RUNAWAY TRAMWAY CAR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8206, 9 August 1906, Page 7

RUNAWAY TRAMWAY CAR.

SEVERAL. COLLISIONS IN A PEW SECONDS. LONDON, Jane 25. Three people were killed and twenty-nine injured, many very seriously, as the result of au extraordinary series of collisions caused by a runaway electrio tramway-oar in Arohway road, Higngate, on Saturday afternoon. \ the mad, plunging, flight of the oar extended over a quarter of a mile, and when at length it was brought to a standstill by a final collision the roadway for some 200 yards was strewn with wrecked vehicles and shrieking, injured people. . It was as the car was running from Finohley to Higngate that the accident occurred. Aoout 450 yards from the latter terminus the line passes under Higngate Archway, and from that spot onwards there is a FAIRLY STEEP DESCENT, the cars running down this portion of the route by their own mouienturn Shortly after entering this deoline the car gathered speed to such a degree that the passengers remarked upon it. A Beoond or two elapsed, and it was tearing down the hill at a tremendous rate. Estimates as to the speed given by passengers and onlookers naturally vary, but all accounts agree that it was then travelling at the rate of an express train. Fortunately, chere were but few people on tbe car. The.base of the hill is one of the busiest spots in the metropolis, the well known Archway Tavern which Btands there being the terminus for numerous omnibus and tramway lines Five roads converge here, and on Saturday afternoon the districtwas thonged with pedestrians and vehioles of all kinds. It was half-way down toe hill when the first collision took place. An empty mourning coach was going down the road, and the car CRASHED INTO {THE COACH, overturning and smashing it. Both the driver and the horse were badly injured. A furniture van was next overturned. A ew yards nearer the bottom of the' hill w a Vanguard motor-omnibus. Ihe tramway oar erased into the rear of the omnibus and flung it across the pavement into the windows of No. 10 Arohway road, wrecking the interiors of two shops. The momenturn impated to the omnibus caused it to swing round and smash the windows of No. 6, a restaurant. Immediately after colliding with the omnibus the tramway car crashed into a four-wheeled car. The HORSE WAS FLUNG into the air, tbe cab smashed and the driver killed. Continuing its mad career down the hill, the tramoar then dashed into a motor car, the occupants of which had a marvellous escape. ine oar was entirely wrecked. Still a few yards ahead was a stationary tramway car, which had descended the hill a minute previously. It had discharged most of its passengers, but a few retained S their seats for the return journey. The conductor had just time to SHOUT A WARNING to the outside passengers and spring off the platform when the runaway. Which was now a veritable engine of destruction, dashed into it. The impact was tremendous. The rear nlatform of the one car and the fore platform of the other and the two stairways were smashed to atoms. Both tbe cars which were now locked together, left the rails, which come to an end at this point, and TORE DOWN THE ROADWAY in the direction of Holloway road. The driver of the front car regained his feet and stuck to his post. H( at once applied all the brake powei at his command/but the two vehiolet oontioued on their way, and dashec into a massive electrio light stand. , . ..l- i._~ „* fha rntid Thl

ard in the centre of the roaa. j.u« standard was splintered as though it had been made of glass, bat the oontaot slewed tha oars round, and before they oould reaoh the houseß on the near side of the road they were finally brought to a standstill on the pavement. All this had taken place within the apace of a few seconds. It is noteworthy that the THREE MEN KILLED were not passengers, and that the more seriously injured were oitber drivers of overturned vehicles or pedestrians. The passengers on the runaway oar had pa9Bed through an intensely exciting experience. Some of those who were travelling inside were bo alarmed at the prospect before them that that they tried to jump out, but tne conductor begged them to stay where tbay were. The advice was sound for although all sustained some hcrt their injuries were not of a serious nature. The passengers on the stationary car also escaped lightly. The scene which followed the final stoppage 61 the cars was indescribable. Above the hoarse and excited shouting of the crowd could be heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded and thousands of people dashed wildly hither and thither. •'•lt was like a horrible nightmare," said one spectator.