SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON THE ROSLYN CABLE TRAMWAY.
(From the 'Morning Herald')
A serious accident occurred on the Roslyn Cable Tramway Company's line on Saturday night. The accident happened at about twenty-five minutes past eleven. A tramcar got up Rattray street as far as Smith street (near the Roman Catholic Cathedral), when something went amiss. The tramway is worked by an endless wire rope running in a chamber below the street level, and a start is made by the tramcar gripping the wire rope, which is always running. The tramcars are each fitted with a very powerful brake, so powerful that the wheels can be lifted off the line. Unfortunately, however, on Saturday night, it appears that at the moment when the brake should have been applied, it was screwed the wrong way, and the carriage became unmanageable. Control of the carriage was lost at the points near the corner of Smith street. In a moment it could be heard, with a whirring bumping motion, tearing along the rails down Rattray street. Those in the carriage soon realised the seriousness of their danger, and some of them jumped out and were badly hurt. The carriage shot down Rattray street with fearful velocity; the gripper cut through five feet of a surface of four inch planks, and the carriage then slued round and was thrown on its side with great force. Nearly the whole of the glass was smashed and the occupants were cut, bruised, covered with blood, and many of them rendered insensible by the force of the concussion, but in general those who jumped out received the worst injuries. The following is a list of those who were in the car, and the injuries sustained by each:—Andrew Thomson (of Messrs Thomson, Strang, and Co.) Mr Thomson's injuries are very serious. Two of the ribs on his right side are broken, and his collar-bone on the right side is also hroken, and he is very badly cut and bruised and greatly shaken. Mr Thomson jumped off the carriage somewhere near the Shamrock stables. Thomas Strang (of Messrs Thomson, Strang, and Co.) — Slightly bruised about the body, but very badly cut about the face. William Stewart, operator in the Telegraph Office, elbows and knees very severely cut and bruised, face also cut. Harry Harvey, circus man, new injury to a broken arm. Harvey is now in the Hospital, but it is denied that he was in the car, and therefore that his arm was not hurt there. We are informed that Mr Harvey got the hurt to his arm two or three days prior to Saturday. Rasmus Johnson, one of the drivers employed by the Roslyn Tramway Company, slightly bruised and a little shaken. Thomas Gibson Spears, clerk in the Post Office, badly bruised and cut and seriously shaken. James Forsyth, conductor of the car, bruised and cut on the head and wrist. Peter Hannah, brakesman or driver, the man in charge of the car. Mr Hannah was only slightly bruised. John Conway, pretty well shaken, and very severe bruise and swelling on left knee. Mr Conway is a young man at Mr Dornwell's Kaikorai establishment. Peter Dow, youth, sore back through getting hit with a kerosene lamp which came upon him in the final crash. Master Dow's chief anxiety is who is to pay him for a suit of clothes spoiled by kerosene. — Hislop, cut and bruised. Thomas Garrett, saddler, picked up in a dying state, being terribly injured about the head, and not expected to survive. His case was given up as utterly hopeless on Saturday night, but the medical gentleman attending him thinks there are some faint hopes of his recovery. Thomas Liggins, clerk, employed at Messrs P. Hayman and Co.'s, resident of Upper York place — left leg badly hurt; it cannot be told whether the ankle is broken or sprained. Mr Liggins kept on the platform, and was thrown out by the jerk which took place when the car brought up at the terminus. Herbert Liggins, miller, employed at Messrs Royse, Stead, and Co.'s — slight concussion of the brain. Mr Liggins is cut straight down the top of his head, from the crown to the forehead. He does not recollect whether he jumped off the platform or was thrown from it, but it is believed he was thrown out by the shock at the terminus. He was a long time insensible. William Sly, managing clerk at S. de Beer and Co.'s —very slightly hurt. David Todd, points inspector—slightly bruised. David Arnold — not hurt. James Houghton — sprained ankle. Houghton was not in the tramcar. He was on the street near the terminus, and the car came down so quickly that it was almost by a miracle that he escaped being struck. In getting away he sprained his ankle. In all there were, not counting Harvey, sixteen persons in the tramcar. Arnold and the boy Dow were the only persons who escaped without injury; but another man (Houghton), not in the car, owes his injury to the accident. Immediately that the gripper would not act — that is to say would not grasp the endless rope travelling up hill — the car, being on an inclined plane, commenced to go down hill. This could have been prevented by the brake being rightly used, but it was not so used, and the time for action which would have ensured safety was missed. The brakes, one on each side, do not work against the wheels. They are large flat surfaces of wood which fit on to the rails. By screwing the brake wheel rightly, the flanges of the carriage wheels are lifted 4in above the rails if necessary, the carriage is supported upon the brakes, and the wheels revolve in air. But the brake was screwed the wrong way — upwards, not downwards. Immediately that the brake was put wrong, the car was beyond control, and the occupants realised their dangerous position. The wire rope was all right, and working properly after the accident. The car was carried a little beyond the terminus, owing to the gripper cutting through planks four inches in thickness and a layer of clay and metal for a distance of five feet. If the gripper had broken there is no doubt that the car would have gone bodily through the Crown Hotel. There is no doubt the accident was owing to the brake not being properly applied.
