TRAMCAR DERAILED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19558, 10 February 1927, Page 8

TRAMCAR DERAILED.

ACCIDENT IN JERVOIS ROAD. CRASH INTO CENTRE POLE. THE CONDUCTOR THROWN OUT PASSENGERS' LUCKY ESCAPE. A sensational accident involving extensive damage to a tramcar, but, 'fortunately not attended by loss of life, occurred at the junction of Jervois Road and Seymour Street, Ponsonby, shortly after six o'clock last evening.

Two coupled single-bogev trams of the old-fashioned typo were proceeding down Jervois Road when the rear car ran off the rails and swerved to the left. Still attached to the front car, it crossed the rails near Seymour Street, and, after travelling about 40yds., crashed into a centre polo on the right-hand side of the rails.

Mr. Richard Carter, conductor of the rear car, was thrown on to the road, sustaining abrasion of a hand. Ho also suffered from shock, but after treatment at a house nearby, was able to proceed home.

The force of thl impact not only smashed the whole of the front portion of the car, but also caused the preceding car to become disconnected. As a result of this Mr. Richard Blackburn, the motorman, was unable to control the car, which, still drawing portion of the front platform of the rear car, continued for some distance along the road before coming to a halt. Although no one was injured, three passengers in the damaged car suffered considerably from shock. There were about a dozen people in the first .car.

Through the collision the centre polo was knocked about 3ft. out of alignment, and most of the brackets and overhead wires were damaged and tangled. i Considerable congestion of traffic occurred after the accident. It was almost half-an-hour before the disabled tram was replaced on the- rails, towed to the Ponsonby barn Amd the line made clear for the waiting cars.