DEATH OF TWO YOUNG WOMEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 11 May 1939, Page 3

DEATH OF TWO YOUNG WOMEN

TRAGIC END TO WEDDING CELEBRATIONS I EVIDENCE OP' DRIVER ] l United Press Association’ AUCKLAND. 10th May. A stry of the tragic end to wedding celebrations on the night of 11th April was told before the Coroner, Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., at an inquest into the deaths of two young women, one a bridesmaid and the other a guest at the festivities. The victims, who were trapped in a motor car which plunged into the harbour from the end of the Devonport vehicular ferry landing, were Miss Elizabeth IVlaud Swanston, aged 21, daughter of Mr and Mrs R. N. Swanston, Takapuna, and Miss Margaret Marv Beale, aged 29, daughter of Mr J. B. Beale, solicitor, Taurauga. Miss Swanston was the bridesmaid.

James Ross Faulkner, company man- ! ager, Matakana Island Tauranga. said that he was 30 years of age and had held a driving license since he was 18. On the evening of 11th April he attended a wedding at Devonport and later a reception at Takapuna. About 10.45 p.m. he left to drive four other guests to Auckland. Miss Beale occupied the front seat between Mr Baron and witness. while Miss Swanston and Mr Crump were in the back seat. "When I reached the Ferry Wharf j the Devonport ferry had just left,” ; j saifl witness. "1 stopped the car jat the end of the traffic lane on the I wharf. 1 bought tickets for the car j and passengers and asked the collector j when the next boat was leaving. He

said in about a quarter of an hour. Just after 11. o’clock Mr Baron left the car and went to a telephone box. While he was way another ferry came in and a line of cars came off. Mr Crump left the ,:ar to tell Mr Baron, the ladies remaining in the car. When this ferry came in the ladies suggested we should

catch it without waiting for the other passengers as at that hour of the night the service was rather infrequent. They said that if the others missed they could catch a passenger boat and we could pick them up in Auckland. After the last car had left the fery T waited a little time to see if the others returned before driving on to the ferry. I saw no stop sign at the top of the ramp. I drove down the ramp in low gear. The ferry appeared to be at the platform. I did not see any stop signal across the ramp.

STRUGGLE UNDER WATER* ‘T then felt a bump. This must have been caused by the car running on to the apron at the end of the ramp. The car was over the end of the ramp before I realised the ferry was not there. Someone called. ‘Open the doors.’ 1 cannot say how far off the ferry was when the car went over. I thought all the time the ferry was at its ordinary place at the end of the ramp. Mv car sank to the bottom. 1 tried to open the door on my side but could not. Water came in and 1 he'd my breath as long as I could then swallowed some-water 1 tried to kick the windscreen out buf could no do so. I also leaned over and tried to open the rear door on the driver’s side but could not. I finally got out of the car through a window on my side which was open and then I opened the door. Then again I tried to open the rear door on the driver's side but couldn’t. It was catching on the pile At that stage I could not hold on any longer and T came to the surface where I was pulled out of the water by someone. I wanted to go down again but onlookers prevented me from doing so. Crump and Baron dived repeatedly. I was perfectly sober all the evening. Mr P Jenkins, counsel for the witness- Your lights were burning? Witness: Yes. Mr Jenkins: You have been driving all kinds of cars for many years, haven’t you 9 Witness: Yes. Mi Jenkins: Have you driven this car before?— Yes The Witness said that certainly he would not have driven on to the ramp H he had seen a light burning Senior-Sergeant Dunford: It is alleged by some busybodies that on the day you drove to attend the wedding you had an accident between Tauranga and Auckland. Is that true? Witness: That is not so

T. Gilbert Oscar Barron, farmer, of Katikati. said he decided ; telephone just before the ferry came in. He had not finished dialling the number when Crump came to get him. As they were going back to the car they noticed that u had moved, and they saw the car half-way down the ramp. The ferry

.'™. s m , ov,ng out ' an d someone called I here s a car over the end.’ Similar evidence was given by Noel , 1 ump. bank clerk, who said he had known Miss Swanston for about 12 months. Both witnesses described diving several times into the water without being able to reach the car. they also said that all members of the party were quite sober.

To Mr P. Jenkins, count.! tor the driver, Crump said that once, when he dived, be saw the lights of the car

. ? 1 . e wn ' , ' am 9 uite certain someone told us the next ferry would leave in a quarter of an hour," witness told the coroner ’'Before I left to get Barron I saw the vehicular ferry was in " A diver employed by the Auckland Harbour Board, James Owen Doherty : sa,d he found the car lying on its side on the cubed at about ;< a.m on 12th ;Apnl, He was able to remove the bodies and fix a line by which the car I was hoisted to the surface Alex William Wallers’ engineer, said he examined the car cm 12th April, and expressed the opinion that small scratches and dents on the left-hand i Sld e could have been cat'sed bv contact with a disc at the end >f t.'.e warning arm on the ferry romp j Measurements also coincided’ 1 Replying to Mr T. J. Fleming coun- | se) for the relatives of Miss Beale, wit-

jness said the disc was too high and | difficult to see, specially at night. A j small car might pass clear underneath it. It was on the side opposite to the driver. It was possible that lights would not show on the sign, and Dicy (definitely would not do so if the lights j were dipped Evidence regarding the amva. and ; departure of the vehicular ferry. Eagle- ; hawk, on the bight of the tragedy and j the operation of the stop signals on I the ramp was given by George Oscar iKnaggs, who was mate on the ferry.

"After the unloading of the cars 1 operated the switch, returned to the ferry and cast off the mooring lines,’ witness said. "1 did not see any car coming down the ramp. I began to walk towards the forward part of the boat, and when it was about 30ft to 40ft out from the wharf I heard a crash. Looking round I saw a car with no lights burning coming down the ramp.” "1 had no time to call out. - ’ witness said. "After hitting the stop sign the car did not stop, but continued straight on over the flap into the water. I called out to the captain, who ran the ferry astern into its berth. 1 saw' the driver come up, and two other men in the water trying to dive down to the car. The tide was about an hour off flood, and there was about 24ft of water below the ramp.

"I could see it was hopeless trying to reach the car.”

Witness said it was comman Vo :ee cars dive down the ramp to the stop signal, but he had never seen one hit the sign. An examination of the arm after the accident bore out his statement that he put it in its proper horizontal position as the arm and switch box were damaged. Several other witnesses gave evidence.

! TRAGIC ACCIDENT’ i A verdict that the death of the two young women was due to accidental drowning through the car in which they were travellings going over the end of the ramp was returned by the Coroner, who said that the accident w'as a most tragic and unfortunate one. It was not for him to say whether any blame was attachable to anyone. ! but he was going to add a rider to the effect that whether a warning light was burning or not. or whether warning notices were sufficiently distinct or not, did not much matter. The accident clearly proved that the signs w'ere not sufficient to guard the pub ic against such occurrences. It seemed to him a perfectly simple thing to have two great arms or gates at fne head of the ramp which w'ould be closed after the ferries had left the wharf. He considered that those in authority should forthwith take some steps to guard against the oossibilifc/ of such accidents in the future, and if necessary, to have a man on du-.y there, particularly at night. The Coroner added that the young men were to be commended for the great efforts they had made to save the victims. Both counsel for the relatives expressed satisfaction that no blame at all was attached to the driver of the