I.—6a.

74

[t. a. foweraker.

120. What is the maximum speed at that part of the road : xvhat is the driver allowed to run at? —I believe the time-table says twenty-five or thirty miles an hour. Whether there is any restriction back there I could not say. 121. If a driver xvere running at twenty-five miles an hour on a portion of the road where he was allowed to run thirty, xvould you consider he was running cautiously?—ln clear weather. 122. You have said that you would not consider a driver xvas running cautiously if he were running fifteen miles an hour? —I xvould not if he xvas in a dense fog in that locality. Fifteen miles an hour in that particular locality I would not consider cautious running. 123. At which part of the grade do you think he should have reduced speed to fifteen miles an hour? —Right from Titirangi crossing. 124. Practically xvhat you call the bottom of the grade?— Yes. 125. I meant, in running down the hill long before that. You think that if he had brought his speed down to fifteen miles an hour at Titirangi crossing he would have been running cautiously?—He xvould be running cautiously going down the bill at fifteen miles an hour. 126. You would only expect him to reduce speed further after ho got to that point?— That is so. 127. You heard Driver Bennies evidence when ho said that he pulled ahead and stood for three or four minutes waiting for a signal to come back, and you also hoard Porter Beary's evidence? —T did not hear Porter Beary's evidence. 128. Porter Beary gave evidence, but unfortunately ho is not at this inquiry. The driver could not get a signal to come back : you know that? —No, Ido not. T have not shunted a train round that bend. 129. You were here when Driver Bennie gave his evidence, were you not?— Yes. T know xvhat he said. 130. He stated that ho stood waiting for three or four minutes for a signal to come back and could not get it; yet you heard Mr. Mortimer, the tablet-porter, state that ho could see 200 or 300 yards. How can you reconcile those txvo statements? —Tho driver, as he says, was round a corner, and Mr. Mortimer could see tho semaphore in a straight line. Driver Bennie could not see on account of the bend in the train, I understand. 131. Trie man who shunted him said that he could see the engine?—He could see certain parts of the engine, but not the driver. 132. Yet he could not get the signal?—l could not say anything in regard to that. T have not shunted a train there. 133. You xvill admit, I suppose, that there is a discrepancy between the two men's evidence? —No, certainly not. There is no discrepancy at all that I can see. 134. How do you account for the difficulty in getting that train back once it had pulled ahead?—Oxving to the bond and the twist of the train. 135. But it was a common thing to shunt the train like that?—l cannot say anything about that. I have not been there at the shunting of the particular train. 136. You can offer no explanation why this train stood for three or four minutes?— No. 137. You see trains entering stations xvhero they are crossing, do you not?— Yes. 138. And you have noted the speed of them xvhen entering those stations? —Yes, occasionally. 130. Do you think that all those trains that you see entering crossing-places could, if necessary, stop xvith a hand-brake?—lt all depends on circumstances—what station it is. 140. And the speed?— And the speed. 141. Do you think they have sufficiently reduced their speed to stop clear of any obstruction on the line? —Yes, as far as I am aware. 142. Have you ever stood hero at tho Wellington Station and seen the trains coming in from the Wairarapa?—l may hay could not say. 143. Mr. McVilly.] Regarding the time that No. 5 is stated to have stood at tin bridge, the train journal shoxvs that No. 5 arrived at Now Lynn at 6.44 and that No. 6 arrived there at 6.48: that is a total .of four minutes' interval betxveen those txvo trains. Tn that four minutes No. 5 had to pull up and take water at the tank, and other operations. T suppose, were performed before the driver drew doxvn. Did you hear Driver Bennio say that ho admitted the accuracy of the times shown in the train-book? —Yes. 144. Did he not also admit that under those circumstances ho could not have stood three or four minutes? —That is so. I 15. With your knowledge of the deception of time, do pou think it possible or probable that bo stood there three or four, minutes on the main line waiting for a signal?—No, certainly not. I reckon that he would not stand there more than one minute. 146. From your experience as a railway man. if you ask a man how long ho thinks ho has stood there and you put the watch against him. hoxv many men could tell you? -Very few. 147. In a case of this kind, then, whore a collision occurs, the tendency would bo for tho driver of No. sto be out in his reckoning as to the time ho stood there? Certainly. 148. In view of Driver Bennies statement and what T told you just now, do you consider that No. 5 stood an undue length of time on that main line after she pulled ahead? —No, I do not. 110. Noxv, Rul, 148 (h) does not apply to New Lvnn, does it? —No. 150. "A list of names and addresses of fog-signalmen, showing the post to xvhich each man is appointed, must be kept exhibited in a conspicuous place in tho Stationmaster's office and signal-box." Assuming that there was no such list there, you would expect tho signalman to comply with Rule 155, you say, in case of a dense fog?— Certainly. 151. You xx'ould not consider it necessary, xvould you, in a case whero the signalman could see 330 yards?—No, certainly not.