DUNEDIN’S DISASTROUS FLOODS (abridged)
Scenes of Havoc and Desolation
Locomotive’s Tragic Plunge, Fireman Killed
Exciting Experiences of Rescue Workers
Per Press Association. DUNEDIN, Last Night.
Serious Railway Damage. All traffic on the Central Otago line was cancelled to-day between Wingatui and Ranfurly on account of a serious subsidence between Taioma and Salisbury and a small slip near Hindon. The Hindon slip has isolated forty wagons loaded with livestock and gangs of men were this morning endeavouring to so far clear the line as to enable the stock to be returned to the owners.
The Salisbury subsidence is serious in every way, the more so as a man is missing. The line collapsed leaving the rails in the air for about a chain and on to these unsupported rails in the pitch dark somewhere about 10 o’clock last night an engine ran and plunged into a hole 25 feet deep with rushing water below.
It was a goods train that left Ranfurly at 1.5, a heavy train with two engines, these being separated by three wagons. As the foremost of the two engines got on to the rail it became detached and went to the bottom. Driver Pullar and Guard Chave went down with the engine, but in some fortunate way fell clear, escaping with minor injuries which gave these men a shock but did not incapacitate them. Fireman C Tuck disappeared and though the keenest search was at once instituted and was continued by relief parties sent to the scene, he has not yet been found. The train was going very slowly at the time of the mishap. With the experience of previous floods the Taieri farmers in most instances removed their stock to high land, but some stock losses are reported. Relief measures are being instituted in Dunedin and the local papers are opening lists.
LATER Fireman Charles Tuck was killed by being buried underneath the engine and to recover the body it was found necessary to despatch an oxy-acetylene plant to the spot to cut away a portion of the tender. -Manawatu Times, 21/3/1929.
THE RAILWAYS.
REGULAR SERVICE TO CROMWELL RESUMED.
The gap on the Central Otago line, caused by the washout near Salisbury on Tuesday last, has now been bridged, and the regular service to and from Cromwell was resumed yesterday. A fair amount of water still lying on the Outram line prevented any trains from running on this branch yesterday, but it is expected that the service will be normal again to-day. -Otago Daily Times, 26/3/1929.
THE MOTHER (Mrs MacDonell, Green Island), Brother, and Sisters of the late Charles Roy Tuck desire to Thank all friends for kind expressions of sympathy extended to them in their recent sad bereavement.
MRS D. McDONALD desires to Thank all kind friends for letters of sympathy in her recent sad bereavement.
MRS C. R. TUCK and Mr and Mrs C. P. EDLIN and Family take this opportunity of Thanking their many kind friends, lodge members, and workmates, for their sympathy, also for floral tributes, letters, and telegrams received during their recent sad bereavement. -Otago Daily Times, 6/4/1929.
THE ENGINE DISAPPEARED
TOLL OF THE HEAVY RAIN
INQUEST ON LOCOMOTIVE FIREMAN
Details concerning the death of Charles Roy Tuck, who lost his life as the result of a railway mishap on the Otago Central line during the heavy rain on March 19, were given this morning by the witnesses who came forward in the adjourned inquest held before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M. Sergeant Isbister conducted the inquiry for the police, and Mr C. M. Benzoni (district railway engineer) represented the Railway Department. Mr B. Barrowclough appeared for the deceased’s wife.
William Pullar, engine driver, said that on March 19 he was in charge of an engine on the Otago Central line, deceased being the fireman. They were due to leave Middlemarch at 4.56 that night, but they were about two hours late. Guard Chave was in charge of the train. They were joined by another engine at Middlemarch, Driver Gall being in charge of it. There were three trucks between his engine and the engine driven by Mr Gall.
WATER AT SALISBURY. Weather conditions were bad, for it was raining heavily and blowing. They reached Hindon without anything happening, arriving there somewhere about 8.55. Hindon really stopped them to tell them about water over the line at Salisbury, but this was the only information they could get. They left Hindon and proceeded to Parera, at which station they were stopped the same way as at Hindon; the former message was confirmed. At Parera witness rang up Wingatui and asked for information concerning the water at Salisbury; he was told that C8, the previous train, had got through to Wingatui about two hours previously. Witness then spoke to Driver Scott of this train, and on asking about the water at Salisbury was told that it was bad and that it was difficult to get through. Driver Scott then said: ‘‘However, you can go out and have a look at it if you like, but I would not go through it if I were you.” Witness then told the station Master about the matter. He (the station master at Wingatui) said he had been in communication with the transport office, and he suggested that he (witness) should take half the train up to the point in question and see what it was like. Witness consulted the other members of the train crew, and they agreed to go on to the danger point, taking the whole train instead of half. They left at about 10 p.m. proceeding at about four or five miles per hour. Witness was on the righthand side, and Guard Chave and deceased were on the left-hand side, a good look-out being kept by all. The head light was brilliant, and witness was very nearly a quarter-mile away from the culvert when he located it.
