MILTON MOTOR TRAGEDY

Evening Star, Issue 19802, 28 February 1928, Page 8

MILTON MOTOR TRAGEDY

INQUEST ON THE THREE VICTIMS c;;e WITNESS STILL to be called The inquest was_ resumed yesterday at Milton concerning the deaths of Messrs Alexander Browne Armour, Joseph Biggins, and Thomas E. Wilkins, three prominent racing men who, while returning from a Tapanui meeting on the evening of February 1 were accidentally killed on the Main South road near Milton ns the result of an accident to their car. A fourth passenger, Mr L. J. FUJI, the secretary of the Dunedin Jockey Club, had a miraculous escape from fatal injury, and during the time which has elapsed since the mishap recovered so satisfactorily that he was able to give evidence at the inquest yesterday. Mr H. J, Dixon, S.M,, sat as coroner, and Constable M'Quitty conducted the inquiry. Mr J. B. Callan appeared on behalf of Mrs Biggins. After all the available evidence had been taken, the coroner adjourned the inquest pending the hearing in Dunedin of the evidence of James Harold Vincent Martin, a Dunedin auctioneer, who is at present on the AVest Coast, and who was driving in his car close to the other when the accident happened. The date of the next sitting will be fixed later.

James Garfield Stewart, qualified medical practitioner at, Milton, stated that lie was called to the scene of the accident on February ], and arrived at the spot at about 8..'10 p.m., a few minutes after the accident had occurred. The first person he saw was Joseph Biggins, who was lying on his hack under the car; he had a large fracture of the skull, and a part of the brain was exposed ; life was extinct, hut. the body was quite warm. He next attended to Alexander Armour, who also had a fractured skull; in this case, also, life was extinct. He (hen found Thomas Wilkins on the opposite side of the road on the grass; lie had a, severe . head injury; his pulse was heating feebly, and witness worked with him for some minutes'; hj,s condition improved, and witness ordered his removal to the hospital, where ho died a few minutes alter his admission. To the Coroner; Ho did not smell any liquor about the occupants of the car.

.lames William Albert, Electric Bower Hoard inspector, Milton, gave evidence to the effect that Jic was proceeding in a two-seater Essex from Balelutha to Milton. A two-seater Buick, driven by James Martin, passed him on the way about a mile back from the bridge at about the, junction of the Lawrence and the Clarksville roads, he was sure it was driven by Martin. At the junction of the Lawrence road he saw a big fivc-scater car, which he felt safe in saying was the one which met with the accident. Witness slowed up to allow it to get ahead of him on to the main road. When this car came to the corner it slowed down' and turned very carefully; when it got on to (lie main road it speeded up,”the const lieing then dear. Witness said he himself was not doing more than thirty miles per hour; he lost sight of the big car, which quickly disappeared in the dust it created. Martin was ahead of the big car when witness’s car followed on. _ When he came to the pound near the site ol the accident he stopped his car on seeing that a mishap had occurred and went forward to assist. The big car was standing practically at right angles to the road with the hack nearly in I lie centre. Close beside it was the smaller car. There was one man lying on the road. Another was hanging by his legs from one of the stanchions of the hood, and his head and shoulders wore on the ground. Then he saw two legs (those of a third man) protruding from underneath the car. By that time there wore several people on the scene, and the first thing they did was to free the man who was caught; in tlie hood. The engine of the ear was still running, and the water was boiling out of the radiator. The hack tyre on the near side to witness (the right hand side of the car) was flat; it. was the first thing witness noticed. One oi the men was si ill groaning, and they carried him to the side of the load.

io Mr Calian: .lie was oM.cn over that road, and had licen over since Hie accident, J here were a number of pot-holes, and on a fine day the road was deccntive as regards its surface; just south of the scene of the accident f here wore some had depressions, particularly on the right hand side. Just short ol the pound the road appeared (o have two levels, and had to he carefully watched.

Aichibald Macdonald Whytock, an apprentice plumber, of Milton, staled that ho was proceeding towards Clarksville on a, push bicycle at between a quarter and hall-past 8 on February 1. When he came opposite the pound be noticed approaching him a two-seater car and a fivc-scater Buick car. At that time _ they .seemed to be running practically level, and remained level when they passed him. Then the big car swerved to the right hand side of the road. He considered that the car was travelling at anything up to fifty miles au hour, although he was not good at judging speed. Just when passing him the big car turned practically at right angles to the road, the smaller ear then being slightly ahead. The rear of the -big ear just missed Ins cycle. The small one slowed down. The big car was straightened up by the driver, and had gone about a chain down the road when witness heard a crash. Witness put his machine against the hank and, on going back to assist, found the big car straight across the road; the engine was running, hut ho had not noticed the water from the radiator. The first man he saw was Hill, who was lying on the road about lUft south of the car. As soon as he had got Hill over to the. other side of the road ho saw two or three men carrying another injured man over to Iho side of the road also. He noticed that the radiator of the car was bashed in and the right hand roar tyre was Hal. Ho later assisted at extracting Biggins. Armour was iUH north of the car.

