SPECTACULAR RUNAWAY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 782, 1 October 1929, Page 10

SPECTACULAR RUNAWAY

HORSES BOLT UP QUEEN STREET DASH ENDS AT HOTEL Suddenly springing into a gallop front* ■\vaero they were standing on Queen’s Wharf this morning, two horses staged a spectacular runaway, pulling the wagon to which they were harnessed across Quay Street and up Queen Street. Their flight did not end until they had reached the Waverley Hotel. The wagon, owned by Mr. W. Lovett, was. standing on the wharf at about 10.45 a.m., in readiness to take on a load of timber w-hich had been discharged from the vessel Golden Cloud. The driver put the brakes on and left the wagon for a moment, when the horses suddenly broke away. The brakes, not fitting tightly enough to Preven t the wheels from turning, the horses made a good get-away. The -wharf gatekeeper showed great presence of mind in immediately shouting to the traffic officer on duty at the foot of Queen Street to stop all traffic. As it passed the wharf gates the wagon missed colliding with another by Inches. Up Queen Street tore the galloping horses, past the post office they flew, and would have gone much further had not one of the animals stumbled and fell, thus terminating the flight as suddenly as It had started. No one was injured as a result of the runaway, and the horse that fell was no w-orse off.

The wagon was taken in charge and handed over to its driver, who carried on with his work