ACCIDENT TO TRAM-CAR

Southland Times, Issue 23178, 20 April 1937, Page 8

ACCIDENT TO TRAM-CAR

Inquest Into Death Of Victim

EVIDENCE REVIEWED BY CORONER (United Press Association) DUNEDIN, April 19. “We have it that the track, the tram and its brakes were all in first class order. How then did the accident occur? The only feasible suggestion is that the tram was allowed to develop too high a rate of speed before the brakes were applied, and that possibly the brakes were not applied with the utmost efficiency,” said Mr J. R. Bartholmew, S.M., at the inquest this morning into the death of John Kenny, a married man, aged 52 years, who was struck down and killed by a runaway tram on the Opoho line on Thursday morning. “It is difficult to account for the occurrence otherwise than in the manner I have suggested,” added the Coroner. “My verdict will be that death was due to injuries caused by being knocked down by a tram-car, which left the rails after getting out of control on Signal Hill Road.” Reviewing the evidence the Coroner said that it showed that the tram had travelled a distance of 220 yards before leaving the rails, and another 30 yards before mounting the footpath. The grade was a steep one but the track was in good order. According to the evidence the tram came down the hill at a very high rate of speed. The motorman, Alfred Chapman, had said that he left the terminus in the usual way but, when it had gathered speed, both magnetic and hand-brakes failed, and that he was in the process of applying the third emergency brake when the tram went off the line. Two of the three movements necessary for this latte r operation had actually taken place, rhe question was: How did the tram come to get out of control? An examination showed that both magnetic ana hand-brakes had not been put out of order by the upset and were subsequently tested out over the same route, and applied without difficulty. According to the tramways manager there was no record of the failure of magnetic brakes except in the case of fault.