TRAMWAY FATALITY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1380, 15 February 1905, Page 4

TRAMWAY FATALITY.

FURTHER DETAILS. (Per Press Association.) Auckland, last night.

Those injured in the tramway collision were : Miss Pearl Foster, oged 3; Miss Gladys Foster, aged 9 ; Mrs H. Hill, Miss Marion Hill (aged 9), Miss Jessie Hill (aged 7), Miss Anna Anderson, Mr William Young, and Driver Peter Ganley. Mrs Lily Foster, who resided at Picton stroot, Ponsonby, who was hurled under the oar, was shockingly mangled. Miss Anna Anderson, a young lady passenger, was in tho 'bus, seated in front of the ill-fated Mrs Foster, who also had with her her two little daughters, Gladys (aged 9) and Pearl (aged 3). In front of Miss Anderson sat Mrs Hill, wifo of Herbert Hill, Norfolk-street, Ponsonby. With ho were her two little girls, Marion (aged 9), and Jessie (aged 7). All, except Miss Anderson and William Young, who was on the box seat, appeared to have been thrown eiear of tho tram-lines. , Mrs Hill sustained slight injuries to one of her legs and the side of her head. No bones were broken. She was very badly shaken, and suffered acutely from nervous shock. Her daughter, Marion, escaped with nothing worse than a severe shaking.

Miss Jessie Hill was less fortunate. She wasgbadly injured on the right side of the head, the wound bleeding profusely, also bruised about the knees, in one of which was a deep cut. Little Pearl Foster had one knee broken, the bones being so badly fractured that an extremely difficult operation was necessary, The surgeons regard her case with some misgivings. Her elder sister, Gladys, had one of her legs injured, and was badly knocked about. The children were in dreadful distress when their pitiful cries for their mother brought no response. Young and the driver were carried along with the wreckage of the bus. Tho former was injured about the hoad and legs, which were seriously cut about. The bus driver, Ganley, it is feared, has sustained internal injuries, besides several ribs being broken, and he is badly cut about the face. The precise extent of his internal injuries has not been definitely ascertained. Mrs Foster and her two children had been spending a holiday at their residence at St. Heliers Bay. Mr Foster went down on Saturday for tho week end, and returned to town yesterday morning, his wife and little ones following by the bus in the afternoon.

The story of the accident, as told by Motorman Partridge, is that when he left the corner of Symouds street and Khyber Pass road he noticed tho bus travelling, towards town on its proper side of the road, directly in front of the car. About two chains off East street the driver of the bus was obliged, owing to excavations being made on the west side of the street, to cross to the right hand side of the road. This he accomplished safely, and then drove down the right hand aide of the road. The car palled ap at the stopping place at East street. When the car resumed its journey the bus was still in front of it on the right hand side of the road. About four chains on the city side of East street the bus driver started to cross over again in front of the car to the left side of°tbo road, which was at this point available for traffic. Tho bus started to cross over the line without any warning. He immediately applied the emergency brake and the ratchet brake. The motor answered to the emorgenoy brake, but owing to the short warning the motorman was unable to pull up the car in time to avoid a collision with the bus.