CURIOUS ACCIDENT.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1700, 17 March 1913, Page 6

CURIOUS ACCIDENT.

SMASH-UP ON A TRAM-CAR. ' TROLLY-POLE STANDARD ' TORN OUT. PASSENGER SLIGHTLY INJURED. "' A' most extraordinary accident,- and' the first of its kind "in 'Wellington.' happened to a double-decked traiucar bound to New- : town. at about; 10:45, a.m. on Saturday. The car was rounding the corner from the eastern.enrl off Courtenoy Place into Kent-Terrace, just at which point'there ate "frogs" anfd junctions in-abundance '"ill"j the ;overhead trolly-wires, and'.'it'was' -Whilst -moving slowly' 'round, the l -corner. : that' the'trolly-head .of tne 'decker-left its ' wirei; ";nnd ' -with the spring Assessed 1 by overy. trolly-pole jerked- upward, jus.t'as" the passing iiiidcr . the 'junction'"of" tho- • main' wire andthe Clyde Quay "extension''wire. The. pole, helpline, jainriied* in : the..fork of ..the, two ■wires, and pulled''the, cat; up .with a jerk ; which', gnye the' passengers criii'siderabio alarm. ■ llad'the .car.'been travelling at "any speed''St'aU'-the' re'sults'would certaiii''iy* I haye; I bee'n' s.erious; ,; 'As it; wns, : what • happened was most alarming. - 1 'Ordinarily, 1 'in sncli'a.tiase, the trolly-head •would have been pulled off; arid, the break- . in"the circuit',of electrical current.would . . . Jx.iive . stopped. :thel oar in a',fe,wizards,, but in \ this case ./the ''trolly-head- stuck fast

•in .the,fori;,'-and' as something had to go, the whole ijtandard (the upright receptacle . i for the trolly-pole was torn - from the , floor, o'fltiie car's top-deck;'qhd .fell ( witli. a . crash oii th'e : seats—which -ordinarily are v well-filled. li'ortiinatelyj there'were only ■": ' < .thfee.,nieh„riding on the .top-deck,'and, .lis .may well bo-expected, they all received a i., considerable shock',''from theVharrow, ; ie's'capo ffom, a, sudden end,, .for anyone ' the.' three 'been sitfiiig'directly' in the ■line, of, the, falling standard and .pole! lie 1 have either been "killed.outfight or * vary seriously injured.All. three' .were pale .and shaken■ when' interviewed by a i Dominion representative: ■ y ;.. , - Tho Injured Man.. / r One of. the three passengers on top was ; _Mr. H. M'Kay,'property 'superintendent , "on'the' district'iuahagei-s'sl'a'ff of thePiibli() ,'lVust,, .Office.' ' lie-.was; sitting in an i : outsido'posititm to one 'side-of and quite '.'near*to the itiuidard.' Ho was consider- *' ably startled ,'when' the standard was wrenched upwards, l and while still won-I ' deruig what;'it"was. all ;abbut, the upper part\ of tho » -iuaimed"-standard swung .. ':sliarply. over, .tho; backs. of." tho .seats/. and . 'struck his left arm -a .heavy, blow. Mr. M'Kay also . got a knock ■ >on tho head,' iwhich.'made him feel rather sick. Jlr. T. Tt'.'-M'Loughlin, one of the other passengers who .was on the top-deck, in-. ; formed ' a Dominion'reporter that the car : was. going round' the corner- very steadily, when, without any warning, it -.pulled up ■ with a.-;jerk,-;'.and at :the. same moment there was-a. crash of breaking- timber. . When he recovered from the. je.rk ho saw.' what had happened, and lost no time in leaving tho car.'-.The third passenger on ' top was Mr.;.\l.-o'Sullivan,,wtio only ad- - niitted to. getting a .bit of a. start. ' He :. was sitting, forward, of the standard, and ■ ■■■ so was.,'out,,of .harm's." w.ay.''^ To understand-what actually happened ". it.rnust be'understood that the heavy iron ' Gtundard.is held'in position by a cast-iron foot-plate over a'.yard in length; which is •.. ,;<itrongly ...secured, to the timbers of ~ the "Car .with iroii Ipolts. ..Not 'only, wero, • -these drawn'up'and .smashed, but ; tho solid, irpn,, fppt-plate w;as cracked right. '. . iicross." 1 '■..-' ■' Anti-Decker Policy. ■ " Had the accident occurred on a football /:•;; batiirday"afternoon it would in all pix)b'lability - have meant.a ,tragedy.' . As it is, it inust haye the effect of making motor-' ' vnenTextrefnely^caTeful'in' rounding corn1. -vrs where the overhead .wires, junction, ' and 'so,create ."forks" likely to coit'ch "a 'straying trolly-head. ' ,' ' • The present policy of the Tramway Board is rather against the. double-decked car. both on account of, tunnels .to be '. negotiated on some-of tho suburban sections, and the .'.difficulty' experienced by ; • the.conductors' in :collecting-,fares.', .The ' <! . accident' furnishes I .'yet. aiiother, argument , -againstthat type of-car. y-:: .