A member of the firm of Messrs Cossens and Black, engineers, who experimented with the cars when they were built, says, however, that with the cars going 25 miles an hour they were instantly stopped by applying the brake With the brake full on, the flanges of the wheels are four inches above the rails. The opinion of the practical man before cited is, that no matter the speed, by putting on the brake the car is pulled up in three yards at the outside. The Directors of the Roslyn Tramway Company met, and made all the inquiries possible. They decided in the interest of the Company to send Dr Macdonald to visit all those who had been injured by the accident. Mr Peter Hannah called upon us and made the following statement: —I deny that I turned on the brake the wrong way, as has been asserted in the reports of the accident. It is, however, quite possible that some of those in the car may have thought that I was doing so, because the screw with which the brake is worked is what is called a "lefthanded screw," and a stranger seeing it worked might think that it was being turned the wrong way. When I first found that the gripper had lost its hold on the rope, I applied the gripper, but as it did not hold, I put on the brake. All the passengers whom I saw crowded together on the lower end of the car, which had the effect of pressing that end downwards, and of tipping up the other end of the car. I believe that that was the reason why the brake did not act. -Lake County Press, 28/4/1881.
| Early photo of the Rattray St line. Hocken Library photo. |
Thomas Garratt, who was very severely injured by the lioslyn Tramway disaster on Saturday, was formerly an apprentice to Mr Reany, lately saddler in Rattray-street. He was a remarkably steady young man, and, in conjunction with his brother, built the residence occupied by the family at Roslyn. His elder brother, John, frequently worked as a coach painter at Balclutha, and has been for over two years engaged painting ploughs for Reid and Gray. Mr John Garrett, senr., was formerly a lawyer's clerk in his brother's office in Lincoln. -Bruce Herald, 26/4/1881.
THE ROSLYN TRAMWAY ACCIDENT.
The sufferers by this unfortunate accident continue to progress favourably towards recovery, with the exception of Thomas Garrett. He remains in a critical state in the Hospital. Last night we were informed that Dr Brown considered his condition slightly improved. He breathes regularly, and is quite calm, but remains entirely unconscious. Nourishment has been administered to him, and also medicine. There is a possibility of his recovery, but it is a remote one. There are few grounds of hope. Considerable interest is felt in his condition, as he is well known in Dunedin and was much respected, as are the whole of the members of his family. Another of the sufffrers has, we are sorry to say, taken a slight turn for the worse, although no danger is anticipated. We refer to Herbert Liggins, who received a scalp wound through being thrown from the car. During Sunday night and part of yesterday he was delirious, showing that his injury was more serious than was at first anticipated. Still, however, as we have said, no danger is feared. Mr Thomson is getting on well, as are all the others, we are glad to say. As we stated in our report yesterday morning, there was considerable difficulty in ascertaining exactly how many passengers were on the car at the time. We put the number yesterday at eight (exclusive of the Company's employes), being confident regarding that number, because Dr Macdonald on behalf of the Company had made investigation as to the extent of their injuries. We now learn that there were three more, making a total of 11 passengers in all.
These three all escaped unhurt, having remained in the car until the final crash. Their names were:—Peter Dow, a youth employed in a slaughteryard at Maori Hill, and the son of Mrs. Dow, a widow residing in that, suburb; David Arnold, a saddler in the employ of Messrs Smyth and Marshall, of Hope street, and whose parents reside at Maori Hill; and John Henderson, a stonecutter employed in Mr Munro's yard, and whose parents reside at Maori Hill. These three young men were in Dunedin in company with John Conway, a butcher, residing at Roslyn, and referred to in our report yesterday as having been injured. They all got on board the car together, Conway alone staying on the platform, the other three taking their seats inside. When the car began to go down hill, Conway intended to jump off, but Arnold, from the inside, called out to him not to do so. He saw Stewart, the telegraph clerk, jump out and get spun like a top ere he fell; and then he (Conway) turned to go inside. Whether he ever got in or not he does not know. He was picked up in a stunned condition opposite the Crown Hotel after the crash, and was taken to the Clarendon Hotel. Arnold, Henderson, and Dow were inside. Arnold got off very nearly scot-free, being thrown on top of three or four others at the bottom end of the car. Henderson seems to have fared much in the same way, and was unhurt; whilst Dow's only injury was a slight hurt to his back. The kerosene lamp smashed over him. Arnold, Henderson, and, we believe, Dow also, were at work yesterday; Conway will be in bed for two or three days, having a swollen knee and a slight injury to his back.
