HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 1931...
GRUESOME SCENE AT TRAIN WRECK MR, G. A. WALKER'S HE SIR W. PEEL'S VISIT
TREMENDOUS IMPACT BRINGS INSTANT DEATH: MANY
PASSENGERS CRUSHED AND MUTILATED.
ENGINE A MASS OF TWISTED STEEL: CARRIAGES TELESCOPED.
DELUGE CAUSES EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MOTOR ROAD
AND RAILWAY TRACK.
The magnitude of the railway disaster af Shatin can never be properly gunged by anyone who did not are the wreckage before it was shifted yesterday. Those who made the journey to Shatin and found their way to the scene of the disaster were confronted with an uppal- ling sight, one which will live in their memory for many a day.
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With the train service suspended, the only possible way to get to Shatin was by motor enr up to the Shatin Railway Station. All along the rond came evidence of the heavy rain that fell on Sunday and Monday in the New Territories, Just before the railway track reaches Shatin Station, a stone and concrete bridge, over which the railway lines passed, thowed two wide gaps where it had been attacked by the gush of water coming from Shatin Valley This bridge. is clearly visible from the captor road, from which point one could observe clearly the extent of the damage done to the bridge.
Beyond the Shatin Station, the Taipo motor road' suffered much damage said not morg than a hundred yards from the station, motor traffic became impossible as there was a huge hole in the road where it crussed a small stream. In this hole was a motor car, the first victim of the treachery of the road. It was the car of one of the first rescuers who went to the scene on Monday night.
A few houvy planks were placed across this rond, so that pedestrians could proceed to the point where the railway disaster occurred. The distance from where motor traffic became im possibles and the point where the train jumped the rails is about thres and a half miles and a vivid description of the sights on this road is given below by representatives of this paper who made a special trip to the scene yesterday..
Besene, parties worked late into the night on Monday and started again as soon as there' was daylight yesterday. Twelve dead bodies were extricated by Yesterday morning, but it is feared that the death roll is much heavier., Doctors were working at the scene in a special car brought up to the scene of the wreckage from the Shumehan side. This car was made no coin- fortable as possible and resembled a miniature operating threatre. Several amputations were necessary before the injured could be shifted from the wreckage and owing to the peculiar situ tion n which the evident occuried, the work of extricating those pinned in or under the wreck- age was extremely difficult, not to say hazardous.
Those who were not injared spent the night either at the houses of villagers nearby or at the Taipo railway station which meant a walk of several hours. Early yesterday morning, these unfortunate passengers began their long walk to Shatin, from where many travelled' to 'Kowloon on moter ears and buses that went as far as the state of the road permitted.
THEORY OF MONDAY'S APPALLING TRAGEDY.
OPINION.
UNDOUBTEDLY, DUE TO .
CLOUDBURST.
ROUTINE PRECAUTIONS
TAKEN ON THE LINE.
Interviewed by our representative Me, G., A, Walker, Acting-General Manager of the Kowloon-Canten *Railway, said he had no doubt that
the disaster had been caused by, andden clowl-burst in the hills,
An up-train only a few minutes carlier had passed safely along the line crossing the bridge at Shatin, | sinee destroyed, and the embank- ment in question in perfect safety. | Telephone wires and everything else
Below we give the story as re-1 were at the scene of the wreckage, the speed at which it had been lated by our representatives:-On the night before. arriving at Shatin, we found that
in spite of the early hour quite
a number of villagers had left their
travelling. The locomotive had broken completely away from the dining car which was the next car in the line.
Built of steel, the dining car sur- vived the terrible impact very well
to its undercarriage, which was lying just below the car itself and apparently hnd not broken loose until the car had come to rest.
were in order. The cloud-burst
TO CANTON.
[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. J
CANTON, April 20. .H.E. Sir Williams Peel, Governor of Hong Kong, and Lady Peel will come to Canton for brief visit next Friday (May 1).
The Governor of Hong Kong and Lady Pre will be accompanied by Captain Coltman. The party will arrive in Canton by the first moṛn- ing express train of the Canton. Kowloon Railway running on the new schedule.
CANTON JUNK BOMBED.
[FROM OUR WN CORRESPONDENT.]
CAXTON, April 20. Last night a bandit threw a bomb into the accounts room of the Lee
On junk, on the Canton-Tangoon
run.
gers,
must have been a matter of minutes only, There used to be a waterfall
The bomb exploded, injuring the on the other side of the embankmember of the grow. The junk, junk master, Law Wa Taal, and a
ment, but this was diverteil. What which was due to leave for Tungoon obviously happened was that the at midnight, was full of passen- great mass of water went"in part back to the old course and hurled itself against the embankment, enting it away. No warning was possible and it was a contingency ROM OUR OWN CORRISPONDENT.] of the kind no one can guard against."
Mr. Carpenter, I the P.W.D., rang up, while our representative was with Mr. Walker, and said that houses in the Shing Mua Valley district which had never been flood nd before, had been washed out. The raina on Sunday and Monday, were heavy," Mr. Walker said, but nothing beyond what we get in an Average July.
