RACE TRAFFIC

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3134, 12 July 1917, Page 4

RACE TRAFFIC

INCIDENTS BY THE WAT. About 1100 racegoers travelled to Trentham by train yesterday. No doubt tho majority of people expected the train would be crowded, and either abandoned the trip or went by motor vehicles. Most of those who went bv train were at the station before 0.30 a.m. Only a limited number of ticksts were on sale at the barriers. The 8.3 oa.m. mixed train for Wooilville wn* made up to.eight carriages instead of the usual four. It carried about 200 racegoers in addition to the passengers for the Wairarapa. The 9.55 a.m. train for Upper Hutt consisted of 15 carriages, with two engines. It was thought that this would cam- about 700 passengers, or about 850 from Lambton, with an allowance for others from Petone ond Lower Hutt. Under GOO passengers booked at Lambton, so there was seating accommodation for the maximum number anticipated from Petone and Hutt.

'There.was a noticeable absence of on tho streets of the city yes. terday. The number provided for racegoers was insufficient for the demand, and motor lorries with wooden seats had their passenger accommodation quickly booked. The road to Trentham was in a nniddy state, and many care were compelled to draw to Hie side of the road to effect repairs, chiefly to punctured tyres. Tho cars formed . a continuous procession, and at bad parts of the road serious accidents were only narrowly averted, and, as reported elsewhere, one car ran over a. bank'and two of its occupants were injured. On the journey back to' the city the cars in tho procession were closer together, and _ when near the Pilverstream'bridge a big car was crashed into by a following car and had its bensiinn tank, broken, witb the result that lwth cars were set on fire. One of the cars was so badly damaged that it was run into the river, and the radiator, bonnet, and front tyres of the other were considerably damaged before the flames were extinguished. The passengers in tho cars jumped nut and were unhurt. In another case a touring oar which was travelling at a good speed was suddenly brought to a standstill l>y the back axle breaking. The passengers suffered nothing beyond a jolt, and pro-, ceeded in a friend's car.