TRAM FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1920, Page 8

TRAM FATALITY.

THE WELLINGTON ACCIDENT.

EVIDENCE AT THE ENQUIRY. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Jan. 14, The inquiry was resumed this morning. Frederick Erne3t Quayle, conductor on the tram which was wrecked, said he joined the service a month before the accident. He was previously a motor driver, and served with the New Zealand forces in Gallipoli and France forever two years. He was not wounded, and had not suffered from shell shock, but suffered from enteric fever, was invalided home on account of pleurisy, and discharged in September, 1917, as unfit for further active service. Before joining the tramway service he drove a motorlorry at Palmeraton North. He had not suffered from any nervous complaint, and was passed medically fit by Dr. McEvedy on joining the tramway service. He was then placed in charge of a car as conductor. He had no previous experience, but received training as a conductor on different runs, including instruction as to how to manipulate the handbrake at the rear of the car so as to apply it in ease of emergency. His period of instruction was four days, eight hours a day. Before going as conductor he passed an examination, but did not go out on the car for the purpose of the examination. Then he was gent out on the Kilbirnie and Lyall Bay trip. The only instruction he got was that in case of emergency he should apply the handbrake. At his request the motorman had shown him how to operate the magnetic and air-brake. If his attention was drawn to an accident to the motorman his duty would be to apply the brakes in front of the car as soon as possible... He would consider it his first duty to assist the motorman if the latter was disabled. If at the rear of the car and unable to get to the front he would apply the hand-brake. He had been instructed not to go on to the front platform of the car. On the day in question he signed on at 2.16 p.m. Motorman Small was in charge of the car. Small appeared to be all right and made no complaint. The traffic conditions were quite ordinary. Small had never complained of the strenuous nature of his duties or as to the condition of his health.

As to the occurrence, witness said that when coming through the tunnel he had about 27 passengers. The car was only half full. He noticed nothing exceptional coining through the tunnel. When the car reached the city end of the tunnel it started to slacken speed for the compulsory stop, and the car stopped. There was no doubt in his mind that the car did stop there. Any evidence to the contrary was mistaken. The car was stopped by the motorman, who must have controlled the brakes. A man and a little girl got out at that stop. The car re-started in answer to witness's signal, and commenced the descent of the hill. Witness remained at the back of the car and dealt with the running sheet. The speed of the car was only ordinary theft, and the car slackened at the second sfopping-plnee, Austin Street, practically to a standstill. Witness signalled to go on, as no one wanted to get on. He then had no indication that anything was wrong with the car. The first indication was seeing the motorman"a service cap being blown along the road some thirty yards after passing Austin Street. He was then on the rc.ir platform. He looked through the compartments of the car, which was then beginning to gather speed, but did not see the motorman, the front door being closed. He was sure he looked for him. He ran,? the bell once, which should have indicated "Stop car." Tt did not stop. He then gave the five bells emergency stop signal. There was no response. He saw the hat flying up the hillside before giving the emergency stop signal. The car seemed then to have jumped forward. H? did not then see any movement on the part of the passengers. He next noticed a woman in the front compartment. She jumped up and waved to witness. He was quite cool, and looked out to ascertain the position of the car, which had then a terrific pace on. Witness applied the hand-brake at the rear of the car, but the car was then well out of control, having developed speed in a very short distance. After applying the hand-brake he pulled down the trolley-pole. The handbrake had some effect on the speed, and steadied the car somewhat. He knew n.jtbing of what took place in front of the car. The car left the rails at Brougham Street, 240 feet from where he applied the brake.

Mr. O'Shea, appearing for the City Council, said that if the hand-bral." had not steadied the ear there would have been no car and no people. Wellington, Last Night.

Conductor Quayle, continuing, said he had his back to the front of the car from the time lie. was told to hold the brake till the smash occurred. When the car left the lines he was still holding the wheel. Witness was a permanent conductor.

Asked if he heard Mrs. Evaus ring the bell, he replied: ''No; there was no response at my end of the car. Mr. Myers: For the first fortnight, if an accident had occurred, you would have known nothing about an air brake or magnetic brake at all. "Yes, that is so."

Witness continued that lie had no experience with any of the brakes except the hand brake when the car was in motion.

Replying to questions, witness said it first occurred to him that something was wrong when the ear gave a jump forward. He did not see a lady waiting at Austin Street. At the time a lady in the car beckoned, witness had come to the conclusion something was wrong. He had just finished ringing the bell. He was not standing with his arms folded. The Coroner: Why didn't you go forward to see what the lady wanted? "I realised then it was too late to go forward. I applied the brake and pulled lit the trolley pole." After further cross-examination the inquiry was adjourned.