TRACK COLLAPSES. When he located the danger spot he immediately went slowly forward with the intention of stopping a sufficient distance away from the culvert to permit an examination being made of that spot. He was within a few engine lengths of when be intended to stop when he noticed a small wash-out or cup on his side. He immediately jammed on the brakes, and just at that instant the engine simply went from under them — dropped straight down without any warning at all. Witness found himself in 3ft of water in the creek, the engine lying on its side. Chave was in the cab with him. Chave said: “Where are we?” They did not see any sign of deceased. Witness scrambled out of the engine and was washed down the creek about a chain and a-half. They searched for deceased for three-quarters of an hour, but could find no trace of him. They went back with the whole train to Parera and advised the various departments about the affair. At the time of the accident they were going up-hill.
NO SIGN OF DANGER. To Mr Barrowclough: At Parera both he and the guard were responsible for deciding that the train should go on. Witness said he himself would not have gone on if he had had sufficient reason to think that it was dangerous to do so.
Mr Barrowclough: Do you mean to say that when it came to this question there is no regulation to say who is in charge of a train?
Witness: “The guard must give the right of way to go on. Witness added that there was no point in leaving half a train behind at Parera. The guard’s proper place was in the van, but on this occasion he was sitting on the left-hand side of the engine. There was room for both him and the fireman on the latter’s seat, it would be possible for the driver, who had gone ahead of him to report on the condition of the line. He did not know whether or not this was done. If the circumstances had been reported he thought an inspection would have been made. The engine collapsed about 200yds from the culvert, which he knew to be dangerous. The creek did not go through the culvert, and he did not know of any culvert being where the engine collapsed. At this point the line was cut out of the hill. They went out at a slow speed from Parera, because be thought there might be danger all the way. Witness would not care to run a train with the guard or any man walking in front. The train could not always be held to a man’s walking pace. The first indication he had of danger was a small cup, and it must have been the weight of the engine which broke through the surface. He should be able to stop the train in that position in a little more than an engine's length. If the train had been only half that length it would not have made any difference. At Parera he decided to go on, because he knew exactly where the water was. They all agreed to go on.
The Coroner: “Is an engine never piloted by a jigger?’’
Witness: “Yes, on occasions."
In response to further questions from the coroner the witness said that there was no jigger available at Parera, and under the circumstances ho did not think a jigger would have been of much use, for the line was absolutely unbroken, and there was no sagging on the track.
To Mr Benzoni: He had been sixteen or seventeen years driving, and had driven through water previously, including ten inches of water on the Taieri Plain.
NO HOPE FOR DECEASED. Cecil Victor Chave, the guard, said that at Middlemarch he took charge of the train. At Parera witness waited a few minutes and had a consultation with Mr Pullar, and they agreed to go on. When the engine fell the deceased would be in the left centre of the engine, and would have his back to the opening of the cab. Witness said that when he was standing in the cab he put his foot down to see how deep the water was, and he thought he touched deceased’s leg. This, however, was some time alter the accident, and he certainly would he dead. He could not get at him to liberate him. He had no idea what happened to deceased after the engine fell. As the engine fell it tilted to the left, and should have thrown deceased clear.
To Mr Barrowclough: He got on to the engine because a sharp look out had to be kept on account of the state of the line. He did not go to the cab to get dry; in any case there was little heat given out by the engine.
Thomas William Handisides, road foreman, said he was on the engine from the time the train left Omakau. It was a new engine, and he was testing it. After a consultation at Parera they decided to go on. When the accident occurred witness was standing beside Driver Gall on the second engine. The train suddenly stopped dead, and they got down from the engine to see what the matter was. They found that the front engine had disappeared.
To Mr Benzoni: The water which came down the cutting re-entered the creek before it reached the scene of the accident. William Cameron Gall, driver of the second engine, also gave evidence. He stated that everything possible was done to find the deceased.
Henry Gurr, car and wagon inspector, said that on March 21 he went up to Salisbury to re-rail one wagon and disconnect two others. The arm of the deceased could be seen from underneath the cab of the engine. Witness then described how the body was recovered. He did not think the deceased had time to get clear of the engine. His left foot was pinned town by the foot plate of the engine.
To Mr Barrowclough: He had nothing to do with repairing the line.
Constable William Southgate, of Outram, said that nothing could be done towards recovering the body until March 21.
“PURELY ACCIDENTAL.” Mr Barrowclough considered that there was not sufficient evidence regarding what had happened at Salisbury. If the conditions had been reported there surely the ganger would have gone out, and had he done so the accident might have been averted.
Mr Benzoni said that the whole point was that the accident happened at another place altogether from where the water was. The ganger was probably elsewhere, but even if he had been out at this particular locality he would have been where the water was. It made no difference whatever.
The Coroner stated that every care seemed to have been taken, and the crew of the train had proceeded with due circumspection. Absolute security could not be guaranteed, and all that could be done was to take reasonable precaution. He was satisfied that this had been done. The journey might have been safer in daylight, for some indication of the danger spot might have been given. The whole occurrence was purely accidental, and he could only find that deceased met his death through being crushed under an engine which had accidentally overturned through the bank collapsing at Salisbury on March 19. -Evening Star, 15/4/1929.
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