Walked to Taipo. **Where, did you spend the huts to ascertain the extent of the night?! we asked. damage wrought by Monday's heavy We had to walk all the way rain. At Tai Wni Villaga, just back to Taipo station where tym- before the Shatin railway station,porary sleeping accommodation, was was reached we came upon what made for us," was the reply made although it had fallen at least ton was once a sturdy granite and con- by an elderly man who was prob-feet. It only received slight damage crete structure over which the Kow-ably in charge of the party. Joon Canton trains passed several
We naked how far we were train times daily.
the derailment and were told that The Tai Wai bridgs suffered con- we were half an hour's walk. We in siderably during the heavy rain. our turn were asked how far the The section of the bridge, nearest party had to go before they could the village, was washed away nud | get a lift, We have been walk the rails were hanging suspendeding since six o'clock this morning inly by their own connections for and so far we have not met any About thirty motor enr," added the head of the about forty feet. feet of embankment supported the
party. miniature suspension bridge from We told them that there was a another gap of about twenty-five big hole in the road about a mile feet. Debris of all sorts was wash-further down and if they kept ed against the embankments on straight on, they would come to it either side of the remaining supin about twenty minutes. We also ports of the bridge. If this bridge told them that there would be many had not been washed, away it would motor cars and buses to give them have made the resno work much a lift to Kowloon... easier as it would have been possible
discussion for the rescue parties to come to the the road-bed was very weak in party proceeded on the way while scene of the wreck by rail although among themselves and half the appts. It would seem from the the other half waited. We asked nature of the damage that it will why they separated into two groups Lake at least a week to repair the and we then learned that there was bridge.
a very old man and his young son who found the pace of the party two fast for them. Sinoo they were so near the end of their journey, they decided to split into two groups so that those who stayed behind could tell the old man the good newa,
Motor Car In Ditch,
They then held 乩
A motor car, which, we under-1 stand, belongs to Dr. Farrying in a ditch ten feet deep, which ex- tended across the width of the road, inarked the end of our motor
Further down the road, we found journey. Here a large number of three dead boxes" on the road ears were parked, the passengers
crowd of Sanitary Board of which had gone on foot to wit- with ness the tragedy, news of which coolies resting by the roadside. In flared through the Colony yesterday their midst was a European taking down particulars of the gruesome morning.
contents of the boxes. We ques- Two very heavy planks ridged, tioned the European as to how many the hole, making it possible to get dead were extricated and learned on the other side of the gap. Along that since daylight four dead bodies
Inspection of the Track.
CANTON HARBOUR.
CANTON, April 20.
The deepening of. Canton harbour. at Honam Point and the reclamo- tion of a large portion of the river are progressing.
When completed, the area of land reclaimed will be 1,215.000 square feet. A certain portion of this aren will be used for shops, and wharves for the mooring of junks and small vessels will be construct- ed along the waterfront."
YOURA GULLER.
The steel-concrete bridge span- ning the Pearl River at Wai Sun Rond, which has been under con- struction for the past year or 60, is expected to he completed by the Mr. Walker said that on the Kow-end of this year. loon-Canton Railway there was a constant inspection of the track by plateiayers, whose duty it was to report anything wrong. In addition to that responsible engineers were constantly up and down the line in the rail-motor cortand in ́" pump trolleys," worked by coolies. There was no regular inspection of the track by European engineers at regular intervals, but in view of the work always going on such a precaution was unnecessary. The whole line was under constant care,
In the Rainy Season. Asked as to special precautions in weather, Mr. Walker said that all points about which any doubts rains started. For years they had were felt were watched when the
Tribute to the Sufferers.
SECOND PIANOFORTE
RECITAL.
1
Youra Guller, tall, slender red with wonderful hands whose move- hmired and, presumably, Russian,
ments about the keys are almost more fascinating that the music she draws from her instrument, has provided a memory which will not ensily be effaced.
Like Pavlova, Paderewski and Augustus John, Youra Guller. has something in herself which catches the imagination; one pinces her beside her art, distinct from it, tress, but its partner. neither its handmaid nor its mis-
the
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a man always on duty during the Hong Kong has not got an rainy season at No. 1 cutting at enviable réputation among Yaumati. The station masters had musicians and singers who stop here standing instructions to report on heavy rains.
their journeys; Hong Kong people have a habit of having pre- vious engagements which make at- tendance at a concert impossible, but there are a faithful few. Not a very large number attended Youra Guller's firat recital, bat they were so enthusiastic that they managed to persuade the pianist to play for them a second time. That in itself is a high tribute.
The second car was slightly tele scoped to the dining car but not to a very great extent, thereby spar ing the lives of the prasengers. The third car, which was built of ivood, bore the brunt of the colli sion and most of the fatalities were from this car.
Mr. Walker was warm in his half its length by the heavy steel
It was telescoped 10 praise of the two lads who were the last to be extricated-by amputa car in front which forced itself through the wooden partition and tion of the leg in each case. over the floor thereby pinning the s terrible to leave them last bodies of several persons under night, but at 2 a.m. no more could neath. It was impossible to recover fortable as possible and several be done. We made them as com- the bodies of some of the passen volunteers-St. John's Ambulance gers in this car until the wreckage men, I believe stayed to keep them had been partly cleared away..
company.
