TRAM FATALITY.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 January 1920, Page 6

TRAM FATALITY.

FURTHER EVIDENCE. ~ AN OFFICIAL'S THEORY. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, -Jan. 17. The inquiry into the Pirie Street tramway smash was continued this morning. M'Gillivray, tramway traffic manager, said he was firmly of opinion that whatever happened to the motorman happened in an instant and in an instant he fell. There were times when a compulsory stop was an optional' stop. There was an obligation on the conductor to see in certain circumstances that his car did stop at such places. In this case the conductor had no opportunity of stopping the car. That was what he believed. The conductor would have applied the hand brake had he known the motorman was down. If the conductor knew of the failure of the motorman he would apply the hand brake at the Tear of the car, provided he was not nearer the front end at the time. He considered that a complete provision in itself. The matter of additional precaution in the event of such cases would be considered by the Tramway Department. In seventeen years' experience he had not come across a case of a sudden seizure of a motorman. It was one case in a million.

Wellington, Jan. 17. Duncan McGillivray, continuing, said the failure of the motorman in Wellington might be a much more serious matter than in a flat city, and the question had been given serious .consideration. Printed rules contained instructions for conductors to meet such contingencies. Witness, in a further explanation of his theory as to the cause of the accident, said' that if the car had come down towards Austin Street with the air brake on and the conductor nnnlied the hand brake at the rear of the car, the car could have stopped and restarted without human agency on the front of the car if the conductor released the hand brake. If the conductor applied the hand brake because he thought something was wrong he would not release it again and the car could not go on without human agency at the front. The electrocution of the motorman, continued witness, was out of the question, but an electric shock was possible. It was not practicable, in his opinion, to have relief motormen waiting on the hills to give assistance on cars descending. Witness described the suggestion of duplicate handles at the rear end as impracticable. It was his conviction that Motorman Small applied the brakes at the beginning of the incline, and if the brakes had remained on, the car would have described the re9t of the hill without mishap. The inquiry is adjourned till Monday.