TRAMCAR SMASH.

Gisborne Times, Volume XII, Issue 1082, 28 December 1903, Page 3

TRAMCAR SMASH.

A CHRISTMAS -EVE DISASTER IN AUCKLAND..

THREE KILLED AND MANY IN-

JURED,

(Special to Times.) AUCKLAND, Saturday. A cloud was cast over the Christmas season in Auckland by a tramcar smash that has brought grief and •trouble into many homes—a tramcar accident, by which three people lost : their lives, and many others were injured, some very seriously. No Gisborcites, as far as I can learn, were on the two trams affected, although quite a number were to be seen ndji)£, about in the trams that evening, and many of those injured are well known in Gisborne. In my message "1 am quoting almost in full from the -excellent report given in the Auckland morning journal.

THE ACCIDENT. Two cars, carrying about 150 people collide'! on the New North Koau, near the George street stoppingplacet One person was killed in scautly, another died within an hour o.f the accident, and the third ratal result occurred on Christinas afternoon. . 'liie accident occurred at about ?.15 on Christmas Eve, when double decked ear No. 39, in charge of b red Humphrey, motorman, was going to the city from Kingsland. -All went well until coming up Eden retrace , lust bclore the loop-line vias reached ihu car was stopped, and the brake apparently refusing to work, the huge I car, to the consternation of the pas- j „ sengers, started backward, ocing carried downhill by its own weight. As she gained speed the long arm, which establishes connection between the overhead wires and the motors on the car, became detached from the current wire, and the car began

to slip more rapidly downhill. liofnediately the contact, with the ■overhead wire was broket the lights inside went out, and the 'if Raining impetus at every yard, a.*'! rushing on in darkness, threw the passengers ’on board into a stale of high ir?nzy. The motorman and conductors did their utmost to minimise ,wliat was practically beyond the power of mfin to prevent. In complete darknjess the car rushed downhill at a terrific speed, swaying from side io side, its loose parts rat-

tling and abo-ve all were the frantic shouts of the men, the screams of the women, and'the crying od terrified children. On the car dasjtied, down past the brightly-light--c-2 stores by the roadside, which seemed themselves to appear and disappear out of the darkness, on past the Mount Roskill road, and then the dark car plunged down into the darkness of the unlighted road towards the Rocky Nook bowling green and shot round the bend

Then, and not till then, it was seen- that there was a car in the way -•■an up-car from Kingsland, and full of passengers. The glare of the lamp shone out immediately ear 39 shot round the corner, but it was then too late for the up-car motorman (Ernest Thompson) to do more than reverse, which he seems to have done with remarkable celerity and presence of mind. But the collision was inevitable, —the cars met—there was an .awful crash, followed by piercing shrieks and agonised groans, and ins’tantly, all was m utter darkness ! A FEARFUL SCENE.

There was a lull for an instant—a complete silence—and then the cr es ■and groans broke out afresh, with deepened intensity. For some time all was in darkness, there being no connection between the cars and the wires overhead. i. Lights were brought from neighboring houses. The stout iron framework of the cars;, was twisted up as if it were wax, woodwork 'was smashed to splinters from the sire ot matches to pieces 4Ft and sft long which pierced the passengers jam-bed up in ear No. 33, the car run into. The oncoming car had roared as it sped along the metals in the darkness, and there was a great crash when they met. The lights flashing about caught the smashed glass lying in the roadway, and lighted up the wreckage of the ears. People were being dragged out of the broken windows of the cars, and in the dark some of those who fell got trampled upon. Just after the accident, a ear, which, was at the Kingsland terminus, '.same up, and shed a brilliant light on the scene, which enabled the work of rescue to proceed with greater facility. INSIDE THE CARS. Inside the combination ear Nu. 32 there was still to be seen a heap of .struggling people, who were almost inextricably mixed up with the scats —every ono of which was torn from the floor by the shock, and in some cases pinning the passengers down. The forepart of the roof of this ear was torn oh, but where the front seats were there was jammed the iron-work of the double-decked car while the motor' of car No. 32 was smashed inwards and upwards ami thrust up into the car, a mass o confused metal rods, bolts, and plates. ,The winding staircase of the doubledecked <T.r was torn oIT from beneath and the''whole of it hung, dangling from Ihc top. Not a pane of glass remained whole in either car, and not a seat but was wrenched from its fastenings.

