WELLINGTON TRAMWAY DISASTER.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1715, 5 January 1920, Page 5

WELLINGTON TRAMWAY DISASTER.

THREE MEN KILLED.

MOTORMAN’S- NECK BROKEN,

CAR BOLTS DOWN PIRIE STREET,

CRASHES INTO A MOTOR SHED,

DECEASED PASSENGER’S - HEROIC ACT’.

A terrible tramway smash occurred at the corner of Brougham and Pirio streets, Wel-

lington. on Saturday evening, resulting in two men being killo outright, irfTcl- one ‘died as ho was being conveyed to llib Hospital in an ambulance, whilst several others were injured, fortunately not seriously What happened could bo taken in at a glance by anyone who visited the scene on Saturday evening, Tho motorn.an (Small) of an inward-bound Lyall Bay car, after leaving the Austin street stopping place, on the city side of the Kilbirnic tunnel, must have lost control of the car, for it simply bolted down tho grade, and instead of stopping at the usual place on the flat, about 50 yards from Brougham street, sped on unchecked, and coming to the Pond about ton feet from tho actual corner, it left the/ rails at a tremendous pace, and taking a track on tho angle smashed through the stout fence of the corner residence of Miss Collins

(daughter of the late Mr R. P. Collins), and thrust its way about five feet into the motor shed, the impact being so loud that it : was heard as far away as Kent Terraco and Ellico street

The immediate and most vital result of he accident was the death of three men:

• Joseph Small, motbrman of the car, of Waterloo Avenue. James Evans, a clerk in the Base Records Office, and of 182 Sydney street. James Alfred McEwan, 44 years of ago, a carpenter, recently from Pabiatua. The injured included the following: Erica Evans, daughter of the man who was killed, a girl ten years of age, sustained two cuts on the scalp (which .Dr McEvcdy attended to), and a bruise on the

leg. * Conductor Frederick Ernest Quayle received a cut iu the back, a contusion over the left kidney, and a knock on the nose. Ho was attended to by Dr Palmer. His condition is not serious.

Honora Evans, of 182 Sydney street,

widow of the man who was killed, was only slightly injured, but is suffering from shock. Annie Humiigan, aged about 12 years, whoso people live at Ashburton, and who was visiting the late Mr Evans and Mrs Evans, was slightly cut on the cheek. Edna Haigh, aged about 12’years, residing with her parents at Epuni Hamlet, Lower Hutt, was cut over the right eye, and also on the elbow and arm. She is suffering badly from shpek-'and is in the Brougham Street Hospital. Her condition was rc : ported late last night to be improving, and she was not then thought to bo in danger.R. W. Range, a member of the Central Fire Brigade, is suffering from a sprained ankle and a bruise on the abdomen.

A. McStay, another member of tho Central brigade, bad an ankle sprained. Both Range and McStay, who were attended to

•y Dr McEvedy, were removed to the Central Fire Station.

Frank Neal, a married man living at No. 7 Lincoln street, -Brooklyn, and employed at Messrs Abraham and Williams’ wool stores, is ,£onfiricd to his home suffering from injuries to both knees and both bauds. His condition gives no' cause for anxiety. M. Howard, Adelaide road, suffering very slight injuries, as did also the second purser of the Mararoa.

All of the injured are progressing favour ably.

James Alfred McEwan, one of the passengers who was killed, was 44 years of ago. Ho came to Wellington about six months ago'from Pabiatua, where he had worked us a coachbuilder. In Wellington he bad been engaged as a carpenter, and cn Saturday .afternoon ho was returning from work at Hataitai on the ill-fated tram. He resided in Windsor Place, off Ghuznce street.

WAS THE MOTORMAN CONSCIOUS?

One woman passenger is said to iiavc noticed, as the car rushed down the hill, that the motornian (Small) was leaning forward in a droopy manner over his switches, and evidence will probably be tendered to that effect at the proper time and place. This statement is in a manner endorsed by the conductor, Frederick Ernest Quaylo, who told his story briefly to a Dominion reporter, whilst still shaken with the tragic incidents of the hour. “The car pulled up as usual,” said Quaylo, “at the second stop after leaving iho tunnel. The car then went on, but I never noticed anything out of the common as wo went down the hill until I saw the motorman’s hat blow off. Seeing that I rang the emergency bell, but as no notice was taken I rang it again. There was no response. All the time the cur was gathering ' S, and I lost no time in applying the .d-brake (at the back of the car), bin the car was going at such a pace that the bi'ako had little effect. Then the people in the car got up and shouted —the car left the rails and fell over after plunging on a few yards. I was somewhere underneath, and got knocked about a bit. I held on to the hand-brake to the last. ( Questioned as to the motornian, Conductor Quayle said that as faif as he was aware, Motornian Small was in the best of health. Ho had not complained in any way of ill-health, and had just returned from a holiday feeling very fit. t There were about 24 passengers on the car.

A LEAP FOR LIFE,

Mr George Ulmer, of 8 Tutchcn Avenue, was proceeding up Pirie street on Ids way homo at about 5.15 p.m., -when he noticed the car coming down the grade at a good pace. He did not take much notice of the car, as trams usually travel at a good speed down the hill, until ho heard a sharp scream of alarm, and saw a littlb, girl leaping out of the flying car. Thinking for the moment that the girl hud fallen out of the car he rushed forward to render any assistance in Kip power, and, as ho reached her, he hoard his wife scream behind him, and heard a sickening crash as the car smashed into the corner fence and garage. Who the girl was who made such a cluiinw leap for life could not he ascertained, but Mr Ulmer said that though scratched and bruised she was, after a few minutes, able to got up and walk away unattended.

TO THE RESCUE A scone of indescribable confusion fol lowed the accident. The runaway car after leaving the rails, raced across tin road on an angle, ploughed across tin footpath,'butted away a stout fence with square 8-inch posts, and burst through the side-wall of a wooden nVotor garage, turning over on its left side {looking forward) as it burst into the building. The crash of the impact, the shrieks of the imprisoned passengers, and cries of the injured could he heard for a considerable distance around, and very soon assistance was forthcoming from all round the neighbourhood. Doctors were rung up and ambulances summoned, whilst in a few minutes ms - aid was being rendered to the mjured. The, front part of the . car was badly wrecked The hood was torn bodily oil, and the’framework ori the nnder-s.de was badly shattered. The trolly-pole w. pulled clean out by coming m o( ] n^ ct "‘ a telegraph-pole as the car sped on at an angle of 45 degrees. The body of the car only missed the polo by a couple of fC Motorman Small was found hanging over his switches with his neck broker.. POWER TURNED 011<. It is understood that the lever-key used by the motorman for regulating the powoi was turned off altogether when examined after the accident. That would bo the usual thing, as the ears aiways dosernd the Pitio street slope on the biakes, with out using any power. Power is not applied until they leave the next stoppingplace on the flat (50 yards from the corner of Brougham and Pint streets). So that whatever happened to the deceased have occurred immediately after resided in Waterloo Avenue. H.s mar Hod daughter is Mrs Smallbone, and h.s only son died of influenza in the Feather- , ston camp. I A DISTRESSING DEATH. The second man to bo lifted out .was