FATAL CAR ACCIDENTS

New Zealand Mail, 27 August 1902, Page 18

FATAL CAR ACCIDENTS

An alarming accident took place on. the electric tramway system at Huddersfield late on a reeent Saturday night. Great efforts had been made by the municipality to complete the electrification of the routes, which had been previously worked by steam, before the Coronation. One line just completed was that to the suburb of Almondbury, which stands on a hill two miles from the town. Somerset road, by which it is reached, is a continuous gradient a mile in length. A car to the town between 10 aud 11 o’clock on Saturday night stopped on the loop half-way down hill, expecting the car in the opposite direction to pass it. As nothing could be seen of the other car, this one proceeded on its way. Almost immediately it seemed to get beyond the trolley, and the arm left the wire, plunging the ear into darkness. By this time the motion of the car was too great to permit of anyone getting off. It passed the ear for Almondbury standing in the next loop, and failing to take the sharp curve at- tlie bottom of Somerset road it crossed the street, smashing the pavement, and dashing with great force into a grocer’s shop. The shop front was wrecked, and tlie car front wedged in. There was a scene of great excitement, the accident involving passers-by as well as passengers, and, in addition to three killed, there were six whose injuries are described as serious.

On a recent Sunday night a' serious tram accident occurred in Bradford. About half-past seven a car was standing at Thornton terminus, four miles out, when, in the absence of the driver, through an unaccountable cause, the ear started down towards Bradford full of people. Gaining impetus, the vehicle was soon at express speed, aud the passengers in frantic endeavours jumped off, with the result that Airs White, wife of a Heaton farmer, was killed almost instantly, alighting on her head, and her boy was severely injured, having to be removed to Bradford Royal Infirmary. Six persons were injured.