HELPING THE INJURED, ’ A crowd very quickly gathered round, but there seemed to he some hesitancy displayed by the bystanders before proceeding jo the assistance of the passengers. Someone made a start, and then _ the work went on quickly cnougn. 1 cop e were carried oft bleeding io lilt .stores along the roadside, extending from chc scene 'of the accident to Eden Terrace, iwhcrc Mr Haslet, s chemist’s shop is situated >he scene reminded one of a battle, ioi so quickly were the injured attended to on the spot that the place seemed filled .with bandages and people almost within a few minutes of the catastrophe. The roadway and the cars were strewn with hats and and parcels, sticks and umbrellas. These were all taken charge of by the police, who were promptly on the scene. Two great sacks of personal effects were removed, to the Eden Terrace station, and were taken charge of by ■Sergeant Hodgson.

THE WRECKAGE. A breakdown gang was quickly in attendance, and began the work of clearing the lines while the injured passengers were being treated. Not until half-past 12 yesterday morning .was the line free, and then the wrecked cars were dragged off to Auckland. There remained a great heap of wood and iron wreckage on the tracks, which was cleared off to the side of the roadway, and some of it was set lire to. Hundred's of people visited the scene yesterday morning, and the accident, in every detail. The cars continued to run after the accident to Rocky Nook, and they were running ito Kingslaml all day yesterday with no apparent diminution of numbers. HOW THE CAR RAN OFF. Mr M. Carey, the Tramway Company’s chief electrical engineer, interviewed, stated “ Just before the double-decked car No. 30 came to the loop in Eden Terrace, the motorinan received a ■signal from the conductor to stop. He threw off pbwer as usual, and naturally applied the ratchet brake, which is mostly used for ordinary stopping. The brake did not act, and the motorman instead ot applying the track brake or again applying power, ran to the hack of the car and again tried the rachet brake. The ear had then too much speed on for the racliefc brake, and the motor-

man ran through to the other end of the car again, and applied the reversing lever The car, however, was now going at a high speed, and the motorman, in his excitement, did not use the reversing apparatus in accordance with the instructions of the Company. Instead of reversing the lever gently and up to a certain point, as instructed, he reversed violently, with the result that the automatic circuit-breakers sent through a tremendous rush of current, and disconnected everything on the car. Even at that moment, it would not have been too late to prevent the collision had the motorman simply applied the emergency brakes, which,” said Mr Carey, with emphasis, ■“ arc most reliable in every respect. Even at the great speed the car had attained, it could have been pulled up in two or three times its own length had the emergency brakes been applied. The trolley-pole came oil the wire shortly after the car started to run downhill. The pole caught in a span wire and was badly bent, and in this condition was swinging about in all directions, but the fact that the ).»>lo was oft had no elTecl on the emergency brake, which is equally elTecl,ive whether the power is on or off the lino. It E very hard lo discover why the ordinary rachct brake did not work, owing to the car being so much damaged. It was working all day, 'and it is hard ito account for its not working at that moment.

The motorman states that iie found if .stiff, and whether that, was on account of the chain having caught beneath or from some other cause we will not he able to tell, on account of the cars being so badly smashed. The cars arc fitted with reversing gear, and these were promptly used -by the motorman in charge of the combination car ; in fact, his carhad started to go backward when the double-decker dashed into him, but he had not time to avert the collision.” MOTORMAN’S STATEMENT.

The motorman who. was driving the double-decker car was Mr F. Humphrey, a young married man, residing in Jcrvois Road, Ponsonby. He has been in the Company’s service for over nine months. When the impact occurred, he was thrown out on to the footpath, hut he escaped almost entirely unhurt, a si,ill neck being all that lie complained of yesterday, He made the

following statement to the police regarding the accident I was driving the doublc-dec.ier car No. 39 which left the Kingsland terminus about ten minutes past 8 p.m.. Me proceeded as far as the loop-line n c ar Charlotte street, and I then went to put the brakes on so as to allow a car from town to pass us, but the brakes failed to act, and I then attempted to drive her ahead, but the. switch blew out, and we ran back at a terrific speed till we got as far as Gleumore, where we crashed into another car.”

