the wind experienced this morning, was the heaviest ever felt by Guard Turner since he has been on the WellingtonWairarapa line.