THE MOTOR ENGINE FATALITY

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 149, 21 December 1906, Page 3

THE MOTOR ENGINE FATALITY

THE RESUMPTION OP THE JN- "~ QUEST. ACCOUNTS OF EYE WITNESSES. The enquiry into the circumstances EurrOunding the death of Mrs. W. C. Kensington who was killed by the motor fire engine on Monday afternoon, ' Vas- continued before the District Coroner (Mr. James Ashcroft) in the Magistrate's Court after we went to press yesterday afternoon. Mr. A. M. Samuel was foreman of the jury. Mr. M. Myers represented the police and conducted the examination of their -witnesses. Sir. O'Shea Watched the proceedings on behalf of the "City Corporation. Tho Mayor (Hon. T. W. Hislop) was also present during the afternoon. Robert Kennedy, who was under examination when we went to press, stated further that he did not see any of the three ladies walk back towards the footpath, but there seemed to be a slight hesitancy on their part at the critical moment. He was of opinion that the speed of the car was decreased between the point at which he first saw it and the scene of the accident, otherwise the motor could not have negotiated the corner. He believed the speed was much greater than lour miles an hour in turning the corner. The corner formed an acute angle and in view of the dangerous locality he was reluctantly compelled to express the opinion that the car was not proceeding at a safe pace when Mrs. Kensington was killed. To Mr. O'Shea the witness said he must contradict the four men on the car if they said Mrs. Kensington made any attempt to go backward or forward. Tho only movement she made was to half turn round. In regard to the speed at which the engine was travelling, Mr. Kennedy would not say ifc was going faster than the, ordinary speed of the horse engine. He did not notice the motor engine take a sweep into the middle of Lambton-quay in order to negotiate the corner. He could not say if the engine backed and filled to avoid a collision with the ladies. At this stage an adjournment was taken to enable the coroner, jury and counsel to inspect the motor fire engine and see for themselves the speed at which the engine took the corner on the fateful afternoon and its position immediately after the accident. This part of the proceedings was viewed by a large and interested crowd of people. A SPEED EXPERT. On resuming, Robert Henry Davenport, plumber, of Tinakori-road, said he saw the accident. At the time he was on Lambton-quay going northwards, and •was about 35 or 40 yards past- Bowenstreet. The ringing of the bell caused him to turn round when the car was opposite Warnock and Adkin's. He would say that the speed of the car at the demonstration that afternoon was much slower than on Monday, when he did not remember the speed being reduced at the corner as it was to-day. The speed in taking the corner was much faster on Monday. As a mechanic and old runner he knew something about speed, both practical and theoretical. In 'his opinion the speed of the car on Monday was between twenty and twenty -five s miles an honr, even when taking the corner immediately prior to the accident. He did not think the speed was undue if the engine had continued along the quay. Cross-examined by Mr. O'Shea witness said that when the car turned the corner at a speed of twenty-five miles an hour it did not so far as he observed go round the comer on one wheel — the four wheels were on the ground. Witness made no response when asked to reconcile his statements that he knew something about speed, and that the engine did not slacken its speed in taking the corner into Bowen-street. ■ AXOTHER EYE-WITNESS. David Theodore Charles Innes, a clerk in the Audit Office, said he had had an absolutely clear and uninterrupted view •f the accident from the second floor of the Government Buildings. He first saw the car a little above Dunbar Sloane's chop, and looked to see if anybody was at the corner. From his point of view the three ladies were apparently on the edge of the wood blocking. After, ■wards they were about sir feet off the path, and the engine appeared to turn straight at them. Mrs. Kensington then turned and seemed to step back, or she might have been poahed back by her daughters. She was then struck down. He should say the speed at the demonstration that day was not as fast as on the occasion of the accident. The car to-day appeared to take a wider sweep at the crossing. Also the car on the Monday did not slow up so soon. To his mind the car was travelling on Monday at twelve to fourteen miles an hour (it might have been more) up to the Chinaman's shop and then-' the driver slowed down, probably to ten miles. He did not consider the speed at which the corner was taken to-day a safe one, fire or no fire. On the former occasion on Monday when he saw the engine it took the corner so sharply that had any one been standing on the curb they would have stood a chance of being knocked over. Questioned by Mr. O'Shea, witness said in his opinion a car should take a wide sweep in turning such a corner in order to give the driver a view up the street. He thought the car stopped shorter today than it did on "Monday, and that it took a greater sweep He swore that the ladies did not see-saw across the street. He was absolutely sure. Other witnesses who said otherwise were mistaken. Re-examined, witness explained that when he said Mm. Kensington stepped back he meant she went up Bowen-street, and not back towards Quinton's corner. MORE ABOUT SPEED. John Boyd, a chimney-sweep, who had been in company with the former witness Davenport, gave his version of the approach of tho motor engine, and the subsequent accident. He thought the engine, travelled at a greater speed on Monday than that of to-day, and it turned the corner at such a speed that it would have been impossible for any one on the crossing to have escaped being knocked down, Because they would naturally fcavo thought the motor would continue along the quay. He thought the car waa travelling between eighteen and twenty miles an hoar when it approached along the quay, and it did not blacken speed at the corner. He did not know why the car did not overturn in taking the corner at such a speed. Mr. O'Shea : The car took this sharp corner, at twenty miles an hour without slackening speed at all? — Yes. Did it go through the Government House fence opposite T— No. - THE DRIVER'S STORY. Palmer Otto Spry, a motor engineer, Mid he was the driver of the corporation firo engine. He had held that job since the 26th October last. Tho maximum speed obtainable on that car was twenty-five miles an hour. That was the theoretical speed, but it was very rarely the car attained it. It might do 90 coming down Cuba-street, for instance, but not going up. When going to a fire ho travelled as fast a» he could .without taking undue risks. By that

