OFF THE LINE. - STEAM MOTOR AT WALLSEND. ONE BOY KILLED. NEWCASTLE, Sunday. - The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) - 29 Dec 1913 (original) (raw)

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Mon 29 Dec 1913 - The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)
Page 7 - OFF THE LINE.

The motor of a tram carrying 200 passengers

early on Saturday morning left the rails while

it was travelling at a fast rate of speed be-

tween West Wallsend and Wallsend. The

accident resulted in the death of a boy named

Thomas Simpson (13½) and injuries being

The tram left West Wallsend at 9.20 a.m.,

and everything went well till it was within

about two miles of Wallsend, when on a per-

fectly level road the motor jumped the rails,

and turned completely upside down. It was

smashed almost beyond repair. Fortunately

the draw-bar between the motor and the cars

broke, and, while the motor went off the rails,

completely severing all connections, the cars

proceeded ahead for some distance and re-

Simpson, who was sitting near the front of

the tram, jumped out, but fell under the car.

He was found with the wheels resting on him,

and the car had to be lifted to enable his body

to be removed. A doctor arrived early from

Wallsend. The boy's ribs were found to be

broken, and he was suffering from other in-

ternal injuries, from which he died a few

Three or four persons were slightly injured

or found to be suffering from shock, but upon

examination the doctor did not consider any

of the cases sufficiently seri0us to order the

patients' removal to the hospital. The driver,

Arthur Bennett, was also found to be suffering

It is believed that the accident was brought

about by the motor striking a stone on the

rails, as pieces of broken stone were found

at the place where the motor left the line.