MOTOR FATALITY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 638, 15 October 1909, Page 7

MOTOR FATALITY.

,■■.,.!;•■.• ■■■: -;: :; r—'"T-*.' ./ , >.- -- ; .',' , AFTER MILITARY MAWEUYIJES. •;■ '..;.■■ ';• theinquest;: ;'■■.-'. : ' ' •■ EVIDENCE OF'THE DRIVER. '■-. ■■;•■■ (By .Telcgranh-Prees/ Association.)'' \ , "' ■" ' Chrlstcnurch; October 14, ~ An inquest, was! held'to-day, before Mr.'W> R. Hascldon,' coroner, and a jury, touching the dcotli of William OsWlJavitt,.the victim of the motor-car fatality on Wednesday afternoon. Mr. P. IC. Hunt appeared'for tiio rcla-> lives of the deceased, Mr. , J. D. Hall for thb : Defence Department, aud Mr. Bcswick watched tho proceedings on behalf of tho driver of, die car, W. A. Humphreys. Sub-Inspector M'drith conducted tho inquiry. \.. : .• . ■ Tho first witness, W.A. Humphreys, drirtr v mi? , satd tlio.fc on Wednesday ho was at i aldnurst attending military manoeuvres, ■ and was in charge of a motor-car. Ho was not a volunteer, but took his orders from tho volunteer officers. Witness was unable to define' hi*' position m regard to the Defence Department to the coroner' 6 eatiEfaction. '■'• ;• . . Mr. Hall explained that offers were made by various owners of motor-cars. Mr.' Humphreys: placed his, car at the disposal of tho Defence: Department for the conveyance of' troops <»•: and from tho minotuvrcs.' ■■.'' ..: ■.. ' ■■■'■ .Witness, 6aid ;, that the 'car-be- : longed to his fathor. Ho left Yaldhurst/for;' tho city between 3.30 and 4p.ni, approximately.' On the journey lip overtook several vehicles;, but ho did not remember passing anv-inotor-,cars. Ho travelled at -various speeds. The 1 capacity of tho car was 35 miles an hour/ , For . the flrsl part of the journey ho travelled at the ' rato of about 28 miles an hour. It might have been more or less. The; car- was a <15 h.p." Witness, was onttho'driver's'seat.enthe fight. Lieutenant Guthrio was onhis left, and Captain Salter was behind' aud Captain Favitt sat behind Lieutenant Guthric. Lieutenant Matthews sat on , tho floor;of the car .at th*' back. Witness was coining round a bend just past the Plough Inn, making for tho tramline on the left side of tho road when he ;found his car slipping away and skidding.' He did not know whether tho steering-gear wont ."wrong" or whether- there was a fl&t tyre. Ho ■tried -to right the•■ car, but got the two wheels, on the left-hand ■. side in the gutter. Ho could'not get the car out'ftf the gutter, before.it: hit-a tramway polo; Hβ' thought it~was the steoring gear at tho time, ■ but afterwards-he thought it was:a , fiat fyro. He struck tho post with' tho back of tho'cAry lhat was through trying'to slew out of thft' gutter. -. The car lost ,'a. '.backV wheel; 1 andswerved. He put, the" brake on ; and still tried to got the front wheel out of the gutter. Ho :: then etruclr tho next tramway $o\c- After ■', b* 1 struck the second poet ho found that Pavitt had fallen out. Witness,was.not;certain Whether he turned off the power after, tho car struck the.; first, ppot..' The .first '.shock , did not seem: very sovero to him. It tore, some'of the body away and .the back wheel whs injured. The ■ poles wore on the formed side 6f the gutter.^Aβ r soon as. tho, first impact occurred ho throw oiit'; the clutch, thus disconnecting tk? car engine, ' and put the foot-brake on. , Tho, poles about a chain and a half opart at this place:' Witness could not put on nil : th6'brakes as ho" liad to hold the steering gear.'and keep tho car' straight. The.speed diminished materially between ther posts, but the.foot-brake did'not;net' too well." The.car was going , 'about"SO miles per hour."wheu it struck the-first post.' , ; Ho', could not say what speed vhs :up.,when. ! he , ' struck' tho Avlicn .the'sbebnd- impact , , occurred,.the , car . turned, , over.Vand , thei ocoupants were thrown 'l out; .'Ho then' saw,"that deceased, was a .few": yards back,XSomo ' of. tho other cars were-on,tuo.'scone nye-or.siis" miniitos after the .accident;:. Thcro was ho'-tug-,. gestion or. intention- orracing'otall,; No'Ono, spolco' to .witness-about" tho ipaco'.ntiwiich l ' Kβ" was , , gbingi . Ho'had, taken-; only! , 6ne; or. tvr6 , drinks thatdajv, ''.■.■.•'•i,..- , .-.■-.;.■".-''.'.■■■ : -'- , - : .':' : .i\-'- ':"- v; .":