he meant risk to life and property as well as to the engine. The fastest speed he had ever got out of the car was on one occasion along Kent-terrace, when ho travelled at about 20 to 21 miles an hour. On Monday last ho passed Quinton's corner several times m going to the fire in the Botanical Gardens. He left the station on tho 'last occasion at 4.36 p.m. He estimated that the outside speed he attained anywhere along Lamb-ton-quay was 14 or 15 miles an hour. He did not consider the turning at Quinton's corner into Bowen-street waa dangerous ; ihere were others much worse. Ho considered ho would be quite safe to take Quinton's corner at 8 miles an hour. Ifc might be done at 9 miles an hour, but ho would not like to try it. He first saw tho ladies about 30 or 40 yards before he slo-wed down for the corner. They were then in the middle of the road. Mr. Myfs?=M yfs?= JJ f ,^' ou tke ladies in tho middle of the load about 30 or 40 yards off how do you account for running them down?— lf the ladies had continued on or stayed where they \vere I should have cleared them. When they hesitated and turned to go back my only clear course was to go at tho back of the ladies, sharp round the corner. I was not to know how they were going, and they blocked my course, and I had to swerve my wheel. At the time I first slewed the wheel I jammed on the brakes, but I was not able to stop the car in time to prevent an accident Continuing, witness said his speed at the time of taking the coiner was not above 8 miles an hour. He would say that from 4 to 6 miles an hour would be a safe speed for an ordinary motor car to take Quinton's corner. In reply to the coroner, the witness said his instructions on taking charge of the engine were to get to a fire as quickly as possible, but rather to lose a minute than not get there at all— to avoid a breakdown. j To Mr. O'Shea : Witness said ho had a clear road up Bowen-street on Monday afternoon in the direction he took. When the ladies hesitated and made a step to and fro they blocked his road, and he absolutely conld not prevent the collision. He* could not avoid the accident, and if the same circumstances occurred to-morrow he could only do what he had done then. To Mr. Myers: He really thought that j if the ladies had remained where they were or continued on their forward course there would have been no accident. He did not think it would have made any difference if ho Bad taken the corner at four miles an hour instead of eight. ANOTHER EYE-WITNESS. George Nash, a dairyman, living at Wadestown, and an eye-witness of the accident, described the speed of the car along Lambton-quay as being about twenty miles an hour, and said the engine breasted the corner at the same speed. The enquiry was adjourned at 6 p.m. until 11 a.m. to-day.