THE TRAMWAY SMASH

Feilding Star, Volume 2, Issue 317, 22 August 1924, Page 5

THE TRAMWAY SMASH

fall over, fair a nkment TWO MEN KILLED' < (By Eloctno Cable.—Cnnyright). (Aust. and n.Z. Cable Association.) Sydney, Aug. 21. Shortly before seven o’clock this morning a double tram-ear ran off the line at McMahon's Point, and dropped over an embankment. It fell several feet, crashing into an outhouse, Both parts of the car wer* smashed. Two men were killed and 20 persons were injured. DETAILS OF THE DISASTER. A COURAGEOUS DRIVER. A FEARFEL IMPACT. Sydney, Aug. 21. The second man killed in the tramway smash was Mr Dumber, a labourer. The car had about, 90 passengers im hoard. The driver made frantic efforts to obtain control of the car right, up to the time of the crash. Travelling at of) miles an hour, the tram jumped the rails 100 yards from the loop, travelled on the concrete road, and tore across hot.li sets of rails. The leading ear torpedoed over 2.j feet of a retaining wall across a twelve-fool road and crashed into a brick outhouse, which was shattered, and the thick wall of the main dwelling badly cranked. Constable Leeds, who was on tbte front of the rear car, fell beneath the front car when it was telescoped by the one behind and was crushed to death. Conductor Cowan was oil the front of the first ear. lie was. seriously injured, hut was saved from instant death only by the wall of the outhouse giving way so easily. Both victims had he cut out of the wreckage with axes. All the passengers who were not <eri:.vsly injured were severely shaken,. and unable to proceed to their places of employment. Ambulances were, quickly on the scene, and ten seriously injured people were taken to the hospital.

A heavy mist was one of Lhe contributing causes of the disaster. The rails were greasy, preventing the wheels gripping. The driver courageously stuck to his post, trying every available means to stop the runaway till the' moment of the crash. The injured list now amounts to 27, two or three with broken limbs and the others mostly bruises and severe shock. Numbers suffering slighter .shock quickly recovered. Amongst the later some took the risk of jumping off the madly rush ink tram when they saw a crash was inevitable. Prior to the accident there laid been a. stoppage on the line, and th“ drivers, making up time, passed som*> usual calling places without stopping. But for this there- would have been considerably more passengers o n hoard. it Might have been WORSE. Gator. Had the runaway tram left the fails ten yards before it did it rnvisf have collided with the high tension power house supplying the. whole of Lhe northern suburbs. A tremendous voltage would have boon released which undoubtedly would have multiplied the death roll.