23

V.— 7

towards him. I would not be in his way while he was signalling. I was standing a few feet off the train—it might have been 3 ft. or 4 ft. lam certain I was not in the guard's way. I moved in a little towards the carriage after the brakes were put on. I just looked at the brake for my own curiosity. I deliberately looked at them. I intentionally did so. When the brakes came off I could not say for certain how far they came off—it might have been \ in. or 1 in. I saw them come off \ in. and I was satisfied. I could not see the brake-blocks on other side of carriage. After I saw brake-test applied I got in the van. Kingdon was in there, and Guard Lowe and Dwyer got in afterwards. Kingdon was sitting in the van on opposite side to hand-brake. I cannot say whether Lowe or Dwyer came in first after me. No one else was in van except the four of us from the time we left until time of accident. I saw only luggage van. I never noticed the dial of the gauge. The first stop was at Ngatira. I could not say if Westinghouse brake was applied there. I was getting luggage ready for stations—for Ngatira. The others were, I think, sitting down. We might have moved on a couple of times —for vwater, for instance. I remember moving on once. I did not go out of the van and did not notice anything particular. She stopped and afterwards moved on about 2 ft. Ido not remember if the whistle popped. Then we started up the incline. Ido not know the road. We were all four sitting down talking. We were not having a game of cards. When we stopped no remark was made by any one as to cause of stoppage. Nobody- moved or went out. We may have remained stationary five minutes or it may have been ten minutes, and then started to go back. Dwyer was sitting next the brake and I was next to him. I felt the motion of the train going backwards very slightly. After we had been stationary for a time —perhaps five minutes—l noticed the dial. I noticed it was 30 lb. to 35 lb. The hand was at 301b. to 35 Ib. There is just one long hand on the dial. The colour is black. Looking at the dial you see numbers showing pressure and a hand on indicator. The hand was at 30 or 35. I made no remark when I noticed that. After a bit the air started to go out of the dial ;it seemed to exhaust itself in a minute. I have never noticed what the dial shows when the train is brought to a standstill. I have no knowledge of the Westinghouse brake. When I saw the dial at 30 or 35 I did not know what, it meant. I watched it because the air was escaping all the time—the air was leaving the pipe. I noticed the hand dropping slowly. It only seemed a few seconds before it came right down to zero. When she got to zero the train started to move. Dwyer drew Guard Lowe's attention to the air escaping. He pointed to the dial, but lam not certain what he said. lam not certain whether he pointed. He drew Lowe's attention to it either by pointing or by word. I say so because I saw Lowe look up. That was before the train began to move backwards. Guard Lowe looked up and said nothing. Dwyer put the hand-brake on, and Lowe said it did not matter about putting the brake on. Dwyer gave it two or three turns and stopped because of what Lowe said. Then the indicator went down to zero. It was not down to zero when Dwyer turned the brake. When he did so the hand had about 5 lb. to go. Zero is down to nought. I do not know what the next number is in the ascending scale. When it begins to rise I do not know what is the next number. When Dwyer first moved the brake the train had not begun to move and the indicator had about 5 lb. to go. Lowe said to Dwyer, " Never mind; it 's all right," and Dwyer stopped putting the brake on, and the indicator went down to zero and the train began to move. The train might have been running about a minute backwards when I heard whistles. Lowe pulled the Westinghouse tap down and I heard no sound. Then he applied the hand-brake in the van. Lowe and Dwyer together screwed it tight. Lowe screwed it tight, and then both together screwed it tighter. The train was gaining speed. Lowe went through and applied the brake on passenger-carriage and came back again. He went out on to the platform of the van at rear to see where he was. The speed was increasing all the time. I think it was Kingdon passed a remark. He reckoned it was all up with vs —that we were going to destruction. That was all the conversation I heard. We were all alarmed. The speed increased and we were expecting every moment to come off the line. Lowe made no remark when he turned the Westinghouse tap. I could not, say whether brakes were on when we started to move. Just before we moved I did not notice any bump. We started off very slowly. When we pulled up on the incline I did not hear any brakes go on. They might have gone on very quietly and _ did not hear them. I am in the habit of hearing the sound of Westinghouse brake being applied. lam accustomed to it. I did not hear it applied before the train started back. While the van was stationary we were sitting down. We were talking, I think, but what the subject was I have forgotten. When the train started to go back I had no apprehension of danger. I thought there might be danger when she gathered speed. That was after the whistle for brakes. We might have been moving a minute before I heard the whistles for brakes. I had no conversation with Cooper or Taylor after the accident. I was hurt and taken to Sanatorium at Rotorua. On the way there I spoke to no one. Ido not think I have talked to them since. Taylor came round to see how I was getting on, and we talked over the whole thing. He talked about our health and how we were buried in the wreckage. There was no talk of any kind at any time as to how the train got away. I had a conversation with Dwyer only as to the cause of the accident. I was with Dwyer in the same room at Sanatorium. * Dwyer told me the cause was due to one of the engines breaking down. While I was at Rotorua Sanatorium Mr. Harris (Stationmaster) and Fireman Pee saw us, and Taylor saw us when we were able to get out on the verandah. Only Dwyer and I talked of cause of accident. When we were lying among the wreckage the passengers, or some one, said the engines had been disconnected. I can just remember talking to some one on the Sunday morning, but whether it was to a policeman or a solicitor I do not know. I never noticed if my statement was written down. There were two persons. It might have been a newspaper reporter I spoke to. That is the only statement I made that I know of. I could not say if it was written down or not. I have not, talked to any one but Dwyer as to how the accident came about. I told the Coroner what I had noticed about the gauge. He was the first, one I told. He put a question to me about it. I did not volunteer the statement. I remembered that through the accident. T have generally noticed