INTERPROVINCIAL

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 499, 26 April 1881, Page 2

INTERPROVINCIAL

(By Telkquapii) (From The Lyttelton Times.) SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON THE ROSLYN TRAMWAY. Dunedin, April 24. An accident of a most alarming character resulting in the injury of twelve persons one of whom is almost certain to die occured at half-past 11 last night on the Roslya tramway. Roslyn is a suburb situated on the hills above Dunedin, and the tramway thereto was started about four months ago. It ia worked by an endless wire rope, to which the carriages are attached by a gripper. The carriages are also provided with a break supposed to be powerful enough to bring them to a standstill wherever applied. Last night the car started up Rattray street for Roslyn, and had proceeded some GOO yards up hill, the gradient being about 1 in 16, when something went wrong with the gear. The general statement is that' the man in charge of the break put it off instead of on, and, before he could rectify his mistake, the carriage had commenced to run down hill, and had attained such speed as it rushed clown the incline that all efforts to stop it by means of the break were futile. Three men, Messrs Garrett, Spears and Stewart jumped off, but the rest were unable to get out of the car, which reached the terminus line at a fearful rate of speed, tore through ihe heavy wood-worlc and three feet of metal road> and turned over on its side. At one moment it appeared probable tlint it would dash across the footp ith into the Crown Hotel. Plenty of assistance w;is at hand, tho car was lighted and the injured men were removed tv tho Shamrock Hotel. The following is a list of tho injured :— Andrew Thompson (of Thompson Strang and Co., drapers), cut and bruised ; John Strang, bruised and cut about the face ; Win. Stewart, or Steward, bruised about the legs ; Thomas Harvey, laborer, cut and bruised ; Rossmond Johnson, slightly bruised; Wm, Peaice, bruised and cut about the head ; — Geckie, badly bruised, a long time insensible ; — Spears, a p jst office clerk, bruised, cut, and severely shaken; Peter Hanneh, very little hurt 5 John Conway, bruised ; T. Garret, skull dreadfully fractured. This case is considered to be hopeless. Hislop, cut and bruised. The three men who jumped off fared the worst. The car was greatly smashed about. The sufferers were all at once attended toby Dra Brown, Ferguson, Dezouche, Burrows and Mactlonald. All butT. Garrett are doing well.