Mr Humphrey firmly 'declined to make any statement to press’ as to the circumstances of tne accident until the inquest. “ 1 will then give the plain facts and state exactly what happened,” he said, “ but until, then I decline to say anything on the matter to anybody.” CONDUCTORS’ STATEMENTS. The two conductors on the doubledecker car have also made state-

ments to the police. Cuthcert Downic Carson, the conductor on the lower platform, said “ When near the loop-line at Charlotte street, the motorman, Humphrey, came through the car and .said, ‘ The front brake won’t act.’ I!e then tried the back ‘ brake, but it would not act. He then ran

through the ear again. After that, the car commenced to run back at a terrific pace, and the next thing 1 knew we crashed into another car.”

Hans Peter Hansen, the conductor on the top platform, states that when the car commenced to run- back he puifed down the pole, which was then on the wire, but the rope broke

and the pole got away from him. The next tiling he knew was the collision with the other car.

MISS HOGARTH’S DEATH. Mr William Hewlitt, who resides at JVlrs Hogarth’s, in John street, Mount E-den, states that lie accompanied the deceased Miss Hogarth on the double-decker. He noticed the car break away from Charlotte street, and appear to travel very quickly, making him think that an accident was inevitable. I-Ic had

jusi told Miss Hogarth to keep her head, down, when lie received a severe’ blow on the mouth, knocking several of his teeth out. He was dazed for a second or two. On recovery, lie found himself lying upon the tipper deck of the car, with Miss Hogarth lying over him. As she seemed to be insensible, he made an effort to carry her down the stairway and succeeded in doing so for some part -of the way. At that moment the collision occurred, and

;e lost charge of Miss Hogarth. He

afterwards took deceased from . the car and laid her on the footpath, where Dr. Porter made an examination and found life extinct. The deceased never spoke after being struck

THE CASUALTIES

The following is a list of the killed and injured so. far as can be ascertained

THE KILLED. Miss Anne Hogarth, John street, Mount Eden.

Mr Benjamin Lindsay, gardener, Commercial Road, Kingsland. Mr Wm. Caley, accountant, New North Road.

Miss Anne Hogarth, the first to fall a victim, through being struck by the trolley pole, was 23 years of age, and a dressmaker by occupation. She resided with her parents in John street, Mount Eden.

Mr Benjamin Lindsay was on the back platform of the double-decker, and when the cars collided the force of the impact crumpled up the steps and iron rail, wedging the upper portion of the unfortunate man’s body in, while his legs were mixed up among the wreckage below. A hundred willing hands were quickly to the rescue, but the combined efforts of all concerned failed to part the interlocked ears , it was several minutes before Lindsay was extricated, through a third car coming up behind and hauling the combination car back. . The. injured man was

immediately carried into the Glenmore bakery, vyhere, on a metlica examination being made, it was found that both legs were ■ broken lie survived some little time, but died whilst being conveyed to his home at Kingsland, The deceased was a married man, 65 years of age, and a gardener by occupation. Mr William Caley, who rj»ed yesterday forenoon as the result of injuries to his spine and thigh, resided in the New North Road, just below G e orge street. He was an accountant ami. commission agent, 49 years of age, and unmarried. Mr Caley up to the time of his death was organist at the Grafton Road Wesleyan Church. SERIOUSLY INJURED, Mrs Alfred .Caley, Waihi. Miss Cissie Hill, Kingsland. Hazel Blundell, 17 months old. daughter ot Mr Wm. Blundell, Morniugside. , Mr John Clark, railway employee, Wanganui. . Mrs. Alfred Caley suffered severely through the accident, having botn her fe e t badly crushed. She was reported late last night to be suffering from general collapse, and in a with care, she would pull through, •w th cate, she would pull through. Mrs Hill and Miss llili were removed after the accident to the “ Lynn Holme.” private hospital, in Crummer Road, Grey Lynn. They were both in a very dazed condition yesterday. Miss Hill had a deep scalp wound, and Mrs Hill, whose injuries j arc rot to" serious, was in too confused a state owing to her injuries and the severe shock to be able to give any account of;, what occurred at the time of the accident. Little

Hazel Blundell, only 17 months old, is reported to be suffering from concussion oi the brain, and her condition is dangerous. Mr John Clark, of Wanganui, is suffering from concussion ot the brain and a bad scalp wound. OTHER CASUALTIES.

