House Wrecked in Melbourne Suburb

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 144, 21 June 1939, Page 16

House Wrecked in Melbourne Suburb

SEQUEL TO COLLISION MELBOURNE, June 9. Twenty passengers in a Tramways Board bus and three other persons were injured in a spectacular accident in the suburb of Carlton on a recent night. The bus collided with a police wireless patrol car, and then crashed through the brick wall of a two-storeyed apartment house. It came to rest with the front portion in one of the rooms of the rooms of the wrecked house. The bus was carrying about 40 passengers, all of whom were thrown from their seats by the impact. Many were cut by broken glass from the windows. The driver of the bus was trapped in the damaged cabin by fallen brickwork and mortar from tho demolished wail of the house. Senior-Constable Michael Murphy, officer in charge of No. 1 wireless day patrol, who was seated beside the driver of the patrol car, suffered injuries to the left riba and one leg. Two girls were being taken to their homes in the patrol car, and one of them was injured. Seven ambulances wore sent to the scene of the accident, and the injured persons were taken to the Royal Melbourne and St. Vincent’s Hospitals. Ambulance officers had to search houses and shops near by to lind some of the victims, who had been taken away by residents for treatment at their homes before the ambulances arrived. Mr. William Callaghan, aged 72, had a fortunate escape. He had left bis room in the apartment house to obtain h drink of water a. few seconds beforo the bus knocked down the wall. A bystander said that both vehicles appeared ot be travelling at about 30 miles an hour. “Tho driver of the bus seemed to swerve to avoid a crash,* * he added. “The bus skidded across the road and crashed into tho apartment house, its bonnet and front wheels disappearing into tho house amid a •hower of bricks.**