SENSATIONAL RUNAWAY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 165, 6 April 1908, Page 8

SENSATIONAL RUNAWAY.

WILD CAREER.DOWN A BUSY STREET. (fly TELEGBATH.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) :. - ,' / ~ Auckland, April 0.. .Great ,excit,ement;. ;( was caused in Queen Street oil Saturday / afternoon by a sensational.-' tiie .climax . of. -which was nipsfc dramatic. Just after one'o'clock, when tiio ti'allicwwats t ;at,.,its busiest, six . horses drawing a large'brake' came careering madly dowii t-be main thoroiighfaro, scattering pedestrians, and. vehicular .traffic to right , and left .-in double-'qui.ck time. The whole length of, the crowded : street was traversed before any damage/was,done; then it was a.doctor's trap: that;, suffered. Ultimately, Frank Andrews, driver of tho bolting sextette, who had,-.stuck-gamely to his seat, averted what must havo. been a fatality-by skilfully throwing',..one. of tho : leaders at the psychological moment/and bringing .tho whole team down in a heap. • What:happened was this: At the.outset the brake, a large one capable of seating 35 people, was standing .outside Messrs Andrew and Wise's stables, ready to pick up' a Saturday .afternoon .crowd of holiday-makers. Ono of the leaders became restive, and commenced to . kick, whereupon the whole six horses got'quickly ; out of hand, and before it was ipiito, realised what had happened :the /animals were madly rushing down theistrect. 'The Victoria Street decline gave an impetus to tho fast-gathering speed" of tho horses, and the team swung round the corner into Queen Street, at a terrific gallop. For two blocks, down the runaways continued their career despite the efforts of Andrews, who is regarded as a first-class whip. . Ho pluckily .retained some control, however, and eye-wit-nesses -ascribo tho miraculous manner in which; ayworso accident was averted to his superb-handling/'of: tho animals. As tho Customs Street corner was ap.proaphed, } several - trams -wero drawing up to the intersection, and the street was crowded with the ono o'clock rush of people struggling for tho means; of reaching their homes. Just before reaching it, a gig, occupicd by Dr. Owen and a groom, loomed up in tho track of the runaways. To swervo to the right meant a collision with a tram pole, while to the, left -mbant a-.lurch', on . tho footpath. The driver endeavoured to pass between the gig and the post, but the heavy brake proved too unweildy,'and crashed into tho gig, smashing the wheel, on tho ; driver's side to pieces. -Scarcely"a spoko .of the, wheel was left intact. 1 ■ Dr. Owen and 'his man were thrown on to t-ho road, but escaped serious injury.' Tho horse was also-thrown to. tho ground as'a".result of tho impact, but, .fortunately, the gig alone was damaged.' Then camo the climax: As the team thundered down Queen Street, Andrews had shown remarkable presence of mind. He now revealed even more. At the foot of Queen Street hundreds of peoplo were making their way to tho trams. •,Unless he checked his horses Andrews realised that he must inevitably dash right into tho human obstaclo ahead, killing more than ono. With great coolness and skill he thereupon used all his weight on'tho off leader, which, in driving vernacular, " threw out," and a moment later -tho scene was a confused mass of struggling horses, the whole team coming down ono on top of?'the other.'. ts *, The trouble then ; was to release tho animals, 'which, lay kicking and struggling upon the grouiid.- ' Several of the horses wero very badly cutpabout, particularly the leader, which received a nasty wound in tho foreleg. Under tho' circumstances, however, it was little short of wonderful that the affair was not attended .with' moro serious Tosults. As Andrews drovo back to the stables with 'three of tho least, injured horses attached--to the brako ho received ■ a hearty cheer from tho large'crowd' which had assembled on tho .scene.of the accident..,,, -