ROAD ROLLER BOLTS

Manawatu Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 2311, 2 December 1925, Page 3

ROAD ROLLER BOLTS

CAREER THROUGH STREETS. SEVERAL, NARROW ESCAPES. DRIVER’S PRESENCE OP MIND. Scattering pedestrians in all directions a 12-ton roller, the driver of which had lost control in William street, Melbourne, ran down toward Flinders street. In spite of the efforts of the driver to stop the roller, it gained momentum, and after taking the footboard off an electric tram, collided with a lorry, and narrowly missing several other vehicles, It crashed heavily into an empty fruiterer’s van and ended its wild rush on the footpath a few yards above Flinders Lane. The roller, which is owned by the Albion Quarrying Company, was on its way to St. Kllda. The driver (P Housey), when he found the roller gaining momentum on William street before reaching Little Collins street attempted to stop it by using the brake, but this had no effect. He next attempted to check it by lotting down the teeth at the back of the roller which are used for digging up the surface of the road. These 'would not grip, and Housey then tried to throw the engine into reverse, but this was of no avail. All this time and though the driver kept his hand on the steering gear, the speed made it impossible to keep the heavy roller straight, and it ran from one side of the road to the other.

Approaching Collins street it veered across toward the centre of the road and grazing an electric tram which was standing at the terminus, it damaged the footboard. It then moved over toward tho feotunth and seemed 5 if it would crash into the nows stall at the corner of Collins street. This was occupied by Mr R. Burns, a returned soldier, who had lost both bis legs at the war. Owing to the rain he had his stall almost closed up and it was impossible for him to got clear. “I thought for a moment,” he confessed, “that it was going to run right over me, and I attempted to get out. Luckily for me it changed its course at the last moment, otherwise I would probably have been crushed with tho stall.” End of a Wild Career. The roller continued toward Flinders street, missing by only a few yards a cablo tram on its way down Collins street. The driver, thinking that there was less traffic on the wrong side of tho road, managed to steer the roller across to that side. It swerved toward the offices of the Union Steam Ship Company, but he managed to turn it away to the centra of tho road. This was occupied by a long line of motor-cars, and lorries and the roller struck a glancing blow to a two-horse lorry owned by Mr T. O'Connell. This lorry was pushed over, and damaged a motor-van belonging to the same owner, being itself carried some yards down the street. The horses were knocked over, and the roller narrowly missed running over one of them. This impact had taken some of the way off the roller, and though the driver could not prevent it front continuing its course toward the footpath and crashing into an empty fruit vain belonging to the Fltzroy Fruit Supply, it, came to rest without doing any further damage. The fruit van was smashed beyond repair, but the horse which was in it at the time escaped almost without injury, though thrown down on to the roadway. Tho footpath was flattened by the weight of the roller, but although it seemed certain that the building in front of which the roller stopped would be damaged, not even a window was broken. A Fortunate Escape. Mr H. G. Webster, outside of whose offices the roller finished its wild run, was working beside the window. The first he heard was the noise of the heavy roller dashing down the street. He at once rushed to the window Just in time to see the collision not 10ft. from where he was standing. The smashed fruiterer’s cart was thrown in front of the door and window of his office. He considers himself fortunate to have escaped without injury, The driver was practically uninjured. “The heavy weight of the roller and the wet road were responsible for the runaway,” he said afterwards. “1 could not take my hand off the steering wheel, and was forced to try to stop it with only one hand, I had no time to think of what would happen if I collided with any other vehicle, and it took me all my time to keep clear of the traffic. I could not avoid the cart at the end of the run, and consider that I was very lucky to escape so easily.” Practically no damage was done to the roller, only the steering gear being damaged, but the lorry struck in the centre of the road had to be towed away, while the fruiterer’s cart was so badly damaged as to leave no possibility of repair. Bystanders considered that only the presence of mind of the driver had averted further accident for the roller was trav elling at a speed of about 25 miles an hour and William street was at that time of the morning crowded with traffic.