BUS PLUNGES OVER BANK
Two Territorials Killed
SEVEN SENT TO HOSPITAL
Fall of 50 Feet Into Gorge
[THE PRESS Special Service.] DUNEDIN, October 24.
A passenger bus carrying 12 territorials from Roxburgh to Queenstown, where a week-end bivouac was to take place, ran off the road in Kawarau gorge on Saturday and fell about 50 feet into the gorge, the driver being killed and all the passengers more or less seriously injured. One died later in the Cromwell Hospital whence all were taken when the accident was discovered, and another was placed on the seriously ill list.
The killed were: —
Lance-Corporal Kenneth Robb, single, of Roxburgh, driver of the bus.
Private Albert Kinaston, single, of Roxburgh.
The injured were: —
Private N. Harraway, single, of Roxburgh, injuries to the neck, and on the seriously ill list.
Lance-corporal B. Tubman, single, of Roxburgh, injuries to the face and head.
Lance-Corporal L. George, single, of Roxburgh, shock and head injuries.
Private A. Gilchrist, married, of Roxburgh, arm injuries, shock and abrasions.
Private T. Hayes, married, of Roxburgh, lacerated leg.
Private A. McKechnie, married, of Roxburgh, bruises and abrasions.
Private A. Bell, single, of Ettrick, injuries to the arm and face.
Three members of the party were fortunate enough to escape injury, other than minor cuts and bruises. These were Corporal H. Gilchrist, Private S. de Silva, and Private I. Hiscock. They returned to their homes at Roxburgh on Saturday night.
"It all happened so quickly, no one could say how the accident came about," the men told Lieutenant A. R. Alexander, officer in charge of the party, when he visited them in hospital on Saturday night. All were definite on the point, however, that the bus was travelling slowly when it went over the bank.
A party of about 26 men and noncommissioned officers left Roxburgh during the morning to attend a week-end bivouac at Queenstown. They travelled in two buses, and Lieutenant Alexander went by motor-car.
Big Rock Stops Fall
About 12 miles past Cromwell and a short distance past Roaring Meg, at a place known as Pigeon Rock, the bus, driven by Robb, failed to negotiate a sharp right-hand turn and plunged over the bank, falling about 50 feet before its fall was arrested by a large rock. Had the rock not stopped its fall the bus and its occupants would undoubtedly have gone into the Kawarau river, with probably a considerably larger number of deaths.
There were no eye-witnesses of the bus's plunge over the bank, and the opinion is held by some who later visited the scene that it turned over on the road before going over the bank, a quantity of broken glass on the roadside lending colour to this theory.
Two of those who left Roxburgh in the bus which went over the bank, were more fortunate than the others as they decided at Clyde to change into the other bus, which was less crowded.
After the accident those who were not seriously injured clambered up to the road where a passing car was stopped and the news sent back to Cromwell. Cars were immediately dispatched to bring in the injured, all of whom were transferred as quickly as possible to the Cromwell Hospital.
"The bus, as far as could be seen from the road," said one of the members of the rescue party, "appeared to be smashed to matchwood. The body was torn off the chassis and the two parts of the bus lay some distance apart."
The bus was owned by Robbs Motors, Roxburgh. -Press, 25/10/1937.
DEATHS
KINASTON. — On October 23, 1937 (the result of an accident), at Cromwell, Albert James, beloved second son of Robert Telford and Agnes Kinaston, Roxburgh; aged 30 years. Deeply mourned. — The Funeral will leave the Roxburgh Presbyterian Church at 2.15 p.m. To-day (Monday), 25th inst. for the Roxburgh Cemetery. — J. W. Gibson, funeral director, Cromwell. -Otago Daily Times, 25/10/1937.
MOTOR BUS FATALITY
KAWARAU GORGE TRAGEDY
COMPLETION OF INQUEST
The adjourned inquests on Kenneth Arthur Sydney Robb and Albert James Kinaston, victims of the Kawarau Gorge motoring fatality on October 23, was held at the Cromwell Courthouse before Mr E. Jolly, coroner.
Constable J. Hamilton conducted the proceedings on behalf of the police. Mr Arthur (Heriot) appeared for the relatives of Kenneth Arthur Sydney Robb, Mr James C. Parcell (Cromwell), for the relatives of Herbert James Kinaston, Lieutenant Cottrell represented the Defence Department and Mr E. J. Anderson (Dunedin) appeared for the insurance company concerned.
The coroner, in summing up, said that there was no evidence to show that any of the men in the bus had had any liquor. He returned a verdict that death was caused through injuries received by the accidental overturning of a motor vehicle.
Transvaal Walter Exton, vehicle inspector for the Transport Department, gave evidence of inspecting the motor bus concerned in the accident on September 30 at Roxburgh for a certificate of fitness and again at 5 p.m. on the date of the accident. The body had been wrecked, but the steering, brakes and chassis were in first class order. The right front wheel had spokes broken and a flat tyre. The tyres were in good order.
Albert Francis Key, bus proprietor, of Cromwell, said that he arrived at the scene of the accident immediately after it occurred. He examined the road and saw a skid mark 20 yards long of the left wheels only. He considered the bus turned over on the road before going over the bank. He helped to dismantle the bus and all working parts were in order, with the exception of one front wheel on the side away from the bank, on which the tyre was flat.
He had owned the bus previously, and had never found any trouble with the steering. If the driver did not know the road, the corner was very deceiving, as it was a dangerous corner — one of the worst on the Queenstown road. A public works gang was employed improving the corner on the Tuesday following the accident.
Harold Gilchrist, orchardist, of Roxburgh, said that he was a passenger in the front seat. He had no idea of what happened before the bus went over the bank. To his knowledge the driver of the bus did not have any liquor from the time he left Roxburgh to the time of the accident, and was perfectly sober. The transport was arranged, by the Defence Department.
Evidence was given that none of the passengers or the driver was seen visiting any hotels in Cromwell and that no liquor was seen to be taken into the bus, and it was denied that a bottle was thrown out of the bus on to the street.
Ivan James Hiscock, orchard hand, of Roxburgh, gave similar evidence, and stated that it would take the bus two and a-half to three hours to go from Roxburgh to Cromwell. He was quite sure they were not in Cromwell at 11 o'clock.
Alick Robert Alexander, instructor, residing at Roxburgh, the officer in charge of the party, said he saw the bus loaded at Roxburgh, and followed in a car 15 or 20 minutes after it left. Instructions had been given to the buses to travel the Earnscleugh-Clyde-Cromwell road. The men were to have a 10 minute halt at Clyde and half an hour for lunch at Cromwell. When he arrived in Cromwell at 12.5 p.m. Robb's bus was in the street, with the driver sitting on the step. The bus left Cromwell at 12.30 p.m., and he passed it near the Roaring Meg. The boys' conduct in Cromwell was quite good, and he would say quite definitely that none of them was drunk.
John Hamilton, police constable, of Cromwell, said that he gave assistance to remove the men to the hospital. The driver, Kenneth Robb, was dead when he arrived. The skid mark on the road started at a point 76 feet from where the bus left the road, and was 11 feet from the right-hand side and five feet from the left-hand side, the road at this point being 16 feet wide. The bus had apparently fallen on its side 10 feet from where it went over the bank. The deceased (Robb) was 55 feet down the bank, the deceased Kinaston 100 feet down, and the distance to the front of the bus was 121 feet. The width of the road where the skid mark finished was 19 feet. He could not detect the smell of liquor on any of the men. -Otago Daily Times, 15/11/1937.
Roxburgh Cemetery.
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