Mr S; Andrew, View Road, Mount Roskill,'head injured. Mr Bordac, Valley Road, severely shaken. Mrs Blundell, Morningsi-de, injuries to side. Mr Alfred Bridgeforde, Kingsland, minor injuries. Mr W. Billings, Second Avenue Kingsland, several bruises.- \ Mrs Billings (wife of above) and two children, slight injuries , (boy nasty cut on forehead). Air Alfred Caley, Waihi, right foot badly bruised and leg injured. Mss S. Caley, New North Road, leg broken. Mr Camplin, Reston Road, off Mount Rosnill Road, broken collarbone, bead cut, and badly shaken. Mrs Clark, Wanganui, face badly cut, and bruises.

Mr Ernest Colsen, land agent, fractured jaw, large gash on cheek, and bruises. Mrs Cumiall, Eden Terrace, several lJl'liikeS.

M. Druinm, laborer, Kingsland, 'back injured arid scalp wound. Mrs .Drumm and children, bruises and minor injuries.

Mrs Davis, Kingsland, dislocated thigh. Mr W. A. Eastgate, Mount Roskill Road, abrasion over eye. Miss Eastgate (sister ot . above) broken wrist. Miss Lily. Edwards, of Mount Roskill Road, slightly injured. Mr M. Frcney, Kingsland, bruised and shaken. Mrs Freney and child, bruised and shaken. Miss A. Freney, injuries to jaw. Miss IV Freney, shock and bruises. Master Harry Graham, Onslow Road,_ Kingsland, sprained ankle. Mr ‘Wm. Hewlett, John street. Mount Eden, mouth lacerated. Mr »S. Ifoare, Symonds street, shaken.

Mr T. Iloarc, John street,- Kingsland, badly shaken. Mr Alfred Hough, Rocky Nook, injuries to lace and head. Miss Emmie Hill, Kingsland, n-osc broken and bruises. Mrs Hill, Kingsland, shock. Mr Thomas Jenkins, Edendalc, Mount Rosxill, hand cut. Mr S. Jacks, Mount Roskill Road, slight cut on forehead.

Mrs Jansen, Kingsland, badly shaken.

Mr J. King, Glenmore, back hurt. Miss M. Kayes, Kingsland, bruises and shock.

Mrs Lipscombe, Mount Albert, badly bruised. Mr W. Morrow, Third Avenue, Kingsland, nruises on back anil legs Mrs Morrow, badly bruised on back and legs. Miss Morrow, nasty cut on head, and severely bruised and shaken. Miss 10. Morrow, bruised and shaken.

Mrs Mcßride, Mount Albert, badly shaken.

Miss Margaret MeQuoid, Kingsland, slight injuries to leg. Mrs It. McElwain, Charles street, Mount Roskill, bruised and shaken. Mrs J. Nixon, Commercial road, Kingsland, nasty wound on head, ■bruised, and badly shaken. Masters Frank and Lewis Nixon, minor injuries.

Miss Eehcl Nixon, leg cut, and mouth lacerated. Mr C. Page, Kingsland, bruises and cuts on face. Mrs C. Page, Kingsland, broken nose anil badly bruised. Miss Ruby Sinclair, Rocky Nook, face cut. Mrs StorCv anil two children, Eder. Terrace, bruised and cut. Mr Alfred Williams, Onslow road. Kingsland, ankle cut.-, Mr W, Young, Morningside, scalp wound. Many others received slight injuries

some PASSENGERS’ ACCOUNTS. DESCRIPTIONS OF THE SCENE.