- liireply to 'Searchint; cross-examination, wit , ness said that he had four drinks of'beer, at Yaldhufst, only ono of them bciiig' taken on the occasion of .his second visiMabout'ls or. % minutes before, leaving, -for , .towii'.,' :'Ho:, : had: two drinks 'of; beer, in , towii ; during tho day, biie .at Ccker's .'and , . tho' ; Other '.' at : . the Clarendon. He : also: had- '.two • drinks.;;:f v;inc at .the Canterbury Club. '■ . ,' : ; ' . To Mr. Hunt: Witness xras' specially detailed by ;the' Defence Department' to taSe- troops out. . He did not have ithe; selection of pas-; .songcrs.-.The officers were.brought (n him b> , ;: Lieutenant-Colonel G. J. , Smith, , who' n'sked if h'ol , (j6nld'-itr'alf6'throe or. fonri offitstrs-'into tefrn. Witness did not stop on the way beforo tho accident. 'She slowed 'do.wn'- beforeV,eroding the/railway lino , at, Riccarton., He.Went.on to."the tramline becausd "•:rthp-,"car. ran more easily on tho line.'. The extra; .weight ,in : tho' back of. tho car, (three'men ■■instead :of two) would calico a slight difference ; in driving. As far-as he know,.'all. the.tyros were right ,ivhon he left Yaldhtirst. v .i '■ ■■■■ ■<■■ \'- ; -: -*h■''. • ■To Mr; -Beswick: Ho'had been driving the' car for more than 'a year. He came'idoWn. Riccarton Road nt. a slower jiace than he had driven on the Yaldhurst..Road. ■•'. - r ; ~•' To Mr. .Hall:'. About 80 or 90 per cent, of the motorists. used. the- tramline in preference to'--, the rood at this place. ■.■'';; " .; ! :, ?-.:'' Mr. Hall remarked that motorists aeed the, tramline ; befeaiife they', were'' leas likely .to indonvenienco other basscnKers.i The line was usually; watered,, ana' soless dust, was; raised.. . The traniliiio was - ginorally..better:.going.';, .' After , his, evidence >had been read over to him" witness said that, ho'',wishod to : «dd that, he had a small glass- of .beer at. the Bush ,Inn ; on '-h\s way.down about lla.m. i^... , Dr. Symos said'that he'had made an ex-, •feriinl examination of..the -body, of deceased., He found f. wound three inohes long on the: left 'temple' extending''inwards to ■ tho : left ■ temple hone, whioh was fractured j for about, two inches. 'The left hand-was lacerafed.,*. Hβ: attributed death : to conoiission, of the •Tho ; . wounds was' suffioieht, to '.■ cause ; instan- ; : tancous dfatli;' ■ '■; ■• ' k,.'. -.j.v --j ■„ Ti»-- inquest was ~ then;, adjourned ■ till:,- tea 'to-morrow. V'j''.^i c v ; V'!i ..■'■'■■■.■'■'\\ ■••'■' '■:'•.