KILLED BY A TRAMCAR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13288, 20 May 1905, Page 2

KILLED BY A TRAMCAR.

THK NORTH-!',AST A*ALLEY FATALITY An inquest v.as held at the Morgue yesterday afternoon by Mr C. C. Graham, onronor. and a jury of jiv, of whom )fr James Hogg v/as chosen foioinan, concorniiif the efc.ith of Chides Mor.ni, who was killed at tho Xoith-l'ast A'alley on Thursday o\ enwg through coming in contact with one of the clot 1! 10 cars while it was in motion. Sub-insportcr Riocn w,w nro'ont on liehalf of the police, anil Mr J. R Smclaii (of tho £im of City Corporation solicitors) appeared for lbs mipointicn. Stephen Walton, hatter, losidmg at Selwyn, said on the 18th of Hay. about o p.m.. ho was just past Arthur's stoie, NortliIVist A 7 fllloy, and was rfanding on the'footpath on tho oast sule After getting on io tlio bridge ho siw a man clo'c to the tram lines in a =tocpW position, as if ho had lost something. Witness wan going lo him when hp picked himself up, and neaily tumb'od inlo tho hedge Ito was in a considernb'e sfato of intoxication. When he gof; up fiom the stooping position ho got on to Iho footpath, and witness thought ho was out cf tho w-iy of the can. Looking back, witness saw a car coming up tho lino, and dcoensocl appeared to a dart for lias if ho was going to nut for tho car. 110 was swaying about. The inotorman rang his Ikjll on several occasions. Deceased was then about a yard from the tram line "Witness saw clocc-ased sway forward, and no\t ho saw the man lying on tlio giouml. The car was stopped m a few \aid-- Part of tho car must liave pas"rd him before ho fell W'tnooi was certain tho car could not. have Knocked Imi down Witness wont o\cr to tho car, and tho man was then, to all apncaianco, chad.

To Sub incncctiir Gicen: Tlio car was travelling towards Xmman'iy. Th?i car was coining to tho stopping-nost, and tho snoed \uis ilaclconing down ]I"eca c ed must have fallen on to some nart rf the car.

To the Foreman: Witness was about 10 yards ahoa.il of tho oar when tlio affair happened Sjdnoy George Drake, builder, North-East, \ T alloy, said he l;n"\v deccasod by sight. Witness was a p<ibsenger by tho oar leaving tho Gardens at 5.57 p m., and on the load tho mctorman w.is liognu; his bell and Keeping a good lookout. TTe ke;it leaning forward, as if lo keep a good lookout. Witness thoughf ho was keeping an extra good lookout. ITo t bought the car eased up at Bucclough struct, where a trap was going round tho corner. Just ns tho car pa«secl Aithur'- witne-s saw a man get off the foolnath anil go floumhnng aoiww tho road. Ho vat getting off the footpath and putting his fcot in Hi" gutter—sort of-shot riglit out toujicta tho oar. 110 soomod lo trip in the gutter, and went out on allfours, and his head hit the ear. Tlicj gutter was pretty deep I horn Tt foil both ivavs, and deceased nrnbablj stonped on to the grating 110 Ml on to the front of tho stop of the car. Tho mclorina'i stopped the car very quieklv. and witness jnmned off, wont back, ek a mate'' and looked at tlio man lie found lim lv ing on Ins face and hands, with his Iflgs crossed. Wit ne c s detailed tho dioadfnl nature of tlio man's iniwic«. art! r-aid tho man was quite dead. Tiio nioloinnn rang tho boll just hofoic ho got 'o the stonning-placo there. Witnoss Thought ho was ringing it pretty well eierv chnin or 50ft 'fforn he stontiod I Its oar. He could not positively liavo dbno any more lo avcid the accident than he c) d There vvat a high hedge—l2ft or 14ft,—wh'cb raft a -hadow .Did prevented anyone seeing tho man until ho ramc riedit out on to tho road Willies thouglil the, rail; woro 14ft or 15ft fioin tho footpath, but was not sure Tho . car was going at tlio ordinal v pace. The pace wao slackened as the oar npnioaolied the stopping-place. Deceased or,me straight towards ths oar It was very niddon, and if was all o>'or in a moment

Sub-inspector f!rec.n: (Jim you form any idea as (o Ins sobriety? Witness: A '"obcr man might do Hlio «amo thini;. J could not sav mysolf. Any mail mifflil fall ou'r the gutter.

