TRAMWAY APPEAL BOARD.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14111, 2 August 1911, Page 2

TRAMWAY APPEAL BOARD.

* —- 4 THE COLLISION CASE.

The Tramway Appeal Board yesterday resumed its hearing of the appeal of Motorman Graves, against hie dismissal from the Tramway Board's service aa the result of a "head-on" collision on Riccarton road, between a car driven by him. and the large sprinkler, Mr H., W. Bishop, S.M.jjpresided, with him being Mr Frank Thompson, general manager of the Beard, and Mr Jas. Young, secretary of the Tramway Employees' Union. Mr T. G. Russell appeared for the Board, and Mr W. J. Hunter for appellant. Thomas Hasselhurst, a motorman, stated that he had found the controller on Graves'e car at the reverse. Witness wae driving the car that arrived on the scene iust after the accident, and although he saw the disabled car 200 yards away, he only pulled np in time. The greasy rail made it very difficult to stop, witness having to use the reverse. Witness felt that the eand gear on his car Had failed to operate. Alfred Clark Napier, who had had ™£ fw r li. expe "1 n , oe , as 8 motorman, said that the sprinkler had four motors r h j"? a 5 a , di . n S h y h ad only two. If & J£«iin» mc c s P" n W«r, ana sudTh? M i ha J«I the sprinkler.' peSSri. «***»<» for the apMr Russell called— John Blaekburno, traffic insrx?etor who proceeded to the scene oTlfclS <Wn by the last wiia sai^°t)^J there was no reason why a man who *aw an object 240 yards away fi hould not be able to pull up, no matter what tne conditions were. # Thomas William Richardson, motor inspector, gavo evidence that the water on the road showed that the sDrinkler had gone back fourteen yards after the impact. A service 'stop easily 250 yards away. A service etop could be made in 35 yards. To Mr Hunter: Graves was as good a motorman as the majority. William Dick, traffic inspector, also gave evidence. James Taylor, motormnu, of the sprinkler, said he saw Graves's car coming 2-50 yards away. When Graves was about the distance of four poles away, witness shifted hie key to l>o ready to reverse, and then fie gave tho car power. "In his hurry to get out of the way. ho turned the controller round one notch too many, and had no l>ower left. Witness did not see a carrier's cart come up. To Mr Hunter: Graves appeared to be watching two racehorses on the road. Witness did not put on the brake until after the accident. It was impossible that he was reversing with the brake on. The switch blew out because witness let the current in too quickly. Harloe Thompson, foreman of the tram-way car-shed, read the record sheet, which showed thst at 9.4 a.m. on the day of the accident, No. 1 car (Gravee's was "O.K.' r —in other words, in good working order. On tno Monday after the accident the car was I tested from the other end, and the j brakes were fonnd to b© in good order. ! To Mr Hunter: It was possible that Johnston, who brought the car from Sumner before Graves used it, haa been careless in filling tho form in as ,; OJK." Aynesley Chester, foreman of the night shift at the car-ehed, also gave evidence.

William McKay gave expert evidence as to the gear. H. do Courcey Brown, traffic manager, gave evidence as to improvements recently effected in the control of the traffic. Graves should have Been the i sprinkler at 200 yards distance. I Cyrus Williams, engineer, gave evidence as to the tests made with No. I car. Travelling at 10 miles an hour it took 33 feet to pull up tho car, at 17.8 miles 131 feet, and at 16.8 miles, -with the rails oiled, ajO feet. William M. Nelson, the Tramway Board's engineer, waa with the previous witness when the tests were and, their records were practically the same. There was no further evidence. After a retirement! of about ten minutes, the Chairman announced that it had been decided to dismiss tho appeal. In refusing Mr Russell's application for costs, Mr Bishop said the case was the first that had come before the Board. He commented on the anrcable manner in which proceedings had been conducted, and remarked that Mr Hunter had_ made out as strong a case as was possible for the Union.