TRAMCARS COLLIDE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 42, 14 November 1918, Page 7

TRAMCARS COLLIDE

BRAKES FAIL TO ACT

MAN CRUSHED TO DEATH

A particularly (shocking accident, vrith fatal result, occurred at the.junction of Elizabeth Street and Kent Terraco at 7.U5 o'clock last evening, causing the in- . eriititauooue death of Mr. Alfred Thomas,, til' 31 Crawford Road! foreman of (he maintenance 'department, of tho "Wellington Gius Company. ■ Tho accident, one of the first of its kind that has occurred in Wellington, .happened through the coliieion of (wo trnmcars at a. point in Kent Terrace, a few .yards.from' Elizabeth Street, where the points meet It'appears that Mr. Thomas was standing in a Kjlbirnie combination cur (No. US). Ixiund towards the city, in a position ready to leave the car when it reached Courtsnay "Place. . The (pisetioK wlu'tfier this car should liavn (alien precedence of the in-bound Island Bay combination <:<ir (No. Hi) has yet to bo elucidated, but they ( iuet ivith a sickening crash. The deceased is said to have been knocked half cut of tho Kilbiniie car, and as both cars continued, for a yard or two under the..impetus of (ho speed (both were proceeding in 'the same direction), he was drawn between tlio sides and crushed to death/ ". Them the iiian lump; for over half an hour, for tho. shock of the collision derailed the Kilbiniie car, and it was not -.intil it had been jacked up and pulled free' of tho other car that-the body could be released. It was pulled into the car, and then ', transferred to an ambulance, where an. vxaminntion was made by Dr. Elliott, who pronounced that' death must have been instantaneous. The body was removed to the Morgiie. ' . At (he junction where the-accident occurred there .is.an automatf"...(langp.vsignal, VhicF shows a red light to the motormen of,,cars, .nroceeiliiif; along the flat (up or down Kent-''Torrace). warning ..them of the approaeii "of ft car down Elizabeth Street. . Tlio niotorman of the Kilbiniie car (Scott) a man with thirteen years' experience (eight years in Belfast and. five in Wellington), found that for .sonie reason unknown he was unable to' pull his car up at the bottom . of.. Elizabeth ■ Street, ami it skidded, round ''the bend and into the other car before, it was 'stopped.' It therefore/'cut' in" .Mio- red light too late for the signal' to be read and "obeyed by Young, the motorman- of the other car.' . Scott is considered to be 0116 of the best motormen in the service, jind has a '.clean record as far as'.'accidents are concerned. 'An -inquiry- -'willbo held iuto the cause of tlio accident. Mrv Alfred Thomas.was a. man about 56 years of age. and had been in the employ of the Wellington Gas "Company fur over twenty vears. He was hcki in high regard by the company and by all who knew him. By virjiue of the work he supa-vised,. he was widely and nopiilarly known in Wellington. -He".was an esteemed member 'of. the Wellington I South Ch'urch of- Christ. He leaves a | widow,, a married ' son (MrJ Alfred i Thomas, jun., plumb.er); a. '.married \ daughter (Mrs. Hadfield), aiid a single! daughter (Miss Annie Thomas). ". -. i The Island Bay car'(No/ 114) wassome- ' what, badiy damaged,- one of the.stand-.I ards being puslied in, 'wrenching away some of the overhead ■ woodwork;'■' Thn Kilbir'nie car was noO so badly damaged' by the impact. ' . ■ ... The passengers .in.' both ci>r.=i received I a shock, and those in the Kilbirnift car! were thrown about by the force of the impact, fortunately without nny serious injuries. being. sustained. 'One of the i passengers (Mr. Miller), a tocher on the | staff of the Britomart"Strwr ,-«fcooI, I sustained a slight -abrnsior. :>t i.h'<> of the bead, which was attended to bv I Dr.; Elliott. ■ . ' •• ■'.!