FATAL TRAM ACCIDENT
A young man named Thomas Whyte, employed on the Mornington tram line, was seriously injured shortly after eight o'clock this morning. It appears that Whyte, who is a son of Mr Whyte, janitor at the High street School, was working in a manhole alongside a curve in the line at the top of the hill, where he was doing some greasing. The lower part of his body was sticking out of the manhole, and he was either doing his work unaware of the approach of a car or else was in the act of getting out, when a tram, which was coming down the hill on the brake, ran into him. He was struck by the footboard, and his body crushed. The driver, who had previously rung the bell, pulled up instantly, and Whyte was removed to the hospital, where it was found that he was suffering from internal injuries. His condition was regarded as critical from the start, and the unfortunate youth died shortly before one o'clock this afternoon. Deceased was not seen by the driver of the car (Thomas Lowden). An inquest will be held. -Evening Star, 12/9/1905.
THE MORNINGTON TRAM FATALITY.
VERDICT, "ACCIDENTAL DEATH."
GROSS NEGLIGENCE ATTRIBUTED IN A RlDER.
Mr C. C. Graham, S.M., held a coronial inquiry at the Hospital yesterday into the cause of death of Thomas Whyte, a lad 16 years of age, who was killed on the Mornington tramline on Tuesday morning last. The jury were Messrs D. Francis (foreman), Jas. Wilson, P. Clunie, P. Mullins, T. Stuart, and Hector Baker. Mr Solomon watched the case on behalf o[ the deceased's family, and Mr Sim for the Mornington Borough Council. The following evidence was taken: —
Robert Whyte, bootmaker, father of deceased, deposed that his son was in his sixteenth year, and had been employed as an oiler on the Mornington tramline for the past seven months. Deceased made no statement before his death.
John Thomas Lowden, gripman on the Mornington tramline, said he was in charge of the car which left the summit at 8.15 on Tuesday morning. They were just starting, and coming down on the brake as usual, but before picking up the cable he felt an irregular running of the car and applied the brake immediately. Somebody called out "There's a man here." He immediately jumped out and called for assistance. The car was pushed back, and Thomas Whyte, the deceased, was found underneath the footboard partly in the manhole on the down line, head downwards. If was deceased's duty to oil the pulleys. There was no danger signal of any kind up. Oiling was done at any time during the day. At that particular hole it was necessary to get partly into it to oil the pulley below. Oilers have no signals to use on the line. In ordinary oiling the oiler could see the car coming, for his head would not be in the manhole, but not in this hole. Witness was keeping a good lookout ahead at the time of the accident. The manhole was rectangular, 2ft by 1ft 6in. It was impossible for the driver to see anything on the ground within 18ft of the car. Deceased might have just come out of the manhole as the car came within 18ft of him. If deceased had risen before that distance was reached witness would have been sure to see him. In other places of the line men could not be at work in connection with the manholes without the gripman knowing of it.
To Mr Solomon: He had been employed as gripman on the line for the past 10 years. On the spot where the accident happened men might be at work and the gripman not know it. He could not say whether danger signals were used on other tramlines. The danger would be very materially lessened if danger signals were placed when men were working at dangerous places. Deceased was the only boy employed on the line as an oiler. The manhole where the accident happened was difficult to see, so as to know whether it was open or not. It was only with the greatest care that it could he noticed. It had never occurred to witness to see whether or not the manhole was opened before starting.
To Mr Sim: The rope stopped when the car reached the bottom of High street, and the engineer was communicated with by signal from the conductor. A man in the hole would know when the cable was started and that the car would start immediately afterwards. At the time of the accident the car started about a minute after the rope started.
To Mr Solomon: Had there been a danger signal witness would not have been at the manhole, but would have stopped at once.
John D. Marks, resident surgeon at the Dunedin Hospital, deposed that deceased was brought to the Hospital about 9.15 a.m. last Tuesday, and examined. His face was contused; there had been bleeding from the nose and some bleeding under the surface membrane of the eye. The left side of the chest was crushed, and at least one rib broken. About the middle of the breast was an abrasion of the skin, and an effusion of blood underneath. An hour after admission deceased began to get restless, and died about 12.45 p.m. Death was caused by shock resulting from the injuries, which were probably serious internally to heart and lungs. No post mortem examination was held.
