TRAMWAY SMASH

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 207, 27 May 1919, Page 6

TRAMWAY SMASH

IN TINAKORI ROAD

CAR FALLS OVER EMBANK-

MENT

NO LOSS OF LIFE

One of tho most remarkable tramway mishaps that has taken place in Wellington occurred in I'inakori Road about G o'clock last evening, when the Corporation freight car, No. 200, ran off tho rails and topplod over the embankment fronting Little George Street. The car was returning to tho city from Karon, where a load of luggage and other, goods had boon delivered, ,and was being driven by Motorman T. Orchard, the conductor .being J. Nolan. Both men had a wonderful escapo from death, and, strango to say, neither of them was injured, although ono- of them received somo slight scratches on the back of one of his hands. As was only to be expected, howover, they both recoivcd a very severe shaking. At the spot where the accident happened tho ■ thoroughfare slopes gently towards Molesworth Street comer, and the tram rails are la/id about four or five feet from the edge of the embankment, along the top of which runs ft barricade of wooden posts and railings. The height from tho top road to the lower portion ■ giving access to Little Georgc_ Street and to the houses at the bottom is about six feet, the embankment being faced with a soiid wall of masonry. It ia not known at what speed the car was travelling at the time, but the accident happened witfi startling' suddenness. \ The marks made in the roadway by the wheels show that the ear left the rails about 10 on. 50 foet above Littlo George Street, and about 150 yards .below the corner of Hawkestone Street. After Tunning along the road for a fow feet the front bogey u-heels turned sharply to the left, and. the car smashed into the wooden protective railings, over 40 feet of which were torn away, and fell with a crash into, tho lower portion of the road. Both the motorman and the conductor went 'over the embankment wtih the car, they really having no time ih which to jump off before it capsized. How tliev eseaned so lightly is a mystery.' Had they fallen under .the car os it turned over on its left side they must have been crushed to death. 1 ■ ( The car was but little damaged. The glasswoTk in the front was not even cracked, but that at the back was badly smashed. The woodwork was also knocked about somewhat, bttfc the motors and fittings did not suffer very much injury. As the car, which weighed about seven tons, was thrown on to its side, the task of removing it from, its awkward position was extremely difficult. A repair gang from the Newtown sheds was summoned, and the work of restoring the derelict to the rails was superintended by Mr. M. Cable, assistant tramways manager, Mr. D. M'Gillivray, traffic manager, and Mr. Leah, chief of the carshed staff... By means of jacks and heavy timbers the car was eventually hoisted'on to a big Harbour Board truck which was requisitioned for the. occasion, and at an early hour this morning it was righted on to tho tram tracks and hauled to the Newtown carsheds for repair. The tram track was not damaged in any way by the l accident, and the ordinary running of the Karori and Botanical Gardens service was not interrupted in any way. An inquiry into the cause of the accident will be held by the Tramways Department.