At six o'clock each evening the Melbourne suburban trains a crowded with the workers who are hurrying home to their cosy fireside corners. In the misery of rain and cold wind last week the usual packed carriages of a Caul-field and Chelsea train conveyed the workers as far as the Caulfield junction station. Here a disruption of the service by "race specials" held the train up from proceeding to its destination. Through some, yet undiscovered, flaw in the systematic working of the signals or signal controllers an Oakleigh train, which had to pass through the same platform as the Chelsea train to continue to its destination west of the Chelsea line; failed to see any signal to stop, and the automatic cut off did not prevent it from entering the same section as the first train. Seeing the Chi train too late to prevent an accident the driver of the motor of the Oak-leigh train did all he could to mi mise the tragedy. Unfortunately it was beyond his power to do a great deal, the distance being too short to pull up all together, and the last carriages of the Chelsea train being of lighter calibre than those of the Oakleigh one they were telescoped and badly crushed, pinning the unlucky passengers" between steel and with falling glass.around them. Three Inds were killed, 28 people were badly injured mostly legs, thigh, or with "fractured As is not infrequent some of the victims of the accident were not reported as casualties until da ad passed. One lad, whose adopt-brother was killed, was in such 4 state of excitement and despair that he managed to reach his home in Chelsea, 10 miles from Caulfield, catching a following train to the former station and walking some distance home to his mother with a fractured thigh. The three lai who were killed all belonged to the little seaside suburb of Chelsea, and lived in the same street. The village was sleepless throughout the night and most of the inhabitants spent the night at the station awaiting news of the injured which the railway—department telephoned through from time to time. Parents and near relatives stayed at the various hospitals with the hurt, and it was an anxious night for the tiny town in which ever: soul is personally known to the other townspeople. The majority of vie~ tims were young people of Chelsea, from 15 to 20 years of age. They were all friends and made a practice of coming home together each night in carriages which were al ways approximate to one another. One girl of 16 although seriously hurt tried to cheer the other girls, and prevented them from hysteria cal screaming. One lad who died while the rescue work was in progress, begged that the ambulance men see to a friend first. {t would seem that for all that is said of the younger generations that when put to the test they prove true and loyal. The little girl of 15 who sacrificed herself for her two baby, sisters in the Bush fires at Noojee has been welcomed back to her home town, which is being re-built. It is feared that her sacrifice will not. and with her hours of torture and steadfastness in the flames, and an: effort is being made to raise some. capital to provide her an income] during her long years of inactivity og an invalid,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.