Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-12-05
AN ENGINE RUNS AWAY
AND CAUSES aRsAT hXuITEMEsr.
1t Demoiisnes In lts Passage = Mail wsgon
ana Crashes into n North Queen
street store window,

About half past seven O'Clock Thursday
evening, there was great excitement on
North Queen street. caused by an accident
to a tcn-horse power Peerless traction en-.
giuc, which was being taken to the shop
OF Ezra +. Lands. When near the post
office, one OF the links Of the heavy guide
chain, by which the engine is steered
broke, aud the men in charge lost control
Of it, and 1t plunged bhndly ahead. When
in front of the postotfce it upset the u. 3. |
mail wagon and broke 1t badly, knocked
down the horse attached to IL, ran upon
the pavement in front OF @. Fate's sewing
machiue store, crushing the big flagstone
pavement beneath its ponderous wheels,
and dashed into the show window Of the
store, breaking one Of the large plate
glasses, aud smashing sewing machine
that was in the window.
Had not the wheel of the engine caught
against . heavy hitching post, 1t would
have gone through the window into the
store, aud probably into the cellar, as its
| weight is about six tons. Fortunately IL |
got no farther than the pavement.
POPULAR EXCITEMENT.
| North Queen street was crowded a. the |
| time, and several persons narrowly es- |
capped being crushed beneath the engine. |
When it was stopped, hundreds of
psople almost instantly crowded
i
crowded around the wrecked mail wagon
and the prostrated horse that was kicking
| in the harness. The harness was soon cut
to pieces aud the horse extricated. He
| was taken to Fred Brimmer's stable, a
good deal battered and bruised aud cut
about tho legs. A veterinary surgeon was
sent for, who after examination pronounced
the horse not seriously injured.
| TERRIBLE ACCIDENT POSSIBLE.
| Meantime there was great excitement
around the engine. Mr.. Fate was in an
i'll humor about his broken window and
sewing machines, and made complaint of
malicious mischief before Alderman Nc.
Conomy against Elmer Herr and John
Lands, who were in charge Of the ruua-
way engine. Officers Speecs and Roadman
arrested them and dragged them off to the
lock up, leaving the engine without an en-
gineer and liable at any moment to blow
up. Ezra +. Landis, agent for the man
utacturers of the Peerless engine, hear.
t ing of the accident hastened to
the spot, aud was not little
, alarmed on finding that his euginssrs had
! been arrested and no one left in charge of
! the engine. On examining the water
{ gauge he found the boiler almost empty,
; | and in little while longer there might
D have been a terrible explosion. After
putting the engine in safe condition he
= went to the relief of the men who were in
arrest and entered bail at Alderman Ford
ney's for their appearance before Alder
man McConomy, Returning to the wreck
s he and his men repaired the broken guide
I | chain with o splice of heavy wire, and
r about 9 o'clock Herr aud Landis were
D | again put in charge OF the engine, which
D was run up North Queen street aud thence
!. TO Mr.. Landis' shop on Cherry alley.
g The police officers who made the arrest,
b aud some other people also, say that Herr
8 aud Lands were Intoxicated, and ran thei
L engine two or three times across the stree
J. in q zg.zlg course. Mr.. Ezra L,uds ant
s several other people who saw the youui
70 ment declare they were sobsr, ard to shov
:. that they were, Mr.. Lands placed them il
10 charge of the engine after the accident
IS and had them run it to his shop.
d HERR AND LANDS EXPLAIN,
5 In an interview with Herr and Laudi
our reporter learned that the engine ha,
been in use by Samuel Miller, of Quarry
-...-, .i.- "a a"t.in q iipihar IN the lowe
Of | end OF the county and has had the machin
ID on the road and in the woods in tina
., section. Finding it too smaA-f0r hi
er purpose he had ordered larger one Q
is fifteen horse power, and Herr an,
10 Lands had been sent by Mr.. Ezr
n lands to bring it back to Lancaster
le They left Quarryyille Thursday morniu,
lie at o'clock, ran leisurely along, via Net
le Providence, to Reftou, where they too
Is dinner. Left Refton between / and
" O'Clock, and came up the pike via Willo,
h Street to Lancaster, arriving at 6:3C
le stopped at the Fountain Inn, on Soutl
IN Queen street, where they took supper, an
ID alter taking on a supply OF water stsrte
np to Centre Square, and thence up Mort
Queen street TO the place of accident.
to the charge Mat they zig Jagged acros
the street several times. they say tina
they were Obliged to cross from on
10 side of thu railroad track to th
other to avoid teams that wer
ar passing or standing on the street. The
bad only ifty pounds Of steam on an
4 were nos going at speed of more tina
three miles an hour. They state that th
le brakes of the engine were not in goo
working order, and the down grade frol
ia the middle Of the street to the curbstone
is so heavy that the weight of the engir
carried it by its own momentum upon th
&. sidewalk and into Fate's window. The
"A emphatically deny that they were drunl
and certainly they do not look like drinl
ing men.
CT THE LOSSES.
b. The damage done TO the front of NJ
Fate's store room, including the plate
IN glass and the broken flagstoDes CAP, be r,
IN paired for about 300, and half that su,
ly will pay for the damage to the SEWN
machines.
The set of harness that was cut frol
10 Fred. Brimmer's horse so that he could
b, gotten loose irogi the broken mail wago
40 was a valuable one, having been "voted
to Mr.. Brimmer at ladies fair at cost
d, nearly 5000. 1t will cost $50 or s75 to rs
~ pair it.
er The damage to the Peerless engine
~ very slight; new link or two to I'll
guide chain will make it all right again.
III VIM. Fisher, who keeps fruit stand |
at front Of the postoffice, ran to the assis
nd anos of Brimmer's team when it VIZ
II. wrecked, and during the few minutes ths
his back was turned, some bad boys mad
sad havoc among the apples and orange
". on his fruit stand. He thinks that MI
a lands ought to make good bis losses, br
AZ Mr. Lands thinks that had he watche
w his own apple stand, he would have ha
no losses.
n, NOTES AND COMMENTS,
ne Capt. McMellen states that he was
IL Willow street when the engine passed tn,
40 place that horse was frightened by |
10 ran off and broke the wagon to which
)n was attaahai He did NOT know who's