THE TRAM FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 August 1917, Page 6

THE TRAM FATALITY.

CORONER'S INQUEST. The inquest touching the death of John Hartley, v.'hi>*dicd in the hospital as the result of injuries received near the breakwater, was resumed and concluded before Mr. A. Crooke, N.M., yesterday. Mr. A. If. .Johnstone pcarcd for the widow of the deceased. .Mr. J. H. Quilliani watched the proceedings on behalf of the Kew Plymouth Borough Council, and Senior-Sergeant Rowden represented the police. Margaret Hartley, wife of the deceased, stated that he had been a fireman and machine attendant at the Moturoa freezing .works. They had been married twenty years, but had no children. The deceased was 42 years of age. He left home on the morning «< August 2 to go to work. He had usually gone to his work on a push bike, but that morning he would go on the ear. On his leaving home she gave him a tram ticket, and after the accident she found it had been punched twice. She was 'with him at the hospital from the time ol' his admission till he died. He said to her: "They will try to blame me, Mag. .Don't believe it. That's tho honest truth. I'm not to blame. Look out; there's only five minutes." He died within live minutes from tho -utterance. He had spoken to her several times before about his sufferings, but never referred to the accident.

Thomas Elliott, in giving evidence, stated he was 'a motor-man in the employment of the New Plymouth Borough Council. On the morning of the August 2 he drove a car from' Egmont Street to the Breakwater, the former place at 7.3 a.m. Xorman James was the conductor. Ho received no call that morning to stop at Pioneer Road, where the cars only stopped by request. After leaving Pioneer Road he received a call to stop at the next place, Ngamotu Road. When the car stopped there the conductor called to him, but he could not recollect what he said. Witness looked round tho oar and saw a man lying on the ground. He was lying on the right hand side of the track looking towards Moturoa. The step was down on the right hand side of the car. Witness went back to where the man was lying, and with others lifted him and took him to the hotel, having sent the conductor to call a doctor. He did not hear the injured man say anything till he reached the hotel, when, in answer to witness as to how he felt, he said his head was aching. At that time witness did not know who the deceased was by lihme, but had frequently seen him on the road on a bicycle, lie had since ascertained that the man's name was John Hartley. When witness (Jrst reached the man lying on the road he was wlel clear of the track, his head pointing towards the breakwater. Witness had not seen deceased enter or leave tho car.

To Mr. .Johnstone: Could not say when the step was put down. Saw that it was down only when he went round the car. The chains were up on the near side of the car. He had onlv to go about lo or 20 vards from whore the car stopped to where the deceased wa 5 lying. lo Mr. Quilliani: Deceased was further away from the car tnan the width of the ear, and was well clear of | the er.r.

Stanley Norman James, the conductor, stated that iie believed the deceased was one of several persons who got on the car at Belt Road. To witness' knowledge no signal was given to stop at Pioneer Road, the nearest stopping place to the Moturoa 'works. Alter the car left Pioneer Koad deceased asked witness if he did not stop there, and witness Replied, "Yes, by request." Deceased said he had wanted to get, oil' there. Witness asked if the next stop would do. but could not say what the reply was. At that time the car was travelling between Pioneer :Road and Ngamotu Road, and the conversation took place on the hack plat form of the car. Witness said to deceased, "Don't attempt to get off till the car stops," or words to that cii'eet. At that time witness was changing hU destination sig-

i:als and deceased was standing on the I uack platform, the chains beiii>r across an both sides. Witness could not say which step was down and which was up. The correct side for the step to have been down was the left hand side, and it was likely to have been *<loun at the time of the accident. Witness next

saw deceased lying on the road clear of the track, with his head towards the hreakwater. Between the time witness warned deceased and when he saw him lying on the/road was a matter of seconds. At that time the car was slowing for the Xgamotu Koad stop, and witness called out to the motor-man, 'Here, Tom! Quick!" By then the car had actually stopped at Xgamotu Koad. Before calling on the motor-man. witness lifted the chains down on the side the man was lying The step was down I then, although witness did not remember] putting it down. On reaching the man. the motor-man at once sent witness to call a doctor. Witness did not rcmeni- ' her ever seeing dec-eased on the ear before.

To Mr Qnißiam: It was a matter of a second to change the steps. Mr. Ulliott and witness had pointed out the exact spot of the accident to Mr. Bartiey, who paced the distance. To the Coroner: The decea-ed could have lowered the step himself. When witness saw deceased lying on the road, both chains were up oij the right hand (tide of the car.

Dr. Walker, medical superintendent at [lie New Plymouth hospital, stated that deceased had been admitted there about B.'iO a.m., looking ill and dazed, hut conscious. Shortly after his admission the symptoms and the patient's condition pointed to a fracture of the base nf tlie skull. During the next 2-1 hours his condition was always serious, though not definitely suggestive of a fatal issue. Towards 11 p.m. on the lird he became rapidly worse, and he died at that hour. The cause of death was basal haemorrhage, arising from fracture at the base of the skull.

David Wilkinson, engineer, employed fit the Mnturoa ironsand works, slated | that lie had been a passenger on the tame car. lie did, not know the deceased. When the car stopped near Ihe town sido of the Ngamotu Road (lie conductor said something about seeing what tlie matter was. Witness «ot oil' the car at the hack, and the conductor drew his attention to a man lying part ly on the tram track. Witness eoull not say whether the steps were up or down. Witness was the first to reach the man lying on the road, and knew j that the heel of one of his boots was |on or over the line. Witness and others ! lifted the man into the car and took him to the hotel.

•lames Watkin.4, master of the dredge Thomas King, also a passenger by the rar, gave similar evidence, statin" that when he ran back with others they found the man lying with his feet, across the rails, his bead coating towards the breakwater

'William Oroombridge, wharfinger, deposed that lie knew the deceased. lie could rot say whether he was a passenger 01; tho cur on which .plaintill was going to tlus wharf :it 7 a.m. on the morning of the accident. When the car wis between Pioneer Road and Ngamotu Koad he heard the conductor call out,

"Stop, stop!" The car was stopped. Witness went to the back of the car, but did not get ofl'. There were several men bringing a man towards it. Tliev placed ti'e man on the car, which was not 'basked." The olf-side chains at the buck of the car were hooked up. lie eouid not sav anything about the position et the step on that side. He did not noth'e (lie position of the chains on the near side. Witness helped the man on to the car. t U'ls-'ell Howard Hartley, manager of the New Plymouth tramways remembered hearing about the accident that took place near Ihe breakwater on the morning of the 2nd inst. The distaneo between Pioneer lioad and Ngamotu Koad was 338 feet, which would take (lie car about a minute to traverse. The or" would be travelling at the rate of between two and three miles an hour about two chains from the Ngamotu Road. The distance from where the man fell from the car to where the car stopped was exactly two chains, measured by tape. This was all the evidence. ,

The Coroner said there appeared to be no doubt that the deceased, having travelled past his destination, tried to get out before the next stopping place, missed his footing, and fell. The only thing that required explanation was what the deceased said to his wife at the hospital about not being to blame, l>ut that might have been duo to a fear that any insurance policies he held might be vitiated. The verdict would be that death had been caused by injuries received bv the deceased falling from a tram ear while attempting to alight I mhen it was in motion, 110 blame being attachable to anyone.