STREET COLLISION.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 159, 30 March 1908, Page 7

STREET COLLISION.

TBAMCAR AND STEAM WAGON. SENSATIONAL ACCIDENT AT COURTENAY PLACE. MOTORMAN SERIOUSLY INJURED. ,•! ~;A . most ; extraordinary accident ocourrcd ,in. Courtenay Placoy between .0 a.m. and • ..,9.30 . a.m.- oil Saturday, - which : resulted in . '.. serious, injuries to a tramway .motorman -named. Frank Barton, and to Mr. T. ,W. ;i.v-.'..-iynung,--tho well-known wine and spirit mer- - , chant.), • v.! ."A l , palaco ear. was -proceeding, along Cour- :.- :• -tonay. Place towards the city,- at a paco of ■■■•' tin to twelve .miles an, hour, when- in .. . " crossing', tho Tory. Street .intersection it col- ■■'.■■. lided with terrific forco with the Stato Coal , ■ Department's "Straker" steam wagon, that , was crossing Courtonay Placo from Lower to Upper Tory Street ■ '■Tho l oar- struck' tho M Slraker '.' about six 'f feet ' from its ■ tail-board/ showing/that tho ; wagon, .which us abouti eighteen feet-in ■ length, had nearly crossed tho second track v- .-.whonvtho ,collision occurred; Trifling, dam- • v>iago : was'-sUstftined-'by the -waggon, but tho ' - front apron'of't|io car: was crushed right-in,. 'tho displaced. controller pinning, tho unfor- ' tunate motorman lo the partition, and considerable difficulty, was. experienced in ex- • --'tncating : him -frdni th<Simass of'twisted iron, splintered .wood,; and 'shattered glass.. v ':.'rjliam 4 Craig, ,tho .driver.! of, the" wagon (who was knocked out of hisicab impact), -assisted'to-release the - motorman> ;who was \/r-ihen placed on an ambulanco and removcd • > v to --tho Hospital." It was afterwards asccr- ; . : .-tained v that 'hohad sustained a fractured . . pelvis and internal injuries that might prove ■, ■-. serious./-' Illresponso. ?to an inquiry vyester- :■;*';' day aftornoon, Dr.- Ewart < said that.- Barton, • ■ though;. suffering . great was -, 'doing as / well :as;Could be expected. He ,liad hopes ■ that ■■pio 'injured -man. would pull through., 'steam wagon rums 'amok.

. v To Toleaseitho. two. vehicles, tho car -was pushed' back by the* crowd which! had as- ' : Bombled on the scene. Freed of tho oar the ; wagon vvyent ■ ahead > • and knocked ( down> Mr. J ,/W. Young, who was watching the opera-, tions, •and" then,; making straight, for Cor- '' ■■ ■" nOal's- tobacconist's -shop, iti knocked over a • ■stout' cist-iron -water' standard, a cast-iron : . electric power i feeder pillar,' and a verandah .v post,- ending :'its wild < charge-.-. by . smashing :■ into' the shop windowr- 'As : soon .as lie saw 'aisvw-agon Was under, way againy Craig went. ' • • - ifter'it,* find hopped 'into tho' cab and shut off steajn just' as it' Was sweeping all before it. jAt the timo of the accident tho wagon i had a loul: of ooal, consisting of three tons . - ■: of'bagged slaok,' a'good" bit: of which-became ; ; 05!K^i^d*overV^e'r6ad'.and"sidewalk outside 1 Corneal's shop. / ' WAGON DRIVER'S STORY. ''According/ to the driver of, the. motor wag-gony-'Wm:-Craig, of Petone, the yehiclc was ! proceeding.'along Lower Tory Street laden "with coal,! aiidi whon approaching Courtonay •.- - Placor - tho t-drfver - saw-; a-..-tramcar ./.coming. along:-from Manners - Street, and cased, up. When the'car had passed the wagon went ' - ahead,*, but 'as soon, as. it: got- on the - tram. .'.rails. car ap- : :i proaching -from th-.'dlreotion'- or' Cambridge - Ttarracd;:- Tho'brakes of tho car wore/ on, ' 'bat tho car was skidding towards tho wagon, vi-. K The:i,tr(»mpßtruck ;^the,. hind, wheel ,of the ■ wagon, :.the"impaot " throwing : the> driver off ■ • ■ just after, he had Shut off tho 1 steam. \Craig , 'got up and .tried to 'releaSo the mOtorman, ,t. who Was jammed'between tho side.of the car '•). • •i he was.unable to do, »>•*••.? but-with,.tho' aid of a screw-jack and another ■■■■<■ : car' th^ 1 -damaged: tram ips t removed. ~ As (• ; - tho car,-was drawn. away, the wagon; started, and ran ihtoia-section' box atetho ■ corner of' Tory Street, 1 and ion to - the, foot--path; .Tho wagoner "Was: then at; the tram- < car', : but on seeing his vehicle under way got ; , on to 1 tho wagon and found a piece of wood .-. eevoral ■ feet long, presumably wreckage from i! '/ thevoar,-.. jammed' through the throttle valvo. Tlie' car -being,, pulled back ' had' apparently. ■ :' turned .the: steam .on .slightly,-. The- driver .- was 'unable 'to turn the Bteam .off.until-.he : , reversed-tho gear, and removed-the obstruc- ■' tion irom the throttle. Craig was■ not awaro that the car was. approaching until ,he was on the line. •- \ DANCERI

