THE WHITMORE STREET CROSSING.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVX, Issue 3063, 26 February 1897, Page 3

THE WHITMORE STREET CROSSING.

A Deputation to Mr Cadman.

A deputation of carriers, consisting of Messrs Allan Orr (president of the Carriers’ Union), T. Tobin (secretary), W. Chatfield, J. O’Flaherty and G. Brown (secretary) and Mr Jas Doyle (traffic inspector for the Corporation), waited on the Hon-Mr Cadman, Minister for Railways, yesterday afternoon with reference to the dangerous crossing at Whitmore street, between tbe Loan and Mercantile Buddings and Cable’s foundry, and to ask the appointment of a signalman. Mr J. Hutcheson, M.H.R., having introduced the deputation, Mr Allan Orr explained that their object was to draw attention to the dangerous state of the crossing, which had been a source of anxiety to carriers for the past Sqw years, and he cited an instance of a man whose horse was killed and his express smashed, while he himself was still unable to work through being run into by a train at that crossing. He (the speaker)had had several narrow escapes, and at one time, when he had three or four expresses running, he had given orders to the drivers never to go that way. He pointed out- that at the crossing it was quits impossible to see the train approaching, and consequently there was no hope of getting away when the train suddenly came along. Mr Doyle coincided in what had been said by Mr Orr, and added that the city was rapidly increasing its traffic and the danger would be accentuated every year. An accident would souie day occur and then they would be backed up by the papers, but they wished the evil remedied before any accident took place. People, he explained, became accustomed to the train whistle, and even sometimes mistook it for the whistle of a train on the Railway Wharf, In his opinion, the only practical way of putting an end to the danger was to appoint a signalman with a flag, as was done at other crossings. _ i Other members of the deputation also spoke, and gave instances of accidents and escapes through not seeing the train. Mr Cadman said he had to look at the matter in two or three different ways. There were other crossings equally dangerous without any signalman, and if it was decided to go on appointing signalmen for all these crossings it would lead to greatly increased expenditure, and a large staff of cripples and old men (for it was generally that class that was employed) in the Government service. As far as the line which they had spoken of was concerned, when they looked at the returns from it—and it hardly paid for coals- -the question was whether it would not bo better to do away with it altogether. The traffic, except when an excursion waa run, was nil, and yet there were about a dozen trains a (Jay running. As tbe traffic increased it would be dangerous to run a train along Jervois quay where it waa running at present.' Mr Chatfield explained that it was on account of the train being hidden by the adjacent buildings that the danger existed. Mr Cadman said the instructions of the engine-drivers were not to go more than four miles an hour, which waa not more than a walking pace. He would, however, go into the matter, In all towns there was a certain amount of risk in running trains. In this case there was hardly any traffic at all.

Mr Orrdrew attention to the young man named Knapp mentioned in the Wellington papers as having turned to and earned a living for himself and his mother and father by breaking atones with his left hand alter his right had been taken off by a flaxmill, and asked that consideration should be given to him. He would, in the speaker's opinion, bo a good mdn for the pAsitioji of signalman. ■ ' ‘ ■ Mr Cadman replied that there were at least a dozen men who had been injured in the Government employ, and who wojild still have been in the Government employ }f they had not been injured, and explained that they would have to get the first opportunity. The deputation then withdrew.