MISS FLORENCE’S DEATH

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6087, 20 December 1906, Page 8

MISS FLORENCE’S DEATH

ADDITIONAL AiIBULANCT'3 NEEDED.

THE WOT’K OF THE ST. JOHN' AMI!EL A XCVC ASSOCTATIOX.

Interviewed yesterday afternoon b.v a ‘‘Times” reporter regarding the re- : cent fatality to iv lis s Florence at Bunny street, tile circumstances connected with tho delay in arrival of the ambulance and ambulance work generally in ■ Uio city, Mr W. B. Fisher, secretary | to tho St. John Ambulance Associa- i tion, made tho following statement: 1 “I might first say that the city of Wellington is fairly well provided in the matter of ambulances. In the first plaoo there is tho horse ambulance for accidents and tho transport of the sick other than cases of inioctious disease. Then we havo Ashford litters —one located at the Thermion Fire Brigade Station. one at the Central hire Brigade Station, and one, temporarily, at tho Larnbton quay Police Station. The latter one is to bo moved from there to the tramway sheds at Newtown. These litters are really bettor than the; horse ambulance in one sense, mas- : much as they are constructed on more ; cloiicato springs, and do not subject tho; patient to so much jolting on a rough road. They were designed by Sir John Furley, who is a recognised authority on tihu transport of the sick. As a matter of fact ho went all through tho Franco-Prussian war in connection tviill tho transport of the sick, and I also had charge of tho hospital tram | in iho South African war. These lit-! ters are provided with hoods and water j proof covers. As a matter of fact, wo I imported two quit© recently from St.' John’s Gate, London. One or those litiers was paid for out of money bequeathed to tho association by tho lato Mr G. H. Bothune, and tho other has i been gcnerausly provided by Mrs S. A. j 'Rhodes, of tho Grange. . Then in add:tion there is another litter which, the J association imported some two or throe years ago to tho order of tho Wellington Harbour Board. That is under the control of tho Harbour Board authorities, but is available for accidents in that quarter. Then by the last mail wo sont Homo an order for another Ashford litter, which is to he located at tho Wellington and Manawatu ItaJway Station, and will bo. under the control of the company. In hddi'i.i'i, tho New Zealand Government Railway Department has appliances for transporting the sick, located at tho Government Station. So that the city is fairly well provided with ambulances for the conveyance of the sick or poo pie who meet with accidents. Of course tho local committee of ‘.ho St. John Ambulance Association would like to get another horse ambulance, because tho one at present, in use is a little oit old-fashioned. It could bo improved upon, but that is simply a question cu ways and. means. If the public feel disposed to subscribe, there would ho no difficulty in getting a more modem carriage. Wo would probably keep the present one also for cases of emergency, because sometimes the horse ambulance is called out three or four times a day, and the present ambulance could be used if the proposed new one were engaged. A limited number of tho public subscribe! sufficient money to purchase the present horse ambulance, also the litters; and if we could only induco an additional number of the public to , see the wisdom of providing additional ambulance appliances and subscribe according to their means we would get a new horse ambulance. The present horse ambulance is really selfsupporting. The committee insists on people who can afford to pay for its use doing so, but I am sorry to say that a largo number who can afford' to pay get the use of it frequently for the transport of the sick, and when the accounts are sent in time after time wo cannot get. the money out of them. As a matter of fact at tho present time there is a sum of over £SO owing to ns by those who could afford to pay and have' not done so. We should like to get a motor ambulance, but that is a question as to whether the public think it advisable to give the money. Wo make no profit out of it. As a matter of fact during tho past twelve months the receipts for the transport of sick people amounted to some £95 odd, and tho expenditure for tho maintenance of the horse ambulance came to £lO7 odd. So we made no profit last rear, and the extra money had to paid ,out of the slender funds of the association. I should like to appeal to the public for additional funds to provide another horse ambulance. The committee would be onlv- too pleased to import- another, provided the public will come to their assistance, t think a local public body like the City Council might give some substantial help as' far as ■getting a .new carriage is conccrncd. Thc St. John Ambulance Association provides these ambulances and litters ail over the world. We have them located in other places than Wellington under the control of local committees. We have one at Wanganui, another partly owned by the association and partly by tho hospital authorities at Palmerston North. Then wo have an Ashford litter at Petone for public use. _ In addition wo have imported appliances for other bodies. For instance, the Napier Harbour Board lias two imported by us. 'Wo are anxious to get additional appliances as funds permit.”

