THE PONSONBY TRAMWAY FATALITY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 254, 24 October 1907, Page 5

THE PONSONBY TRAMWAY FATALITY.

!: CORONIAL INQUEST. I;: The adjourned inquiry into the death of Benjamin Robert Paul, who was killed by being run over by a car. in Pon-sonby-road on 16th October, was continued this morning before the Coronei (Mr T. Gresham). Mr Newton appeared for the Tramway Company, Mr J..R. Lundon for the relatives of the deceased, and Sergeant Hanson represented the police. James Robert Paul, brother of deceased, stated he was with deceased in a combination car travelling from Three Lamps to the city. Deceased got out at Crummer-road, witness going-on to the reservoir. There was nothing unusual in his brother's appearance ■when they were together. Witness went back to Crummer-road, and fonnd his brother under a combination tram on the line to Three Lamps, several persons trying to lift the car with a jack. His brother's head was projecting from the car in the direction of Crummer-road, but witness did not see the rest of. his body. About ten minutes elapsed after witness reached the car before his brother was released. The jack was -an eight-inch screw, and did not raise the car sufficiently to. enable deceased \o be taken out. Witness and several others raised the car bodily, and his brother was extricated. Had there been more jacks, deceased would not have been so long under the car. He was at once removed to Dr. Keith's residence, where he was attended to by Dr. Brockway. He died shortly afterwards. Witness was not certain from -which end of the car deceased alighted, but he thought that it was at the motonnan's platform. He did not know the number of the car under which deceased was lying. To Mr Lundon: His brother had just left off work, and, as far as witness could see, was perfectly sober. He told witness on the car that he had been laid up for a fortnight with influenza. Did you know that that had resulted in deafness?—l knew nothing about that. Were any of the cars blocked there provided with jacks?—l don't know; there was only the one jack there. John McKinven, a passenger on the car (No. 31) from town, stated that he was sitting on a Bandbox at the right hand side of the motonnan. After the car left the reservoir, he heard a bell ring from the back of the car. The motorman then turned the power off, as if to stop at Crummer-road, and was pulling up gently with the Drakes. Then witness heard tne motorman sound his gong four or six times, but did not himself , see anything in the way at first. Just afterwards he saw the deceased placing his foot close, or else right on, to the line.His back was turned towards the car witness was in, and he seemed to be standing Btill. He was struck on the left shoulder by the right-hand front corner of the car. The motorman shouted out just before the man was struck. The united efforts of those present were not sufficient to raise the car until the jack was procured. It was really the jack which lifted the car, and not the men. To Mr Newton: When he heard the motonnan's gong, another car passed going towards town. After they passed, witness turned his head to the right and saw the man, who was in such a position that he could not have seen the approaching car. The motorman was attending to his brakes, and there was nothing careless or negligent about his attitude. The speed was certainly not great, and witness considered that the motorman did all he could to stop the car. To Mr Lundon: Witness, being somewhat excited, did not feel the sensation' of the emergency brake being applied. After shutting off the power, he did not see the motorman do anything with his left hand, or touch the track brake. There were three cars blocked on the line from Three Lamps, and also some care from town behind the tram, in which witness was. He was positive that the car he was in (No. 31) had no jack,.nor had the first from Ponsonby. He did not know if any of the others had jacks, or where the jack which was available was procured from. About eight to ten minutes elapsed between the collision and the ertrication. (Continued on page 2.) t