THE WALLOWAY DISASTER November 19-11 - 1901 The train sped into the darkness,That was black as the depth of hell, And the driver blinded by lightning flash,The road could scarcely tell. We're booked to cross at Walloway,O God! what an awful night, The rails are greasy, the bank is steep, And there's never a sign of a light. !Pull up! Pull up! Good God! We've passed, And Haines is nearly due !' Brave Eager struggled his train to stop, But madly on she flew. Hang out your lamps, what puny lights, On such a night as this, For a curve is lying between the trains, As along the wood they hiss. With a roar like thunder, they come, they come, Till they met with a shuddering crash, O God above! what an awful sight, Is a midnight Railway smash. Poor Eager lies dead, with his brake in hand, And Brodie is pinned below,With his leg cut off by the shattered wreck, And stunned by the awful blow. Poor Pennington is badly hurt, And scalded by the steam, While Haines knows nothing so dazed is he, That it seems like a hideous dream. They sent for assistance, it was miles away, And Brodie was dying fast, Oh, say good bye to my darling wife, For I soon must breathe my last. They laid him down for his short young life Had ended at duty's call: Then they brought him home to his weeping wife O God; protect us all. Think of the cry of the widowed wife, Think of the orphans call, Think of the mothers who loudly wail, For their darling sons who fall. Heaven protect us from a death like this, On a dark and dreary night, Out on a plain in a lonely land, With never a friendly light. Out of your sorrow, be kind, be kind, And pray for guidance from heaven above To the sufferers with weary load, To the men of the Iron Road. Supplied by A. Garvie, Tailem Bend.. The folowing from The Belalie Stationmaster: The loco's involved in the Walloway Accident were the NG Y-class No's 76 &96. 76 traveling home from Terowie to Quorn Fireman died 2 hours anfter having his left leg amputated by the cab in the collision. Y96 was also working home from Quorn to Petersburg, having it's fireman killed supossidly during impact just an engines lenght north of the Walloway bridge. Many thanks to all concerned for supplying this information from The EX Stationmaster Peterborough. R.V.S