To Mr Callan; He had no experience in trying to judge speed. When the cars passed him he kept going till he heard the crash, and did not anticipate an accident. Ho did not examine the marks of the car’s swerves. Ho agreed with the previous witness as regards the state of the road.

To the Coroner: He thought the car was going faster than in most cases. James Allison, farmer, stated tbathe was motoring home on the evening of the accident, and when he came to the turn near Scott’s farm ho noticed two cars coming towards him. One car seemed to conic out from behind the other—to his mind the one that had previously been behind. It appeared to him to pass the other ear: then it seemed to turn across the road at right angles, and finally somersaulted two or three times on its sidt, before stopping on its wheels. Ho was about. 50yds distant when the accident happened. Re did not go to the scene of the mishap. To Mr Callan : That piece of road was a. hit rough, and in parts was sprinkled with pot holes.

To the Coroner: The rood was as good as any other in those parts. He pulled in to the side of the road when ho saw the car swerving, but did not really stop. from where he was ho could not tell if the cars were going at a high speed or not. The liveseater appeared to Ire overtaking tho smaller car on its correct side of tho read. lieslie Gerald Hill, secretary of the Dunedin Jockey Club, said that on the first of February the party was returning from the Tapamii Races in a car owned and driven by Joseph Higgins. Witness was in the front seat. Wilkins was.sitting behind Biggins, and

Armour immediately behind witness. They left Tapanui at about 0.3 U p.m. The car was in good runnfng order, ami no trouble had been experienced. They stopped at Beaumont, whore they intended having tea, hut ultimately, in about a couple of minutes’ time, they decided to go straight on. They also stopped at both bowsers in Lawrence to get petrol, but could not obtain it. Ail went well until they came to the Main South road. He noticed another ear in trout of them, probably not. ifiore than a chain away. The day was very dusty, and it was difficult to know what was in front,. When the car in front was seen Biggins speeded up to overtake it. Ha could not judge the speed, because judgment ol that sort depended on the das.-, of car being driven. Ho did not look at the speedometer, hut thuught they might have been travelling at from thirty-five to forty miles per hour. They were all quite sober, fie know there was some liquor in the car; they had taken some because they wore going into a noliccnse district. They just passed this car when they got into ft swerve; there was a sudden swerve to the, left, and then came a feeling ns if someone had taken the wheel and swerved the car suddenly to the right. The swerve to the left seemed to come after they passed the other car, and after that the second swerve.' seemed more of a dash or a rush to the right. Witness remembered nothing more; ho had no recollection of the car’s turning over Ho did not know the tyro wa.s down. To Mr Callan: He had driven with Biggins from Mosgiel to the races that day. He had been driven by him several times—probably on half a "dozen occasions. Witness found him the most careful driver he had ever driven with. In fact, he was tiring for a Jong journey. He was rather a nervy type of man. They left Mosgiel at about 7 a.in., and reached Tapanui at about 11 a.m. Biggins was working all day. He had been recently appointed handtcapper to tho various country clubs, and was studying the horses’ form. Witness tvas in touch with him all day. and when they lunched together they had coffee from a thermos Jla.sk. Ho did not sec deceased have any drinks, although there wa.s drink in some ot tho cars. They had a drink at J Lae's Junction on the way up. They wero all quite sober. To the Coroner: They did not stop at Kao’s Junction on the way back, and they did not have any drinks at Beaumont. Biggins travelled so slowly that they joked about it; witness did not think they had overtaken a car on cither tho outward or the homeward journey. They tried to overtake Martin on the proper side.

Constable Thomas Edward Johnstone, stationed at Dunedin, said that on February 1 lie was relieving at Milton. At B.liO p.m. on that date he received a message to say that an accident had happened opposite Scott’s place. lie went to the place opposite the pound, where ho discovered the motor car had been pushed off the road. The hood was practically wrecked, the right band back tyre was flat, tho wind shield was smashed, the steering wheel broken, the bonnet and part of the ladiator damaged, and the mudguard on the right hand side was badly bent. When witness arrived Higgins and Armour, both dead, was placed on tho side of the road. Dr Stewart was treating Wilkins, who died afterwards in fhe hospital. Witness removed the bodies of Armour and Biggins to tho morgue. The tyre of the car was flat, but there was no sign of its having blown out, which meant that it must have run on in that condition for some considerable distance. The tyre was practically new. but be noticed that a patch had lifted from the tubing. Witness did not smell any liquor on those who had occupied the car, nor did he find any among their belongings, of which he took possession. To Mr Callan: He examined the tyre next day. He was not an expert motorist. The cause of the puncture was discovered next day at the garage, where the tyro was examined. To the Coroner: He did not notice any marks on the ground, because several cars had arrived on the scene before him. This concluded the available evidence. The inquest was adjourned.