DANGEROUS CORNERS.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18152, 15 August 1924, Page 5

DANGEROUS CORNERS.

EVERYDAY THRILLS. ; Ihcrc is a very ordinary.looking cor- ' ncr in the oily, just outside the city j area, where a spectator can obtain as many thrills to the minute as arc good i for him. This is the intersection of Montreal street and Oxford terrace, on the way to the Hospital. The proximity of that institution should act as a warning to errant motorists and other vehicle drivers, but it does not. | Cars speed round the curve of the tcr- . race as it' there were no such thing in i the world as a cross-street, -while vehij eles amble quietly along Montreal street l and over the river bridge, without givi ing the slightest thought >;o the fact ' that thev are crossing an almost coni v : tinuous stream of traffic at right angles, j Within fire minutes at midday yes- ; tarday, "Roadster" yaw more narrow escapes from collision and more examples of bad driving than he saw in the centre of the city during the whole of the day. A big truck proceeding towards the city decided that the moment of reaching the corner was the moment to pass another and heavier truck going in the j same direction. Thev ran abreast for a few yards, leaving very little spneo ; at (lie intersection for another vehicle | to turn into the terrace from Montreal j street. Nothing happened, but the stage was all set for a nice little mixup, h:jd a fourth vehicle appeared.

Immediately the intersection was cleared a amrAl green car speeded along the terrace from town at the rate of fully 25 milc3 per hour. A horse and cart came out of Montreal• street, and the watcher found that he was holding his breath. The cart got across safn'y, but the car did not slacken speed. Instead, it turned to the left into Montreal street at 20 miles an hour. , The driver took the corner well, and altogether gave a good display of car management, but one hates to think what would have happened if there had been another vehicle round the corner, going t6*.v«-rds Oxford terrace, as anyone had the right to suppose there would be. The next actors in a near-tragedy were a horse express and a ear. The horse vehicle was coming out of Montreal street; the car was running smoothly along the terrace towards the Hospital. The driver of each vehicle saw the other, but the motorist did not accelerate and the horse driver did not deign to reduce his already slow rate of progress. Instead, each trusted to h'S judgment of pace aiid the judgment of each was proved to be bad. A3 the horse's head carrie out of Montreal street, it appeared certain that the car bonnet would just about hit the horse on the lower jaw. Still no one bothered, so implicit was the confidence of each driver in his own judgment —or perhaps the horse driver just murmured "Kismet," and believed that what was to be, was to be. The wind-Screen appeared to pas 3 under the horse's nose, and it then became certain even to the wooden-lieaded horseman that his animal would walk into the rear door of the car, so lie saved the situation by pulling the poor bruto so hard that it sat down on its haunches and the car .passed on. Let it not be thought that there was any excitement about the matter, for that would be doing, both drivers an injustice. The car driver did not at any time give the slightest sign that he was aware of the existence of a horse or cart in that portion of the city, and the horse driver was annoyed merely because he liad bad to take one hand out of his pocket to pull hard on the reins. It was just a case of waiting for the other fellow to get out of the way—an example of the kind of thing that is happening every day. Another bad corner is the rightrangle intersection of Manchester and Armagh streets. All day and every day, Sundays excepted, one can observe the Narrowest escapes, due to downright bdd driving, sheer recklessness, absoluto disregard for the rights and safety of others, or any ono of the many causes of accident. Tho danger threatening life and limb at this intersection is well known to the hundreds of workers who pass over it on their daily journeys to and from the city. Many busy people, who do not go to the movies, often pause a moment at the comer to enjoy a few thrills.

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A Bournemouth man, oil business in Cardiff, had a sudden attack of heart trouble. He called at the Cardiff station of the where the officials agreed to allow his heart beats to be broadcasted to the patient's doctor in Bournemouth. His. doctor was previously spoken to by tele phone, and agreed to listen-in during an> interval 11\ the programme. A microphone was placed against the man's breast, and the doctor at Bournemouth heard them distinctly. Knowing his patient, he was able at onceto diagnose the trouble and prescribe by telephone later.