TRAMWAY APPEAL BOARD.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14110, 1 August 1911, Page 4

TRAMWAY APPEAL BOARD.

A SITTING IN CHRISTCHURCH

Tho recently-constituted Tramway Appeal Board met for the first time ia Christchurch yesterday in tho Magistrate's Court. Mr H. W. Bishop, S.M.. presided, and with him were Mr Frank Thompson, general manager of the Tramway Board, and Mr James Young, secretary of tho Tramway Lmplovees* Union. Mr T ("• Russell appeared for tho Tramway Board, and Mr W. J. Hunter for the _ippollaii-s. . •\n appeal was made by Joseph Bertram Groves, a niotorman, against his dismissal on June 10th as tho result of a "head on" collision between a car driven by him and a sprinkler, on the Riccnrton lino, on May 27th. Tlie grounds of the anneal -veto that no blame was nH-.-h-.bb to appellant, hocau«e his car had right-of-way: tho rail wes creasy: his view was obstructed by .."cart"; he had '"obeyed the regulations regarding accidents, and that there was no" pic-nailing apparatus or man to warn him of tho presence of the sprinkler, as was usual on race dr.vs. ' Appellant's statement was to the effect that on May 27th he took a dinrhv car from Cathedral square at 10.52' a.m.. being started by the traffic manager, and given a special timc-tabU. slip. He had to pass a car at the Hospital, and another at Clyde road. He did not know there was a sprinkle.- on the line. At tho second bond past the cricket ground he cut of! power to pass a cart that was near the raits, but when ho drew level with tne vehicle he saw the snrinklor 50 yards away. Ho annlicd his first and second emergency -tons, but the car did notslow sufi.'.ieiitly. When the collision occurred witness's controller was at the fifth notch and on the reverse. The niotorman of the sprinkler, which was stationary, jumped off his platform. After witness was released from the Hospital he attended an enquiry at which Mr Frank Thompson, general manager, and Mr H. Browne, the traffic manager, were the judges. He was dismissed on Juno 10th. After the accident the car ran back about 50 yards. Cross-examined by Mr Russell, witness said his attention was rivetted on the cart, and he did not see the sprinkler. If he could have seen the sprinkler 250 yards away the accident might have been averted. Witness had been a. niotorman for seven or eight months. lie was not talking to the passengers or listening to their conversation. The cart had a round hood. Mr Hunter called Walter R. Anderson, who said he was sitting on the front seat of Graves's car. The sprinkler was about a chain and a half away when ho saw it. It was stationary. Graves seemed to shut off the power, work the air brake, and do something to the sand lever. Tho car slowed, but not much. Tlie driver was not on the sprinkler when the collision occurred. Witness jumped off. He saw Graves fall off just as tho ear started to move back after the collision. In witness's opinion, Graves did all in his power to avoid a collision. John Anderson, brother of the last witness, said he estimated that the sprinkler was about thirty yards away when he noticed it. If the sprinkler had been travelling at all in tho opposite direction thero would have bean hardly any impact. Graves appeared to stick to his post until ho was thrown out. There was a lot of traffic on the road at the time. Witness did not eeo the cart mentioned, but had heard tho gong ring. Robert Anderson gave similar evidence. Frederick Michim, conductor on Graves's car, said that Graves appeared to stagger out of the car. Witness stopped the car, which pulled up fairly ! easily. Frederick Peters, conductor on the sprinkler, said ho first saw the car when it was twenty or thirty yards away. What attracted his attention was the sprinkler stopping. Tho sprinkler was ! travelling at six or (seven miles an hour. Graves appeared to bo working the sand-lever with his fcot. Witness jumped off the sprinkler, and ran to tho front. Just before the collision Graves jumped off. Witness saw a. carrier's cart along the road. To Mr Russell: Witness judged the speed of the electric car when he first s_riv it at about twelve miles an hour. At this stage of the proceedings, tho Board adjourned till tho following morning, at 11 o'clock.