WELLINGTON TRAMWAY ACCIDENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 January 1920, Page 8

WELLINGTON TRAMWAY ACCIDENT.

GRAPHIC STORY. CAR THAT DID NOT STOP. TWO FIRE BRIGADE3MEN HURT. Following are further particulars of the Wellington tramway accident, in which three men were killed: Une of the injured men, John William Range, a single man, aged 27, a native of New South Wales, when seen by a Times representative, was lying in bed at the fire brigade station, suffering from a sprained ankle and severe abdominal bruises. Range, who has been a member of the lire brigade for tiie past twelve months, stated that, with life mate, Alexander MeStay. a fellow-fireman, he had been out to the gala at Lyall Bay. They boarded the car for the return journey about 5 o'clock. As it happens, said Range, I was employed on the cars three years ago as a conductor, and I .took -particular notice of the motorman, in case he might be an old friend of mine. He appeared to he quite normal. There was nothing whatever to indicate that anything was wrong with him. Nothing unusual occurred til! we were coming out of the ttuinei. There were one or two seats unoccupied at the time. Tho ear was comfortably fAll, with no one standing. It was rather too earlv for the tea-time rush honie from the "gala. The first thing unusual that 1 noticed was that the car went right out of the tunnel without stopping. Instead of stopping on reaching the city end of the tunnel, as it usually does, to my surprise it continued onward. Some fifty yards further on it began to gather speed, and then two or three girls, about fourteen or fifteen years of age, became excited. They started screaming, and, getting on their feet, commenced to run about inside the car. One or two men made as if to jump off the car, but the speed was so terrific, and the car swayed so madly that they changed their minds.

CONDUCTOR JAMS ON THE BRAKES.

.lust before (he car reached the dip in the road, Kanjre, who was seated with his back towards the motorman, in the central open part of the car on the riuht-hand side, with his hack up against the end of the front compartment, was in a position to see the conductor; and, j ii:= t hofore the car readied the foot of the dip lie noticed the conductor rush out and put on the hand-brakes at the hack of the Iramcar. He ■-ecnied to jam them as hard on as possible; but the speed of the tram appeared to he very little diminished. Ran.se saw that it would be useless to attempt to jump of)', as he would more than likely break his neck. His companion, who was sittii?:.' facinjr him on the left i-idc of the car. now became thorousrhly alarmed, and made to jump ofT when the ear was about fifty yards from the corner where the smash occurred. He called upon Hangc to jiimn on", too. The latter, however, seized hold of jfcStay, and pushed him back inio his seat, urging him to Jianpr on tight and trust to luck Several people were now standing up in a stale of panic. THE SMASH DESCRIBED.

Range felt the jolt as (lie car struck the curve, and it then shot along on an even ko- n l to the fence, which it fell through, afterwards skid ding three or four feet further on its side. A woman, who was sitting facing Range, was thrown from shout ilirep sat< back over Mr. MeStay's shouWer against Range's body, flange, however, maintained his hold of the brass stay at the side of his seat, and found his legs training on the ground. Other people fell on top of him. hut he managed to Jiang on and prevent himself being drawn under the ear. When the tram came to a standstill he crawled out underneath the roof of the oar. which was raised sufficiently for him to do so bv reason of the hollow in the footpath. ' This hollow saved a good many people from being crushed. Range then helped to pull out two, ladies, who were hysterical from shock. One of them was bleeding from the mouth. He also pulled out MoStay. who had sustained a sprained ankle and sundry bruises. nrsxRESSFrr, sckkkr. There was a considerable amount of screaming inside the car and children crying; while those who had got. out. of the car were verv anxious about those inside. Very distressful scene:! ensued, until (hey found who were saved and who were not, mothers and ihoir children having been separated in iho terrible smash. Range did no', feel the

pain in his injured ankle immediately after the acident. but when the first. excitement was over lie was unable to stand, and had to be taken in a motorcar with his mate to the fire brigade station, where they were medically treated. The nurses from a noichboring private hospital did lino work in succouring the injured. A tremendous crowd, added Range, seemed to gather almost immediately the mishap occurred. They appeared to spring from the ground. He saw two dead men lying on the ground. The first was lying under the car, apparently under the 'ore compartment, and the other near the back step, with his head, shattered and life hip frightfully crushed.

AFTER THE CRASH. A Times' representative, who arrived on the scene very shortly after (he accident had taken place, saw the tr:im::;;r lying on its side where if had cra-aed into a motorshed on the western side of the street, belonging to Mr. K. Townsend, Brougham Street. The car had torn nearly the whole of the fence and the wooden side of the motor-car shed away, (smashing if into 'kindling wood. There must have been from 4f){) to 500 people on the spot, though it was only a few minutes after the accident. The body of the motorman. lying- close by, Was completely decapitated: and our representative saw one man's dead body and another man, very badly mutilated, brought from under the car. One man had both legs mangled, and was otherwise shockingly injured. The police and the tramway oriieinls quickly arrived upon the scene, and the 'place where the tramcar ami the dead and injured people lay was immediately roped o(i', so that the rescuers could'get to work- properly.

There were about half-a-dozen policemen, three tramcar inspectors, and several tramway officials besides perroancntway men. After first-aid had been rendered, the injured wcrt' nt once, removed in ambulances to the hospital, the hospital ambulance. , the Harbor Hoard ambulance, and an Internal Affairs Department car being in attendance. First, sll the-injured who could be got out

without moving the tmmp.ir were pulled oilt, placed o„ stretchers, a„ ; | attended to: and then the ear was lifted up bv 'wans of jaek,=, levers, and tackle, till all the others could be removed There was a .exeat deal nf excitement people rusl.ms: about and .creaming aiu j •' lot of blood on the car and on the promd. Many views as to bow the accident happened were hazarded by those present Some of the passengers aiJe.ired tint the brakes were not in work--i'f? order, while others stated that the inotormnn had fainted and the ear had tli'.'s «ot out of control, Passerm-em who had been in the car stated that'the accelerated speed was first noted ft Austin Street and the motorumn was then seen to be lyin- face-downward over the wheel of the fnvnl, brake. From Austin Street lhe road slopes very steeply,down to Brniiijliam Street: and before .iiiythinjr eould bf , IU)mK t , lp was sfiiiliit ill. such a pace that, it eould tint be controlled by the rear brakes. II was unable to take the iiirnin", and went right oil' lhe line H | rjr 4 ht anples into (he motor-em- -bed opposite. The train-a twenlv lon ear-looked a total wreck. \earlv all the windows were swashed, als„ nmch of the frameworkAll Hie udieeh were twisted, one of the luetics had come adrift from the l.odv of fie ear. and the ground was littered with splinter* of .-.'lass and wood.