James McNaught, conductor on the Mornington tramline and in charge of the car that left the summit on Tuesday last at 8.15 a.m., said the car started on the brake, and picked up the rope 10 yards to 15 yards further on, when shunting from one line of rails to the other. When over the manhole where deceased was the car struck something, and the driver applied the brake and pulled up at once. A passenger called out, "We have a man here." The car was pushed back, and deceased was found three-parts in the manhole, only his back and shoulders being above the surface. Deceased was unconscious at the time he was picked up.
George Duncan Thorn, manager of the Mornington tramline, said he was on the car at the time of the accident, and was standing on the end far away from the corner where the boy was caught. He felt the car stop soon after starting, and thought it had left the track. He got off and helped to lift deceased out of the hole. Only his buttocks were above the surface, the rest of thoebody being in the hole. Deceased was removed to the tramshed, and was quite sensible. He said his head and legs were all in the hole. Witness asked him how he came to be in that position, but deceased did not answer, as he was suffering great pain, and asked to be shifted from one side to the other. A doctor arrived, and deceased was removed to the Hospital.
To Mr Solomon: There were no red danger signals in use on the line, but it was a recognised thing in the service that no man goes into a dangerous position by himself, but had another man with him to watch. The pulley where the accident happened had only been in position for a fortnight, and should be oiled from a slot 8in from it. There was no necessity to get into the hole to oil it. The hole was large enough for two men to work in, and was 2ft 8in deep. Witness had worked in it himself for two hours, while the cars were running. Witness thought the boy got into the hole to oil the pulley; but if he did, there was plenty of time to get out after the cable started and before the car came along. The boy took it on himself to get into the hole instead of oiling the pulley from the top, and the result was the accident.
Mr Salomon: Do you say no one is to blame but the boy? — Witness: Just so.
How long have yon been tram manager? — I have been acting manager for seven weeks.
Did you instruct the boy to oil this pulley? — Not this pulley in particular; but the boy was general oiler, and it was part of his duty to oil the pulley in question — part of his general work.
This boy was 16 years of age, and you are the general manager; why did you not instruct the boy how to oil this pulley? — The boy knew it was part of his work, and had seen me oil the pulley at the time it was being put in. He was in the hole with me when I was attending to the pulley. He knew he could oil it from the surface; but boys at times will do strange things.
Do you know that gripmen cannot see this manhole when they are 18ft away? — Yes, I know that the view is obscured then.
Did you tell the boy the manhole was a dangerous place? — No; I did not, because I do not recognise that there is danger there. All the manholes along the line go out of view at 18ft from the car.
To Mr Sim: This pulley can be oiled from above, and much easier than from below, and you presumed the boy would do it the easiest way? — Yes; quite so.
To the Coroner: Deceased was careless, and had been previously cautioned by different drivers as to the danger of remaining in the holes too long. On the previous week he had been again cautioned for the same thing.
Mr Prictor, who was a passenger by the car when the accident happened, was present to give evidence, but said he could only repeat what had been said by previous witnesses. The bell was sounded very loudly before starting to attract his (Mr Prictor's) attention, as he was in the habit of coming to town by that car in the morning, and he delayed by talking to Mr Thorn.
The Coroner said there could be no doubt as to the cause of death, but there seemed to be some doubt as to why deceased should have gone down the manhole to oil the pulley if there was no necessity for his doing so. Deceased had worked with Mr Thorn (the manager) while the pulley was being fixed, so he therefore knew exactly where it was. The only other question for the jury to consider was whether they should add a rider to their verdict as to the use of danger signals by men oiling the pulleys. They were told there was a regulation on the line that no man should work at a dangerous part without another man with him to watch. If deceased knew of this regulation, he had broken it, and the result was his death.
The jury, after a short retirement, returned a verdict of "Accidental death," and added a rider: "That we are further of opinion that there was gross neglect shown, no precautions having been taken to prevent such accidents occurring," -Otago Daily Times, 15/9/1905.
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