When it was seen , that the feeder T box - was carried away, some mon, in clearing >. • away;-tho,'wreckage, s began 'to remove: the i pillar-with'a crowbar, and 1 continued ;to do , sojuntiliwarnedi of -ai possible[ dangor by one- .. of tho..crowd.,, Then someone considerately . secured a - card labelled■>Danger,", and placed-it in tho feeder-box;to remind peoplo-that-there is sudden death attached to mod-. *:■ dlmg'With higli-voltago wires. Itwas after- , . wards/ learned that these'were, power .wires .; •' : • that had not yet been, connected up - with' • : ihe'power-house. ■-. If they had 'been- alive the • danger would have been a'serious one. . : ..vMr/,:Stewart Richardson' (clectncal engineer) when seen by a . Dominion reporter, ,rehearsed the above facts; but stated : that- , ho oould'not say who was to blamo for the ;;..'; 1 7// T hadvhMri'a/motorman/for -■ »ilong:-timo, and was a: ".good record" man. ' , da'mage to vehicles; The car was badly smashed about the b jlront pby;Vtho'J:'impact["all;the-brakes,' the' controller, etc., 'being thrown* out of gear, r -'. "' which 'will necessitate.a few. days in. tho re- - pairing shop.;lt- is-said ;to-be ono, of the cars the Tmakori Road- colli-' '. sion'of a fortnight'ago.'' 7/'"' :'; . - The " Straker " wai injured very slightly. K':.' Beyond ,-a feiv scratches, the only visible ■ - ;damage was' the broken 'cart-iron shield :that . - .. . covcrs tho pumping gear au -the side, of-tho ••••.' wagon. It' was . really, wonderfuK to note -.i what, little - outward damage it had sus--1 iamed. - ' > ; ' MR, YOUNC'S INJURIES; > .. .. .Mr; T.< W. -Young's :right foot-was badly, ' i whbel of the ivagon Ipassing '; ; ; >yir, it just after it' was. released from the -. ear.'' Several small bones were broken, and ; ' ■;. --.Mr'.;.'Young,' who : is'\a man .well oh in years, ' 'received; a;'considerable shock... Hoi is being attended v by. his son,- Dr., Young, who rc- -:■ ported - yesterday, that his father was. doing " splendidly, under the circumstances. An eye-witness states that his attention wns drawn to the - affair 'by tho furious ' ' :,i -'gonging" of the motorman las his car came •along Courtenny Place, indicating that ho jaw A- possible danger. :Ho put on tho - • brakes; but the ' car. skidded., into the -■ ~. ffagon. ■ ■ An inquiry into tho accident, will be - hold the-tramway authorities.