TRAM CAR BOLTS

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1643, 9 January 1913, Page 3

TRAM CAR BOLTS

A SYDNEY SMASH. NINETEEN PASSENGERS INJURED. ..'■•A.'startling tram -accident occurred, .-/in; King Street, .Sydney, at 5.1G on Saturd-iy afternoon, December 28, when an Ocean Street -car,'-which" was: standing c at,' .tlie'' Elizabeth. Street-rushed .backward; ' down .King Street, and; collided with a tram travelling ;-oii the same line;,/; i'Robert .CoptdwAs..the.driver pf.c'ar 93, .which, stopped ,at.-ElizaTjeth',Street.', deceiving the. signal, tho driver'apparently .took ,off the' brakes:'in order ' to. start. Immediately, the-tram began-to nuuback.;. The driver, according' to"a constable who; witnessed' the,accident, .put, on/ tho; again. ;;. ;This.' had littleV or' iio,-effect;.; even if tho brakes ,-worked;,at' all,.'for,tho'. ' car, commonced to gain impetus. : Every.. liipmehV ;the ..speed 1 ; increased,, <md,;thd, .'passengers,- who numbered. about .i : 40, were in; great . alarm. The, conductor, (Reginald Morrison) hurried along ..the; footboard to. tho back,-of. tho ;tram-rpow; '.thfl /front— and ; operated, the,;,emergency ,brake, : \vhich, ; it iSySaidi.iaired^to^act...' ■ • ;j Still .-the/momentum /-was ./unchecked. Rather; itV increased, and: .;as; the tram •. crossed. Castlcreagh ' Street pedestrians '-jumped for .their, lives out of the way. ;There: were" seine narrow escapes," as .' the : rulo of the : road ;does not require, people to look for trams'-.running .on.the right-;; hahd l ;sido of the rpad.-./At/ Castlereagh ■ Streets the'; car was travelling at about tull:speed, and gaining .way with , oveiy jplt.'\;.Passengers /got on- the I :footboard,; -speculating whether itwould-bo .wiser, to; .'jump: or." wait.;.y. ,Onlookers': quickly saw .that therei.was gravel.danger.' of a, seriouS;, accident, .'and- by /the/tiino/ the - runaway.-' reached Pitt Street .quite a cro\vd ;Wtts in j pursuit.:• Excitement- ran ihigh, -.and : ,not :'a few screams broke from.the female: pas-.'; sengers/;'-A' new ; danger; was'- experienced at Pitt Street,' as - a railway tram ,-was / about' to i start. '•• • - .Thedriver'.',was; .warned,;, however,■/•/ by : /.;>,Traffic^hitab;e/ who; wasiomduty. ; A: numter of and.: fpot-passerigersvrit\ this-; cor-' ner' were also .pulled' up; promptly,. arid the"runaway/''was',given a-'clearpassage./ ■ \ The, 'Collision/occurred.i-after- the;,car; ■had; crossed 'Pitt. Street.' Coming in- tho ■ opj)osite' direction was a'.siugle-car-' tram,; half full, bound for Double: ,Tomey;. the/driver,/saw his":danger; when, the other car was thirty ,or .forty yards away. .He /applied ,hit J)rakes, : -and just,, as 'his., tram -was .stopping^.the ■r.unaw'jy; crashed, into it; ;: >Prom' Pitt, street ;Jo the; point{of: -bollisiori-r about. '60 yards l - ' the ' t line;'runs, \slightly -;, up-hill,, and; ;this:' somewhat .reduced''tlie'::spoed>of;,tho;run?; •• away. ■ > the /impact.was; .very severe::;,; Tho/noise/was- terrific,\and'. the grinding of iron, and steel and .tho splintering of; wood ;mixod";horribly;witlc tho .shrieks and/shouts/of pas&ngeriJ. aM- : spectators./•: Both ; cars ■'; were i; smashed badlyr : ' The destination • boards '/itwerd. broken, the'front and; rear of tho respec-. tive cars '.were; battered- in; t, headlights - smashed. to' piecespanes'. of;'glass .fell. in showers, the fragments, cutting tlwa 1 ;of- 'more: itliiin ono'-pasMnger.lii-the' case of the runaway tram every:, window • was'broken. ■';•- v V ''•' _' - ; . - Passengers on each car were injured, and 'these''badly - hurt wero speedily .nclp.od,but/of ithe,'.tramsr A'' relay;of/nip'tor-i;, .cars"a.nd "Civil -Ambft'-v lance and the,policd -to.'rchioyo.