TRAMS COLLIDE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 July 1939, Page 7

TRAMS COLLIDE

RUSH4IOUR SMASH IN WELLINGTON

THREE PERSONS INJURED

VEHICLES MUCH DAMAGED

<By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day

Three persons were injured wm.ii two trams travelling in opposite dir ections across the junction of S'.nu. Street and Lambton Quay. Wellington, collided at the height of the rush traffic shortly after 5 o'clock last nigh!. The injured were all taken to hospital and their condition last night was not serious. The front compartments of both trams wore wrecked. The injured arc:—

R. Mead, carpenter, 54. Wellington road. Severe contused wound over the right eye and an injury to his left arm. Cara Taylor, scholar, aged 15. Owen Street. Belmont, Lower Hutt. Concus sion.

Charles Down, tram-driver 290 Queen's Drive. Injuries to lip and nose. Mr Down was taking his car to the Lambton terminus. Instead of continuing straight along Lambton Quay, ii turned on the set of points leading into Stout Street and collided with an i.ut ward-bound Miramar car driven by Mi Anthony Robert Broadhurst, 12 Hanson Street, which was on the other sei of lines in Lambton Quay.

The front platform of Mr Down car received the full force of the col lision concentrated on eno side. Every pane of glass was shattered; the heavy steel body plating was torn clean across the bottom; and the chassis was buckled. Mr Down was saved from serious injury by tne steel hand brake standard which prevented the whole of the driver’s compartment collapsing on him. Much of the light woodwork gave way under the strain and the heavy direction indicator was wrenched from its fastenings. Cara Taylor was a passenger in the front compartment of this car. where some of the windows were shattered by flying wood and glass. Mr Broadbent’s driving compart ment was less severely damaged. The panelling was twisted and bent mid ‘he whole of the front half of the rassis twisted so that the body' of the ram was put out of alignment. Hundreds of people who were doing their shopping were attracted by the sound of the collision and five minutes after it occurred Lambton Qtiay was almost impassable. Lines of trams which were serving the rush traffic both to and from the terminus were held up and debris scattered over the whole width of the street interfered with passing motor traffic. Both cars were run into Stout Street tinder their own power and the interrupted services were continued.