ACCIDENT TO THE ONEHUNGA COACH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1902, 19 February 1870, Page 5

ACCIDENT TO THE ONEHUNGA COACH.

An accident, which fortunately resulted in no very serious consequences, occurred yesterday morning to one of Mr. Hardington's Onebunga buses. Mr. "Reid, an exceedingly expert and careful driver, had charge of the eight o'clock coach, and whilst going down Kyber P&.«s Road, about fifty yards from the Queen's Head hotel, came up to a horse and dray belonging to a settler of Hunua; the horse was standing quiet at the time, and j Reid would have been able to pass without the slightest danger or inconvenience, but the m«n in charge of the dray unfortunately took liold of hie horses' head, nnd by some strange mismanagement, we aro informed, backed hiscart into the midst of the bus horses, sending them off the into the gutters, the horses taking fright,-wheeled round and bolted in the direction of town. On going round the corner of Kyber Pass road the vehicle was almost turned over, but the horses continued their furious pace down Symonds-street, and whilo turning short round at Karnngnhape road had another narrow escape from an \ipset, Drivers of different vehicles on the rond made all speed out oi the way, so that a collision was avoided. On sped the horses, but fortunately, instead of turning down Queen-streot kept their course along the road till they came to the Naval hotel, corner of Pitt-street, where they turned sharply round, dragging the bus for some distance on two wheels. Down Pittstreet into Hobson-street went the horees at unchecked speed, till they reached the brick cl;apel at the junction of Pitt and Hobsonstreits, when the * leader" fell, the other hovses dragging him completely out of his harness ; this, howevtr, proved an obstacle to them, und enabled sone men to put a stop to their career. The driv«r was thrown of?', and every now and then 'tidies and gentlemen jumped out at the risk <f life and litnb, somo of them receiving a severe shaking. One passenger at the top of \he bus occupied a most precarious position, but with great presence of mind laid hiimelf flat along the seat, holding on like " grni death," and shouting to everyone not to itop the horaes. We are glad to learn thai nobody was seriously injured, as it is a inhale that some of them -were not killed. Mr. leid drove the same horses a short time afterwards to Onehunga, picking up somo ot his former passengers on the road; the h>i-ees were perfectly quiet and tractable.