THE DELAY WITH THE AMBU-

LANCE

THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT

CENSURED.

We have received for publication the following letter from the contractors for supplying horses for the horse ambulance, in reference to the delay on the occasion of Miss Florence’s fatal accident; Sir, —We regret that wo must take exception to the evidence given by the Health Department officials as published by you in this morning’s issue on the sad death of Miss Florence. Wo were instructed by tho Health Department to get tho ambulance disinfected immediately we returned from carrying the infectious case referred to in the evidence: the man in charge states that he did not .receive any message saying the ambulance would be available for a case of broken lee, disinfected or not. We telephoned the Department at 12.45 p.m. that the ambulance was hack; the official who came to disinfect did not arrive until 3.30 p.m. The instructions given to the man in charge were as follows; “‘You must "keep the docl-s closed (that is of the ambulance) for sis hours, and not u,se it for anyone, and then take tho fittings out and dry them.” Under tho circumstances we feel it. incumbent upon us to let the public know there

’.rn.s not any dilatormcss on our part. Perhaps it will not be out or place to state that wo have ap;ain received in- - trnctions from the ->t. John Amhulance Association that on no account are we to bend the ambulance to infectious cases. —\ours truly. LYONS LIMITED (11. Ivory, Secretary).

Questioned os to the above, 3lr Fisher said that: the statements there were correct. Ho continued: ‘‘lshou.d like to add that I am very much surprised at the Health Department authorities applying tor the use of ino carriage for the conveyance of infectious cases when they must have known that it was used wholly for non-infec-tions oases and accidents. Furthermore. they must have recognised that serious results might have eventuated from the use of the ambulance by an injured or sick per-on after it had been requisitioned for the conveyance of a person suffering from infectious disease.”

THE SPEED OF TRAINS,

TVHAT THE DEPARTS TEXT SAYS

Discussing tho rider of the jury, tlio Gc-noral Manager of Railways (Mr T. linr.ayne) pointed out that the speed of the trains between To Aro and Wellington was reduced some years ago and is now much below tbc regulation. Moreover, the drivers have special instructions to slow down at the Queen’s wharf, which is a very busy crossing. It would bo quite impracticable to restrict trains to four miles an hour at all level crossings in the town. That would mean in tho first place that trains could never go at more than that rate all the way along Jervois quay, because the line there was practically a level crossing all the way. At Bunny street, where the accident happened, tho trains always travel slowly, because they are either approaching or leaving tho station, tire platform <>f which extends almost to the strtoot crossing. The only crossing whore they can go at any speed is at Whitmore street, and there is a signalman stationed there. Tho engine which was concerned in tho accident was not travelling mere than five miles an hour and it pulled up in its own length or less. Tho number of trains running to. To Aro has also boon reduced and Mr Ronayno holds that there is now much more danger to the public from tho running of the electric cars than from tho railway trains. Along Jervois quay, for instance, where the lines run parallel the cars run much faster than tho trains. The accident in question was one that might occur at any time, apart altogether from the rate at which tho trains were running. If they gave effect to tho rider of the jury they would practically have to cease running trains between Wellington and To Aro. To follow the thing to its logical conclusion the trams should be restricted in the same way right through tho town where there were level crossings. In the case of the trams people had simply to look after themselves as best they could. There were no notices posted up giving them warning as on the railways. Tho Railway Department in Now Zealand took far greater oaro of tho public than in America or Canada, where they had to look after themselves. Tho public had always been , agitating for a faster service to the suburbs, and they were more satisfied with what they* were. getting now than before it was' accelerated. And yet they were told they should reduce tho speed to four miles an hour.