Sub inspector Green: Still, a man falling o\er the guttnr would net fall 14ft or 15f(. "Witncw: Making two or thrao stumbles a man might go some distance!. Witness afkled tlrl ho would not say for rortain wheth<r (h« car was just in front of, or iust jMwt, the rtopping-nlaco when'the affair happened. .Tjiinej M'Ponaid, a youth working at A. and ,T Rolling's. and lpsiditis in tlio Ynllov, paid lip knew dccased by sitr'it Jlc knew nothing of the icr>k!ont. He was going home from work just about 6 n.in. on hw hike, when "-&V ivsr Arthur's Deccwd was the w<rse of liquor, and witness just nhont inn into nim with ll"> hike. This his in t !, c rrnd.

The Coroner: JJo was sufficiently jntoMralcd not to he able tp tako proper eare of himself!

■Witness: Ho was sprawling all over tho road when I saw him. Constoblo Lynch said ho know deceased, who was a City Corporation labourer. Ho resided at Hawthorne, on {ho high bill rear Bethuno's Gully. It was quite possible ho might have had the idea of getting on board tho par at the stopping plaeo. Tho Coroner: Do you know anything about tho man's habits? fitness: I have known him for five or six yoars. He was of intemperate habits. Ho would take a drop sometimos. You could notice drink upon him sometimes. Ha was sometimes intoxicated going Ijome. To Sub inspector Green: Docoased would be about 50 years of ago, and was a vyidower with, witness thought, f)VO children. He did not think he was affliotod with deafness. James Albert Richardson, motorman in charge of tho car leaving the Uardons at 5.57 p.m., said at tho 'time tho accident happened the moon was just' rising. It was not moonlight in tho Valley,, thora being a shadow from tho hills across the road. ■\Vitnoss was keeping a pood look-oqt. Aftgr leaving the Gardens he slackened off for Glonchmng's stop, which was just beside Mr Glendining's gate. There being no passengers to al'glit there, lie iyas rung on by t|io°conduct/or. The motprnifn always gave an inquiry signal, and tho conductor gave a, signal to stop or go on. When two poles away from Leith walk stop witness touched the bell again for Leith walk stop, and got notice to go on—no passongors, to alight. He ?i\v no one ahead just befoie coming to Leith walk stop. Jqst before leaving Leith wplk he had thrown off power and slackened doy.n, and getting tho signal to go on was building up speed again to go on. He saw the form of a man stagger flora the footpath. 110 appeared to bo falling very heavily. Ho was staggering on all-fours, as if he had tripped. Immediately witness ■saw him he applied the brakes, and at the same time the man's head struck the footboard. Witness 'topped tho car at once in about 45ft, or a little over a car length, and went back and looked at the man, who was quite dead Witness sontthp conductor to the ncaiest telephone to ring up the police, a doctor, and {ho shod. Benjamin Reid, conductor in charge of the 5.57 pin tram on May 18, "aid he saw nothing of the accident no did not see tho mvn on (he footpath or road at all, as he was inside tho saloon of tho par collecting fares Ho had hoard the evidence given by Motorman Richardson, ant) confirmed tirat portion relating to the signals. Sub-mspeotor Green said tlioro was a witness they miijhl call to speak as to the condition of deceased. The Coronet did not think it necessary, and consulted tho foreman of tho jury on the subject. The Foreman: Wo are quite satisfied as to tho cause of death. The Coroner said they hid called evidence as to the state of deceased, and the accident was evidently owing to tho state ho was in, and no blame whatever was attachable to these in charge of tho car—the motorman and tho conduotor. Ho (Mr Graham) thought tho juiy was entitled, in all conscience, to leturn a vol diet uf accidental death. He did not know whether it would add anything with regard to the condition—lie did not know whether it was necessary or not, —but it should say that no blame was attachable to anyone in charge of the car.

The Foreman: Wo would also like to CNone.ato the officials—tho motorman and tho conductor. The C'oioncr: That is wlmt I «ay—■that no blame is attachable to anyono in oliarge oi tho tramenr.

Sub inspector fireen. The tramway neoplo liavo brought witnesses to speak as to tho stato the man was in a short lime before. Tno Foreman: Wo are quite satisfied, riiih inspector; quite salisfioil A vordict was then rotmncd that deectisocl was accidentallv killed on tho tramline, Noith-Hast Valley, on May 18, and thai no hliimo waii attachablo to anyone in ohargo of the tramcar.