-tp'- SydheyV Hospital those ,w.ho' ,ri>quiredN.txoatnient.,i. : "1/ saw .the j whole/ thing, and;,I ■'have, ■ never experienced ■ sucli an exciting time," ; remarks,d Constable Morgan, wiio,r was-: /regulating the. traffic ■at the/ intersection., 'of Pitt and' King Streets. "I.noticed traiii; 98 •■gping-.iip.-.-pa'st'.^the -'Daily; Telegraph' - 015100. ■' -: The -air-bi-ake -was; taken off -in. order to' allow the tram to ; cross Elizabeth •. Street. • The ' brakes -scemcd'to fail, and : it appcared/.tovnie:'' Hia't: he then-put. the ;electncity on. car then started: to. run ;back,- and tho '.pace got, fasti* arid faster. •; lien it was .Hearing Pitt Street-1 could see the driver; had;- lost ; -contr61.-,of.vthe"ca.r, alt<s-'. gethsr.: -It was an exciting; time;for me.; as a'tTam was jnst'monng^ff'to/prpcecd 1 . along .Pitti Street.'- •'lMiniiiediately .waru-.'l ed the'driver;'a'iid liacl-tliis-'not'been done' aVterrible coilisioii' would ; have; occurred. - / the .wildly o'ver- the. interaction of 'King- :and I'itt; : S£reetsVterriblo.'-screams,' caine' froiii, the '. passengers—there were■ only, a-few .vacant; 'seat«.!. / Near ' Pitt' StrePt . one vofj the; pas : sensei-s; ; William-.-Henry Mopre,- residing.; at Victoria Street, .'fell out,; and injured hisvarml- \-Soveral 1 others -Jumped- put. .'When abput '40. yards;, from the: corner of; George' fjtreet, -tram No. 6GO was. coining, up liing-; Street. - \ ii: fullyexpected-.; • the; driver.'of .this,.'car.;-;torun,,back,; but he; did' ; not appear to* do so. The cars', collidsd with much force,-but ! both : drivers . Btuck to ; their posts, and fortunately escaped injdry,'. Nearly •every,-;,,pane of glass' was smashed." .- ■: "I just sat- still and' waited. 'Some hysterical ' women: r screamed, - but <what good; could that do shid NtfrseThompsoii'. v. "I was sitting in ..the: salon" of;.the car thrit- ran.i^yay,'and. though-I/could,-see'theie , was; trouble coming,-I;, ielt that, 'the -best: tiling' I' could,, do. was; to .stay, where [ i was.;l had 1 just; .as -'good -;a, chance ithat -way' as; by jumping put, con,, sidcrinsi; the pace, -the- car was .going. ■ Some o'< the . man jumped safely' enough, but that is a • practice! whicli women, ' n6t very well, imitate; I^"waited breath-; lessly for- tho climax,.ancl'it came with a mighty bang. . For a moment _I thought I' had escaped .Without, injury, --.burthen; I felt a pain in my' back/and'whcn- I;put - my- hand 'to the spot it<was. stained with " blood:' I cannot 'tell ,how,;;I. ;;got,." the. ; wound, unless it : was v frbm; a; piece- of ■ broken glass-door." • ■:,> *• ' /William Hem'y .Moorei.,on, being seenafter th-3. accident; .'said:—"All ~that. 'I know- is the tram . dashed down: - King; Street at* an nwful. pace. How it happened 1,-do not know. • 11 was looking out all the"; time, and could sos a /collision must occur.-" Seeing-this,l ■' threw, myself, cut." .' .