Whilst the abovenamed three young men were not mentioned by us as having been connected with the accident, popular report had credited one or two as being connected with it who were fortunately not so. MrWilliam Sly well known in Dunedin, was one of these. He was able to congratulate himself yesterday that he was not even slightly hurt, having never been in the car at all, nor on the scene, we believe. The case of Henry Harvey was referred to yesterday. There is some doubt whether he was in the car but he still remains in the Hospital and is suffering from a fractured wrist.
The cars were running yesterday on the line, as usual, and were patronised up to the average. A good number, of ladies even felt courageous enough to tackle the trip. There was no hitch whatever in the running. The cars used were the open ones. Mr Hannah is not at work meantime. He considers the statement made that he screwed the brakes the wrong way was not justified. He asserts positively that he turned the screw properly but states that the brakes would not act. The reason for this, in his opinion, was that the passengers had gone principally forward to one end of the car, and by their weight tilted it to some extent, thus lifting the greater part of the brakes off the rails. He adds that the same car had, on previous occasion, tilted in the same way, and also that he has corroborative evidence of the fact that the brakes were fully screwed down by a person who examined the car for, him after the occurrence. Of' course there is the statement of young Todd that he told Hannah he was screwing the brake the wrong way against the foregoing; but in justice to Mr Hannah his explanation, which is a reasonable one, should be given. The conflict of testimony proves the necessity for a rigid inquiry, which we believe the directors of the Company intend to ask for at once from the Government. -Otago Daily Times, 26/4/1881.
There is still a slight improvement to be recorded in the condition of Thomas Garrett. He is believed to have heard what was said to him at times yesterday. -Otago Daily Times, 29/4/1881.
During Thursday night Thomas Garrett took an unfavourable turn, and yesterday morning his life was despaired of. Towards evening however, he improved a little. He still remains unconscious and in a doubtful state. -Otago Daily Times, 30/4/1881.
Mr Thomas Garrett, who was so seriously injured by the late tramway accident, was last evening still in an unconscious condition. During the afternoon he was apparently sinking rapidly, and though afterwards he seemed somewhat better, there is reason to fear that no hope can be entertained of hisrecovery. -Otago Daily Times, 3/5/1881.
Thomas Garrett, the chief sufferer by the Roslyn tram accident, has taken another favorable turn, and strong hopes are now entertained of his recovery. -Otago Daily Times, 4/5/1881.
The Roslyn Tramway Accident. — Thomas Garrett, who was severely injured in this accident, died on Thursday night. -Southland Times, 7/5/1881.
The funeral of Thomas Garrett, the victim of the Roslyn tram accident, took place on Sunday and was largely attended. The inquest is being continued to-day at the Shamrock Hotel, so that jurors can inspect the scene of accident and working of the line. -Cromwell Argus, 10/5/1881.
Roslyn Tramway Accident. The inquest on the body of Garrett, who died from injuries received at the Roslyn tramway accident, was continued at Dunedin, yesterday. The relatives of the deceased, the conductor of the cars (Peter Hannah), and the Company, were represented by lawyers. Mr Denniston, having objected to the Coroner’s way of taking the evidence down, provoked the following reply from the Coroner: — “I by no means underrate the value of lawyers’ services, but at the same time I am convinced we are quite competent to make the fullest inquiry without legal assistance, and on that principle I intend to act.” From a telegram in another column, it will be seen that a verdict of manslaughter was brought against the conductor. -Ashburton Guardian, 10/5/1881.
SUPREME COURT
Criminal Sittings
NO BILLS. The Grand Jury found no true bill in the following indictments: —Henry Charles Meade, attempt to commit suicide; Peter Hannah, manslaughter. -Evening Star, 4/7/1881.
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| Thomas Garrett's grave, Southern Cemetery, Dunedin. DCC photo. |
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