THE TRAMWAY ACCIDENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13285, 18 September 1906, Page 4

THE TRAMWAY ACCIDENT.

;'v . ■ • -V. ■ V BRAKE TESTS CONDUCTED. . ... ; - . . •• • • ' ' ' . : :/• • With reference to the alleged failure of the ■•'iSl ratchet and emergency brakes on the ramcar •.which' crashed/ in,to another on the V • Manukau Road, near Owen's Rood, on Saturday, Mr. M. F. Carey, the Tramway '.•!£ Company's engineer, conducted tests of the >; brakes yesterday in the presence of a - ; number of other persons. He subsequently ; .-.'■■ A made a statement to a Herald representa- ' - tive to the effect that to apply the back- '-'j% ward (emergency brake was a c mistake on S the part of the inotorman, who should have used the forward emergency brake. When the car was coming down on the standing car, had' the forward emergency brake been "reapplied, the moving vehicle would have been pulled up in two ,of its own lengths. The application of .the forward emergency brake in .such a case was a rule of the ~ ; company. . When the car was tested that \ ' ' morning down some of the steep grades '' r '< both ratchet and emergency brakes were ' .ft working perfectly. Asked how lie account- • ed for the accident, Mr. Carey replied that •; the motorman in charge of the car had been employed by the company for over two {[ v 1 years, and his work was such ;is to inspire every confidence, but apparently, us was ,-j the experience all over the world, the man • suddenly lost his presence of mind.