TRAM FATALITY

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 137, 6 December 1918, Page 2

TRAM FATALITY

THE KENT-TERRACE ACCIDENT INQUEST REGARDING BEATH OF ' MR. THOMAS. An inqnest was opened yesterday afternoon by Mr. F. V. Frazer, S.M.j relative to _ the death of Mr. Alfred Thomas (60 years !s>f age), foreman ofcthe fitting department of the Wellington Gas Company, who was killed as the result of a tramway collision on the evening of 13th November. : ' ' Senior-Sergeant Willis conducted) the enquiry, Mr. John O'Shea (C% 'Solicitor) appeared for the City Corporation, M"". H. F. O'Leary for Motorman Scott, who was driving .one of the tramcars at the time of the fatality, and Mr: T. Neave for the relatives of the deceased. Motorman John Spot* said that he had acted as motorman in Wellington during the past, five years, and .prior to that he had-had eight, years''experience in Belfast. On the last trip in question from Kilbirnio he made air regular stops. No .trouble was experienced with the brakes until the corner of: Elizabeth-street andi Kent-terrace was reached. At\the corner of Elizabeth and Brougham streets some passengers were, taken' up, and the car ■was then coasted round ,th« corner and down Elizabeth-street until about six car-lengths from the corner, w.heii he applied the air brakes.'. They acted till the shoes "locked" on the, wheels and the car commenced to skid. He then released the air brakes and applied the . magnetic brake. He found, that, it '.did not act, as the air-brake shoes had/not released from the wheels. ' Mr., O'Shea here, explained that the working of the magnetic brake depended upon the rotation of the wheels.

Continuing, witness said that the only explanation he could give for the failure of, the shoes to\unlock was.that some tar or grease had been picked" up by the wheels at the corner. Jhe car continued to skid downhill at about eight miles per hour. There was a compulsory stop at the bottom of the hill, but the car overran it and went right oh to. Kentterrace. : . . ■» Witness then saw an Island Bay car approaching, along Kent-terrace,land his car continued on and struck ■ the* other. Theears-finally pulled up with !the .width of the; running boards between ,them. The deceased was then jammed across the chest and back between the two cars. He was nearly.upright, and had' one foot on the step of car No. 112, and the other byv.the step. Witness presumed that deceased, was standing on the step at; the time of ithe accident. The impact, of the collision released the brakes. On the,night of the accident, witness said he did' not y "cut, in" a danger-signal in time to : give warning to the Island Bay car. He had,had noiprevious accident during .the time he had, acted as, driver.' „ ',-.,. , .'.-. In answer to Mr. O'Leary : Had the car not been going so fast he could have reversed the' current, but under.the circumstances, this was impossible..- . To Mr. Young i',-T3ie rule was that the' Island Bay.or other*cars on the flat!line had to stop unless they were co near to the intersection.as to interfere with the traffic on the Kilbirnie linel Had the, brake shoes released witness could have pulled up in a car length;. He did not Bound the gong. • ••...-.■.' .-.'■' ', :: t lf you,had set up a vigorous gonging might it; not. 1 have stopped the Island Bay. car?.-" :. ' „;,- .... ,-.' . '..".-> -".. .Yes, but if that car,had been stopped. .across .the ; .points and. its brakes .not ■released the• ,(collision; would, have been? much worse. /-., V U .■,■'..'.,-. . ,-•?.• ' 3 .• ■: Witness ..had sanded the. rails; as soon" as the.,prakes r failed%to,act.,!. ; _ ";,,.,." ■ '„ '.',.^^ Witness admitted. liaving'made'W st*te- >; ment tp^Sergeaiiit, Martin ,that he hadi stopped; just before' -the corner was reached;-biit he was very upset af the time; ,'ahd;,/corrected ' the .statement. on the following-day. ' . ' (To Mr. O'Shea: I 'stuck to the car in the hope that I would be.able to do some-. thingl to pull up. There was nothing I could do. . .. EXPERT'S EVIDENCE,

Frederick William Furkett, superintending engineer of the Public Works Department, detailed an examination he Bad niade on^6th!November of cars,No 112 and 114, the latter being, the Island Bay car. No adjustments had been made to the care. Thorough tests carried, out showed that the bfakes of boj^i cars acted quite satisfactorily. One pair of wheels on Car' 112 were marked -by "flats/" Witness did not think that all the wheels had been locked during the whole distance . stated by Motorman Scott, and he doubted if any of them had been .locked all , tho . time.' Witness could —not conceive the car - skidding right to the cornei< unless'the speed*at the start.was excessive. : .The, hand-brake was not intended to be used for emergency stops, but with the car travelling.at 16 miles an hour^that brake.pulled it up\in 146 ft. If only one pah 1 of wheels had been locked by the air brake, the other wheels »would have operated the magnetic brake. Possibly an air passage had, been blocked, but it was. not likely. At this stage the hearing was adjourned till Saturday morning. '