TRAM FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 January 1920, Page 5

TRAM FATALITY.

THE WELLINGTON ACCIDENT. STORY AT THE INQUIRY. Jiy Telegraph.— Association. Wellington, Jan. 13. The inquest concerning the fatal tramWay accident on January 3 was continued to-day. Archibald John Hunt, retimed soldier, said lie travelled in the iear compartment of the tram, which did stop at the compulsory stop jußt outside the Kilbirnie tunnel. Later, when the ear got out of control, he saw Conductor . Quayle ttv" / to apply the hand brake , at the ret without effect. > Witness, ivho escaped injury, detailed the finding o£ the dead and injured. He . added that the car did not stop at AusI tin street, the second compulsory stop, r but it seemed to slacken there. ■ In answer to the Coroner, witness said he did not hear the conductor ring the bell at any time as the car rushed down [ the hill. ; Alfred James French said lie saw the l conductor trying to put on the brakes . after the car passed Austin street. Personally he had not noticed anything un- < usual about "the speed of the car up to 1 that time.. Roy Stewart Emerson, son of Snb- ■ Inspector Emerson, said he was in Aus- , tin street when the car came down the , . hill. A woman wanted to get on at the Austin street stop, but the car went by. ! The woman pointed to the motorman i and cried out. Questioned as to what the conductor i was doing, he said Quayle was standing , . with his arms folded on the rear plat- - form of the car. The car seemed to in- > crease its speed when opposite Austin i street and soon after, before the actual • crush, he heard shrieks. ■ George Frederick Ulluier, a resident • of the locality, said he saw the car come • out of the tunnel and practically the > whole of the episode. Ho had an iceft I the car did not stop at the tunnel stop > but' would not swear it. A few seconds » after the car came out of the tunnel ; a l:lack hat fell out and his attention was distracted for a while, and then when the car was near Ellice Avenue he noticed it Was going at high speed and that a child fell or jumped out. 1 He saw nothing of the motorman or of the conductor. FURTHER EVIDENCE. Wellington, Last Night. . Andrew Cooper, motorman, said he j was driving the car which was immediately behind Car 105 on the run to the city. Witness stopped at the mouth of the tunnel while Car 103 stopped outside. On the way down • Pirie Street he saw the conductor of J 105 trying to pull the trolley pole down and appiy the hand brake. The car > slackened at Austin Street, but went off 1 with a jump just after. It was not usual for a motorman to use a handbrake on ah air-brake car. The air- , brake was simpler to use than a magJ netic brake. It was a motorman's • duty to come to a dead stop at every 1 compulsory stop. Witness, asked by Inspector Mclllveney how he could explain the action ' of Car 103 in, according to his own 1 statement, slackening down at Pirie Street when other evidence showed the motorman was at that time lying down and no one was at the wheel, his reply was that the nir brake having presumably been applied at the tunuel, the car eased off automatically. This reply did not satisfy the inspector or the magistrate. Witness pointed out that it was possible the deceased Evans, in endeavouring to assist the motorman, knocked off the air-brake, causing the ear to bound I ahead at a greatly increased pace. The inquiry will be resumed to-mijr-row.