We saw three bodies in a terrible state of mutilation, all being pinned under the floor of the second ear, These unfortunate people had had no chance of escape as the car was a third class passenger car, and, due to the seating arranginent, thes must have been thrown on the foor with the first impact of the collision and in that position the ear in front, which telescoped into the third elnas carriage, crushed the lives out of their bodies.
Blood-spattered Car.
The blood-spattered car was lying at a steep angle, making the work of the rescuers hazardous. The in- terior of the car presented & shock- ing picture. The small part of the entirely cleared of the centre sents and at the front end was, a mass
the road one could see miles of had been removed from the debris, ear which had escaped damage was
age. A Terrible Sight.
"It
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Magnificent Work of Rezcurera, "As to the work of the rescue parties, police, firemen and those helping them. I have never seen. anything to magnificent, as the way those follows stuck it, hour after hour, without slackening. They had no food, but they just went on till every living person except these two lads had been got clear.
The second concert
WAR US
successful as the first and all who were present must feel a sense of gratitude to the pianist for having given them a chance to enjoy more of her exquisite music.
Programme.. The programme was as follows:- Two Sonatas (in G Minor and
I
C Major) .................. Scarlatti, La Tendre Nanette Couperin. Les Tourbillons ("Whirlpools")..... Dandrieu. Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor...... Bach-Liszt. Sonata in F Flat Minor......Chopin. (Grave, Scherzo, Marche Funebre, Presto.)
Chopin,
"One of the worst incidents that renain, in my mind, was a woman crying pitiably for help. But in the darkness we could not for n long time find out where she was Two Mazurkas But in the end, by means of jacks Dance of the Fire Worshippers...... Da Falla. we got the debris moved and re-
(By request.)
.................... Alboniz. leased her. And I should like to
(By request.) say something of the help that Mr. Arcully rendered, with his car, hour
Liszt. after hour, through all that dread-
Waltz Wo tried this morning to, ex-
padds field to the landward side and We proceeded further along the the sea comes up almost to the edge motor road and came to a point of debris at the front of which the ful time. of the road. At regular intervala, where it crossed tho train tracks there were small bridges in the and we left the motor road, which remains of three bodies were seen. road under which the water from Iran uphill, to, follow the railway. An arm and head of one of these tricato some of the bodies by saw- Shatin valley flowed to the sea, After about ten minutes walk along bodies, badly crushed, were showing fing the wooden coach in two, in usually in little streamlets. Tester the track we came to a very short near the centre of the car and lying the hope that the two parts would day, however, the water was gush- tunnel, Immediately we emerged next to it we could aco & partly fall apart, but this did not prove "It was the worst train smash ing underneath the bridges, one or from the tunnel, we saw the wreck buried torso. At the far side hang. successful.
ing, through a hole in the wooden two of which, while not actually
side of the wreck, was the crushed I have ever seen in my experience," head of another corpse.
said Mr. Walker. broken, were nevertheless cracked. A huge tree washed down from the
«The party I was with, that left The fourth car was partly on An astounding sight met our hillido lay under one of these
At first appearance the the tracks and bad received little here as soon as we got the news bridges, indicating the power which gaze. was behind the Bow of water at the damage did not appear to be very damage. The front of the car was had a very narrow escape, for we a closer examination slightly crushed as it was partly did not know that the Shatin Bridge but great height of the cloudburst.
After walking for about a mile showed the havoc that had been telescoped to the car in front. The had also gone, but, fortunately, we we came upon a number of Chinese wrought at the spot the previous last car of the train was the only were warned in time." villagers, sitting under the shade afternoon and the tremendous dam- one which wholly escaped damago of a large tree. There were about ago. that had been done At the and it was still standing on the a dozen people in all and they foot of a cliff,-locomotive was tracks
A relief engine had come up carried a good deal of luggage bering party on its side with its tween them. On the assumption nose nearly lying on the front part from the rear with an improvised that they were passengers from the of the dining car. The engine was medical car and this was used as ill-fated train, we spoke to them. ring about twenty feet away from held dressing station. The seats Our assumption proved correct and the main find and had completely had been hastily converted into they told us of the wonderful turned round with the cab point rough operating tables.
ing to the front-mute evidence of ! (Continued on Page 11.) Teseuo work done by those who
HE THE GOVERNOR VISITS THE SCENE.
Tango Mephisto
RICH RADIUM DEPOSIT. HUGE RESOURCES FOUND
IN CANADA.
Edmonton, April 16-The richest deposit of radium in the world Ges on the shores of the Great Bear Lake in the north-west territories, according to Dr. Allan, Head of the Department of Geology of the University of Alberta.
Analyses of pitch-blende samples indicate a richer content of radium than in ores from the Belgian Congo mines.
A substantial quantity, is being sent to Belgium for reduction, Until, the results of these investiga In the evening H.E. tifo Governor tions are available it will be impos (Sir William Feel) paid a visit to sible to form a practical estimate scene of the mishap, being of the value of the deposits at the escorted there by Mr. Walker, Great Bear Lake,
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