FATAL TRAM ACCIDENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13387, 13 September 1905, Page 6

FATAL TRAM ACCIDENT.

A YOUTH KILLED ON THE MORNINGTON LLYE,

I .A sad , fatal accident occurred on tho Mornington tramway lino yesterday morning;, whereby;a'youth named I'hoinas Whyte aged 15| yeah, sen of tho janitor of tho High Street School,. lost his life. Do-' ceased had been engaged for about six months on tlio tramways, his duty being' to oil the cable pulleys along the line, and' it was while engaged in this duty that tho unfortunate young fellow lost his life. It appears the 8.15 a.m. down car was boing run over from .tho up line to tho down line in front of tho car sheds, lieceased being: at the timo down a manhole, presumably for tlio purpose of greasingv a pulley; but no ono 011 tlio car was aware of the fact until tho. car was folt to strike against something, Tho brake was immediately applied, and Mr Georgo Thorn, manager of the Mornington tram- ( who was on the car, jumped off, thinking tlio-car had left the rails.. One of the ' passengers jumped off on the other side, and seeing the end of tho footboard j'amm'ed against a man's body, he at orico gave the alarm. The car was immediately pushed back, and tho young fellow was carricd into tho tramway office to await tho arrival of tho ambulance, which had been hastily summonedi On .his removal to tho Hospital it was seen that tlio young fellow was badly crushed about his chest, nnd bedy, his injuries being so severe that any clianco of recovery was considered hopeless,. and death released him from his sufferings nt 1 p.m.. yesterday. ' Tho manjiole door under which deceased was working abnte against tho outer rail of tho down track. When a car is shifted over from ono;;line to tho other it passes over curved points until tlio car wheels como 011 to the straight down track, at which point tho gripman picks' rip tho cablo with tho gripper. '.While crossing tho points' tho ear descends a slight decline, and is controlled by,tlio brakes, tlio speed at which it travels being about two miles an hour, or a slow walking pace. In moving past where manhole is the car 'footboard describes a curve having a 2ft radius from the outerrrain! n and just passes over ono half of tho entrance to. the manhole. It is summed that deceased had finished his tas'k, and was raising himself to a standing position in. tho manhole when lie was crushed by the car. Had he remained prone in tho manhole ho would havo been jierfcptly. safe.while the car wag passing over it. Deeessed was a very tall youth, and this explains why it was possible for him to raise his bodr above tho lovel of the manhole whilst in a. stooping position. Tho car was iiv charge of Gripman T. Lowden, and it is stated that, the usual alarm was sounded on tlio bell, the first intimation of decoascd's whereabouts being tho stoppago of the ear. Tho fatality appears to have been purely ac&idcntal.