Mr MoElwain, of Charles street, Rocky Nook, states “ 1 was in the combination car from Kings land with my wife. I had intended to sit in front, but my wife asked me to sit inside, stating that one never knew if an accident might occur, and that wc should be safer inside. Accordingly, I went inside. Mr Benjamin Lindsay was sitting outside. 11 lien we had passed Rocky Nook bowling green, the car stopped. I remarked to my wife that this was strange, as the ear was not, drawn up at the usual stopping-place. Just then the crash came. We could not 6ee what had happened, but saw the glare of lire at the end of llhe ear. i thought the motor had exploded. There was an awful screaming inside our car, and the people were dashed down, falling one on top of the other, and being mixed up with seals that were wrenched from the floors. I got through the window}—l was uninjured— and dragged my wife through the window, and after taking her to a shop near by, returned to give assistance, for tile screaming and crying were awful. A large number of women had fainted, and blocked up

the gangway. Mrs Nixon and her three children, Frank, lithel,. and Louis, were in the front seals of the combination. Mrs Nixon received a nasty wound across the scalp, and bruises about the body. She was soon got clear of the wreckage, but, the children were not. to be found for several minutes. Ultimately they were discovered under the wreckage , Frank (aged !)) and Louis (aged li) had hut a few scratches, while Ethci had her lip lacerated, one leg cut, about, and several abrasions. Seeing that the front portion of the car was splintered to matchwood, and the apron and iron twisted about in such a manlier as to he almost unrecognisable, it was little short of a miracle 'that, the children should have escaped with minor injuries. Miss Lily Edwards stated : Without warning the crash came, and" the woodwork behind was crushed in, one portion becoming entangled in my liair as I was thrown down. A man

with a child in his arms fell forward across me, but I succeeded in struggling from beneath, and clearing my Jtaii. I got on my feet again. Mr.Colson, who had been sitting with me on the front inside seat of the combination car, was also'on his feet by this time, but was dazed and blood was flowing from a wound on his cheek, evidently caused by a piece of glass. Me said something about his jaw being broken. I clambered through tiie window, and with assistance pulled Mr Colson out, splintered wood, glass, etc., meanwhile falling about us. I assisted him to my father’s home. His jaw is fractured, and there is a large gash in his .cheek, in addition to. minor bruises and abrasions. I was myself covered with blood, and everybodythought I was badly injured, but the blood came from Mr Colson’s wounds —my injuries were confined to the loss of a couple of teeth, and some bruises.

As to the death of Miss Hogarth, Mi Arthur Hume, who was a passenger on the double-deck car, states The conductor pulled the trolleypole down to avoid a smash-up among the overhead wires just as we came, to the Mount Roskili road .corner, but evidently lost control, and the pole struck some of the stays. The outer end of ‘the bar was curled downwards with the force of the blow, and the pole commenced swinging round in a circle. Several of the upstairs people were standing up in the passage-way,- among, them Miss Hogarth, and although ' myself and others recognised the danger and made a grab at the pole, we‘ failed to stay its progress, and it struck Miss Hogarth, as near as I could see, on the side of the head. iDown .she Went, death apparently being instantaneous, as she did not afterwards move. Then came the collision, and we were thrown- about in ail directions, hut fortunately no one went over the sides.”

i\lr J. Regan, who lives in the vi-cinity-of th? scene of the accident, described himself, and family as being li marvellously lucky ” in escaping as they did. “We were passengers on the double-decker car,” he sail!, ” and were seated inside. When opposite Victoria Avenue, 1 noticed that (he car began to fall back, and 'observed the molorman try to apply .the brakes, but they did not seem 'lo work as the speed of the car down nili began lo get- faster and faster, i lie lights were out, and everything was ciark. I could distinguish the mo.tcrman, however, and I saw him run round to tile hack of the car, and he tried to work the brakes from there. It was all no use, however, as the molorman soon found out. He then rushed through the car

- I'IJU Cell, crowded as it was, yelling out Tor Hem to iet him pass as the brakes would not work. Humphreys then tried the emergency brake, but that did not act. Getting to George street corner the car seemed to topple over—a fact which seemed to have been anticipated by a number of passengers, who fervently ciied ‘ Thank God '■ Thank God ; We’re past (hat corner 1’ We had not gone many yards further when there was a terrific impact, which sent us all in a heap on the floor. We got ou‘ of the car somehow, and found eveiyihing in confusion. I saw a number of men jump from the top of the car.”