TERRIBLE TRAM-WAY ACCIDENT. Twelve Persons Injured. [BY TELEGRAPH,—PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Dunedin, Sunday.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1375, 26 April 1881, Page 3

TERRIBLE TRAM-WAY ACCIDENT. Twelve Persons Injured. [BY TELEGRAPH, — PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Dunedin, Sunday.

An accident of a most alarming character, resulting in the injury of twelve persons, one of whom is almost certain to die, occurred at half-past eleven last night on the Roslyn tramway. Roslyn is a suburb situated on the hills abo\ c Dunedin, and the tramway was started about four months ago. It is worked by an endle&s wire rope to which the carriages are attached by gripper carriages, which are provided with a brake supposed to be powerful enough to bring them to a standstill whenever applied. Last night the last car started up Rattray-street for Roslyn, and had proceeded some six hundred yards up the hill—the gradient of which is about one in sixteen —when something 1 went wrong with the gear. The general statement ia that the man in charge of the brake put it off instead of on, and before he could rectify his mistake, the carriage commenced to run down the hill,,attaining such a speed as it rushed down the incline that all efforts to stop it by means of the brake were feeble. Three men — Garrett, Spiers, and Stewart—jumped off, but the rest were unable to get out of the car, which reached ,the terminus line at a fearful rate of speed, and broke through the heavy woodwork, and three feet of the metal road, and turned over on its side. At one moment it appeared probable that it would dash across the- footpath into the Crown Hotel. There was plenty of assistance at hand. The carriage was righted, and the injured men removed to the Shamrock Hotel. The following is the list of those in- 1 jured :—Andrew Thompson (Thompson, Strangand Co., drapers), cut and bruised; Sohn Strang, bruised and cut about the face; William Stewart or Steward, bruised abcut the legs ; Thomas Harvey, labourer, cut and bruised; Rosamond Johnson, slightly bruised; William Pearce, bruised and cut about the head ;' Leckie, badly bruised and a long time insensible; Pearse and Clerk, bruised, cut, and severely shaken ; T. Mclntosh bruised and shaken; P. Hahna, Very little hurt; J. Conway, bruised ; J. Garrett, skull dreadfully fractured, case considered hopeless j Hislop, cut and bruised. The three men who jumped, off fared the wprst, and were cut and. greatly smashed • abo.ufc;; The;,sufferers were at once attended to hy J)rs., Brown, Fergusson, Dezouche? Burrows and, McDonald. All but Ga'vrett are doing weil,