11 TRAM FATALITY.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 109, 8 May 1919, Page 8

11 TRAM FATALITY.

COLLEGE HILL ACCIDENT. ) CAI! LIKE -SAVING APPLIANCES. I'ORONKR'S INQUIRY. i The adjourned impiost into the death .j of 1 harlos W. I'olenian. the six year-old , boy who was killed by n tiamcar'on College Mill. Ponsonby. on .March -I, was r..-utile.l v ester,lav afternoon, before M ,-. ,' •'- E Wilson, S..M. Mr. .1. |(. Hoed. X.C.. represented tbe Auckland Electric ' j Tramways Co. and the niotorman (Mr. -V lla'l). Mr. Alan Moody watched ; j proceedings on behalf of relatives of the ; .l.vci-cl. Mr. S. 11. Agar, on behalf of the Public Works Department, and . s.-ni,„-.„.rgi'.-int L.-inig.in represented the ; police. j Dr. I'!. X. Drier, who had cvaminod the I body, had previously given evidence that j.loath tmi-t have been instantaneous, and the child 11111-t have 1 11 dragged along . tiie ground by tho sliding wheels nf tiie car. which appeared to have travelled 2:1 pi.cc- from the point whore the hoy was i-truck. ( ROS'SlN'd TIIK ROAD. K.-iin 11- Coleman, aged 11, sister of deceased, -aid she was cm-sing the street , in company with a younger sister and j her brother after waiting for an up-car 'tn pass- Deceased ran ahead, and was 1 -truck by a tram coming down the hill. j Witness bad tint noticed this car. as her 1 view was obscured by tile up-bound car. She did tint hear the' gong sounded. Her I brother was dragged down the hill for . some di-tanee. an.l came nut at the side \ toward- the tear of the ear. j Charles N'm-ri-, a motorman. -aid ho j was a passenger-on the tram, and-flo saw the boy run towards ihe front of the car, '.ut liis view was then cut nil", and he next saw the boy lying at tho left side of tho tails. The car was running at about 111 miles an hour, and there was no time to avoid the accident. Witness -aid 1,,. fell tho emergency brake- being put on. » Tlio coroner said the main point in the imptiry would be as to how far the life--living appliances on the cars wore efficient. Constable Devereux said he found the. body lying across the rails nnd about a car'- length behind tic car. All the . brakes were on ami the lifeguard was down. There was a di-tinct mark down tiie centre of tiie track, a- though the , bo.lv had I n dragged. WHEN FIRST SEKN" HY DRIVER. Motorman Hall said be lir-i saw the boy two yards in front of ihc car. and ' j there wiis ii.. time tn pull up. He applied the emergency brakes. The deceased was -truck by the left band side ~f the buffer. The car had been travelling about ten utiles an hour over Hie crest of | the bill, but tlii- -i d was being gradually reduced. When pa-sing the tip-ear lie -nun,led the gong two or three times. ] Tii .Mr. Moody: [[~ ,|i,l not ]„■;„■ the I lifeguard drop when the boy wa- hit. and j li" did not know In-fore ho pulled tho ear |up Hint the guard was down. Witness j expressed the opinion that the boy was : parllj carried by ihc guard and' thou ! thrown aside ~n tin- road. i Tin cm-,,ner. who had examined the car, | -tilted that if witness had looked under | tiie ear lie would have soon that the body | passed ur..ler the guard and was struck jby the un.lei'structurc of the ear To Mr. Heed: After tho accident ho had released the air brake and applied the ratchet brake, the car running on down the hill an.l leaving tho body some distance behind. George Zenovieh said ho was at the roar of tho car tit the time of the accident, but did not hoar the gong, though it might have boon sounded. EFFICIENCY* OF LIFEGUARD. Mr. Agar, at the coroner's renuesl X" vp '' vi,l "« 's to inspecting the c:u at lite barn, lie said there seemed lo bo a j few mark- on the left-hand side ~f the I trigger of the guard, which, he believed, I might have I n caused by contact with | tho body, but there was „",, mark on the | life-guard itself. There were traces of : contact itmi.-i- ihe t-ar on the brake- ! block an.l roar wheels of the left side. | From tests made on March S (he lifeguard wo.- in excellent order, although tb.- trigger, which should 1.0 4in. from 11m rail level, was ."in. high on one side and .""..tin. on tin- ..(her side. Hi-plying to .Mr. .Mooilv. witness said ibi.t if a per-..,, fell -~„:,.,-,• ..cross the rails t1,,. o,i:ir,i u„ulil pick him up perfoot ly. "■ To Mr. lioed: The form of guard used | was approved by the Public Works ! Depart men!. anil was of good typo, ]J ( . | suggested that nn extra safeguard would l.c afforded by which the motorman rould release tbe lifeguard. v - '"'■ -V Ilockl.-ind, motor inspector, • mployoil by (ho Tramways, said (hero | was in. more effieicnl lifeguard than that jon tii" Auckland cars. The guards wore ova mi nod nightly on return to tho barn. Ml- ni.i;,inn w.,s (hat 11,.- body did 11,.t "... under lii" car. as it could not possibly ! [have got out. again, ll was possible if vii- c.-itighl partly „n the guard and then ■. dragged along by I lie I,take gear and nxlo boxes ~f lb.- front bo"> |„.for<. being ; thrown out. Whins- s ,j,| t | lr , n .],,,,7, guard -uggosteil would he „o more cfToe | live, and would be dangerous, as it. would I t< "'" l I" lake Ihe iii,,t,it-man's attention : from hi- brakes, lie was sure (hat on .tin- occasion the guard dropped l-'nink K. ,!,. <:„0 r ,,.. r . ( .|,icf .. n „ inwr ,tn lie Irnmways Co.. M ],\ „„, i ir ,:„, llml i tlm world "'"* <i '" sta '" lard thron'gliout MOTORMAN EXONERATED. Tho coroner said ho would take time |to consider bis finding. T ,„ Ulnn ht po I blame would bo cast on tho motorman Iwho did all that could be expected i„' | tho circumstances. The , lwAi „„ ,„ ~i s ; Worships ii,mil was as t.. whether there I ought not io have been something which : would have prevented the fata lit v.