Harry Leonard Allen
1910 Old Bailey Proceedings [1]
HARRY LEONARD ALLEN (prisoner, on oath). I am 23 years old. I was apprenticed for five years to the Rolls-Royce Company, and was with them for a further two years, latterly as superintendent of the London repair depot. I hold a driver's license; I have driven thousands of miles and have never been in an accident or trouble at all. On the day preceding this accident this car was handed to me to be tested on roads; on that day I could not test it completely, so I took it out on the following day. I started from the depot in Edgware Road. In North Finchley I called upon two friends, Collins and Carslake, and drove them to a skating rink in Holloway Road. Afterwards we went into the "Archway Tavern "; there I had three whiskies and sodas; the drink had no effect at all on my capacity for driving. I then
See original drove towards Finchley, in order to drop my friends at their home. I remember passing Sergeant Ray; nobody in the motor-car booed at him; we were then travelling at 15 miles an hour. From the fire alarm on to the "Bald-faced Stag "I had a perfectly straight view Coming up the hill from the "Archway Tavern" the road surface was quite wet, and I had not noticed any change up to the time of the accident; I did then notice that the road was very frosty and slippery, and there were pools of ice about. I had not come through any sleet. Crawley is mistaken in saying that there was a shout just before I reached Braithwaite's tramcar; I shouted just as we got beyond that car, as soon as I saw Read. Directly after passing the tramcar I saw Read about 20 or 30 yards from me; I did not see his barrow; he was walking toward me; he made no attempt to get out of the way. Immediately I shouted out; I touched the horn slightly and then pulled over the steering gear to the right. The wheels of the car seemed to just touch the tram line and then commenced to slide, to curve across the road, and I felt the back of the car hit something; I must have caught the man with the rear splashboard. At the time the car was skidding; I had applied the foot brake, which did not act at all; then the side brake, which acted just a little, not much. The car came to a standstill on knocking down the tree. I at once jumped out and ran to the man Read.
Cross-examined. I had not noticed that the road was gravelled. I did not notice that the road was icy and slippery till I applied the brakes. I am positive that I was not going more than 15 miles an hour when passing Ray; when passing Robinson's tram I was going at 18 miles an hour, picking up a bit. I can judge the speed I am going at by the beats of the engine. I am sure that the three drinks I had had did not affect me in the smallest. If Read had moved only two feet to the side I should have passed him safely. I do think that 18 miles was a proper speed under the circumstances.
Re-examined. Collins was sitting beside me; he had his coat over his head; Carslake was sitting behind me; neither saw anything of this occurrence.
CLAUDE JOHNSON, managing director of the Rolls-Royce Company. Defendant has been in our employ five or seven years and bears an excellent character. It was within his duty that he took out this car on December 19. I have had considerable experience of motor-cars. Non-skid tyres are of great use on greasy roads, but of no advantage on an icy road. It is most difficult from a stationary vehicle to judge the pace of a passing car.
Cross-examined. If the driver had knowledge of the state of the road his speed ought to have been less than 18 miles an hour; it would be very difficult for him to have such knowledge.