RUNAWAY TRAM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18861, 8 November 1924, Page 10

RUNAWAY TRAM.

DASH DOWN HILL.

MOTOR-CAR OVERWHELMED

FIVE PERSONS INJURED.

WELLESLEY ST. ACCIDENT.

FINAL CRASH IN QUEEN ST.

There was a sensational tramway acci dent in the city last evening, resulting in more or less severe injuries to five persons. Two tramcars collided on the steep part of the track in Wellesley Street East about 8 o'clock. One of these got out of control, careered at high speed down the street to its intersection with Queen Street, where it left the rails and struck a

motor-car containing three persons. The motor was completely wrecked and all tho occupants were injured. The tram terminated its disastrous run at the kerb on the corner of the area set apart for the proposed Civic Square. There were about 20 passengers lin the tram, and most of them showed great coolness.

In addition to the three motorists two passengers in the tram who jumped off when it became evident that it was out of control were injured. Details of the casualties are:— Mrs. A. A. Donald, of Gillies' Avenue, Epsom.—Left collarbone broken, injury to right hip, abrasions and severe shock ; her condition is not considered to be critical.

Mrs. Vincent Morley, of Dexter Avenue, Mount Eden. —Left collarbone broken, ribs fractured on left side and severe injury to her shoulder. Suffering from severe shock, but her condition is not considered to be critical.

Mr. A. A. Donald, driver of the car.— Abrasions and cuts on the head and shock. His condition is favourable.

Miss Myrtle Robinson, of 22, Enfield Street, Mount Eden, aged 18, who jumped from the trumcar. —Cuts and abrasions to hands and slight injuries to her hip; also suffering, from slight shock. Her condition last night was reported as being not serious. A sister of Miss Robinson, who also jumped from the car, sustained cuts and abrasions to her hands, but was able to proceed to her home after being medically treated at the hospital. Struck by Following Car. The runaway tramcar, No. 83, which was inward-bound from Mount Edon, was proceeding down Wellesley Street, and was passing the Normal School, when it was overtaken by a following car, No. 146. Wreckage strewn about the track provided evidence that the impact had been fairly severe. The debris included broken glass and a piece of metal that had been splintered off the damaged car.

The impact apparently put car 83 out of control. It plunged briskly downhill and rapidlv increased its speed. An eyewitness declared that "it literally flew down the slope, swaying and rolling in an alarming manner." Nothing serious occurred until it reached Queen Street where, as already stated, it left the track and careered into a motor-car with grievous results.

There was a deafening crash, a heavy cloud of dust and the sound of falling glass. There was much screaming by women who saw the collision, and some turned away, shocked by the sight of the overturned motor. One eye-witness said the actual collision looked for all the world as though the tram had been struck by a shell.

The City Fire Brigade came on tho scene, in case there should be any outbreak of fire due to a fusing of the cables. Relief of the Injured. Police Constable Nicol, who saw the tram running down Wellesley Street hastened to the scene, and at once telephoned to the hospital and for an ambulance. He despatched messengers for doctors, and sent to the police station for further assistance. Two doctors were shortly on the spot, rendering assistance to the injured. Tho constable took three women to the hospital in the ambulance. They were Miss Myrtle Robinson, Mrs. Donald and Mrs. Morley. The two latter were extricated from the wreckage.

For a short time, it is said, car 146 was unable to resume its journey down Wellesley Street East. Tho control gear had apparently suffered some derangement. There was little about its appearand to suggest that it had been in collision with the preceding car, although some damage had been sustained, confined, as it appeared, to a splintered front platform and broken glass. The curved glass of its headlight had been smashed, but the light still glowed.

Tlie noise of the initial impact at the Normal School stopping place was loud enough to be heard distinctly by the police in the watch-house in Princes Street. Thus police officers were promptly at the scene of the collision and also at the point of final wreckage.

There were many people on the streets at tho time of the accident and it was considered providential in the circumstances that more serious casualties did not occur. Damage to the Tramcar. The damaged tramway car, as it. lav in Wellesley Street West, told its own story of the mishap. The rear platform was a tangled mass of splintered timber .and twisted ironwork ; all the glass was shattered, and the two heavy liogies were displaced, these projecting from the right-hand side of the car. In I lie front •uid partly under the tram, was the wreckage of the motor-car. This was a sorry spectacle. One of the motor-ear's wheels was at the other end ol the wrecked tramcar. It was fortunate that the tram had maintained its upright position. Had it turned over at the foot of tho hill the results doubtless would have been tragic.