WELLINGTON TRAM FATALITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13485, 11 May 1907, Page 6

WELLINGTON TRAM FATALITY.

MOTORMAN REA'S EVIDENCE.

WHAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT ?

[BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS ASSOCIATION.]

,-■■■■ Friday. ' The adjourned inquest concerning the death of Mrs. Bell, the, victim of the tram accident, was continued to-day, before the District Coroner. ''.;,' v l

Motorman Eea, who drove the car which met with the accident, stated that he had been a second-class motorman for about three months. Prior to that he was a first-class conductor, and as such was supposed to be competent to act as a motorman. He had driven similar cars once or twice. ,=■ On the day of the accident lie had been eight hours on duty. ■ Prior to starting on the down trip be had [ not noticed : anything wrong with the brakes. •He saw a green .light, which signified that the road was clear. > When , the car started down the: hill ; witness had bis hand on the : hand brake. For about two car lengths he depended on the hand ;: brake. : The : car was going at from two to three miles an hour. He then. on the magnetic braketwo notches—taking off the hand brate, but the car seemed to :go faster, v and he gave the magnetic brake .more notches, working up gradually to the sixth notch. 'That did not stop the car, so he put the brake back and threw it on again quicker than the first time, and used the ; sand," punch. The magnetic brake would not bold, and for the second time he took it off and 5 went back to. the hand brake, which, however, would not hold it. The trolley head bad come off by this time. .He then tried." the first emergency brake, but it had no 'effect, so be used the third emergency brake by knocking out the top switch of the reversing- lever from the forward to the back position, and bringing the handle to '"lull power." .He bad no time to tell whether this brake took effect, as the car then went

over the bank.

; Witness could not say why the-brakes, failed, unless it was on account of the greasy iitate of .the track. .The sand ,he used only had partial effect. He knew the - Brooklyn line fairly well, i The car was top heavy. To counsel, witness said he did not con-, sider-himself competent to drive that class., of car on Brooklyn hill. Counsel: Why?—l did not care about taking that car up the hill. - -, Did you make any : objection when you were asked to take charge of it?—No; but I thought I would have to change' it over to a, first-class motorman, because I had to do the same, thing on a previous occasion. What happened on that previous occa-;, sion?— motor-instructor told me that the choke ■ coil (blow-out. coil); might burn out, and a first-class motomian would know how to fix it. ; That was the reason for my-nervousness. ; - Supposing the choke coil were sound, would you be competent to drive a car down Brooklyn Hill?— Yes. ;- You were not nervous, then, in driving down?—No; 1 thought something might happen to the car that might necessitate temporary repairs, and I did riot care for it. ' ' -. : •'

Witness, proceeding, said he remained at his post to the last, doing everything in: his power to save his passengers. He did riot know of anything else he could have done. After the car fell he got out and went to the assistance of the passengers. > Then he went to warn the -down car.

In reply to the city solicitor, witness said he had driven on the Kilbiniie line, where the grades were nearly as bad, and never had an accidtent there. He had driven cars similar to No. 55. -.

The conductor, Perkin, stated that when he became aware , that the car was beyond control he tried to put on the hand brake, but found it had been jammed hard on from the motorman's end. Ilea was a most careful man, and he had no reason to suspect tha,t he was guilty of'carelessness or neglect of duty on that occasion. . j ; John Henry Little, motor inspector and instructor to the City Council, staed that he' tested the car for the Public" Works Department, and it answered efficiently, '''lie magnetic brake was in very good order. He certainly thought that Rea had unconsciously left something undone. He thought he had left the reversing lever in the wrong position", thereby throwingthe magnetic brake out of gear. This was a pure surmise. He saw the car soon after the accident. The {bird emergency brake was on. Bea was a good, careful driver, sober, attentive and cooL

Timothy Buckley, electrician to the Post and Telegraph Department, deposed he had tested' the generator, motors,' and brakes of the damaged car, and they were in good order. He had formed the same theory as the previous witness. Mr. Holmes, Government Engineer-in-Chief, said, that he passed car 55 for use on tho Brooklyn line. It was in perfect condition up to the time ,of the accident. He had examined the gear of the car as far as possible, and agreed with Mr. Little as to the cause of the accidpnt.

Keplying to questions, the witness said he did not place any reliance on the third emergency brake. He thought Rea sufficient! v ovnen'.'iiced for the Brobklvn line. He considered -bogie-cars distinctly safer than single truck :cars on such routes. ' The inquest was then adjourned till tomorrow morning, ; when brake tests will be made before the jury. Only one or two witnesses have now to be called.