Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-03
THE WORST MlSHAPS.
Two Penn Avenue Cable Cars
Wrecked on Early Trial Trips.
ONE is ALMOST STOOD UPON END,
Throwing the Gripman Away Ahead and
Painfully Hurting Him.
ANOTHER NEARLY RUNS OFF BACKWARD

Two accidents of thrilling nature oc-
Cured on the Citizens Traction Railway
yesterday. There was considerable danger,
but great deal more fun, and the result OF
both was that the entire line was pretty badly
demoralIzed the latter part of the day. As
yet only 10 cable cars are running, and their
trips are between Sixth street and the East
End. West of 6he "Forks Of the Road
they run between the horse cars; but on the
East Liberty division all horse cars have
been withdrawn, and the speed of the cable
there is greater than on the city division.
1t was on the faster cable that both acci-
dents happened. The grade from st. Mary's
Cemetery down to Thirty-third street is one
of the longest and steepest in the city. 1t
is a good mile, and in that dis
tance the grade amounts to about $50
feet. Between and 4 o'clock P. ". one
OF the descending cars, No. 20S, had reached
''the forks" The connection there made
with the city division carries the slot
through a series of windings. The grip
must be shifted to get through these. The
lever had suddenly gotten out OF gear, and
to his alarm the gripman found he could not
move the grip. The result was a violent
plunge forward.
A VERY CLOSE CALL.
Both brakes were instantly locked, and so
suddenly did the car come to a standstill
that the gripman, Casper Miller, was shot
headlong out of the cab window, landing in
the gutter Most of the passengers were
thrown on the floor. j. Gottschalk and
John Kelly fell against the glass in
front of the cab. The glass was broken and
they were badly cut about the face and
hands. DIR. Clark and DR.. Patterson at
tended them at the time, and in the evening
DR.. Clark looked after them again. Gott-
schalk was the most severely injured, but
the Doctor does not regard the case of any
of them as serious. The gripman was badly
bruised, but was still at work last night.
The damage to the car was such that the
engines in the power house had to be
stopped. That suspended travel on the
road for nearly two hours. The crowds
that waited were immense. In the mean
time scores of East End people, disguised
by the long wait in the city took the horse
cars and disembarking at the "forks o. the
road" waited there for the East End cars.
By 6:15 as many as 800, and most Of them
women, had accumulated at this point.
SAVED FROM A RUNAWAY.
At $40 an eastbound car had ascended
the steep Penn avenue hill as far as Thirty
sixth street. The previous delay had pre-
vented the crew from putting the headlight
in front. That section of the street is very
dark, and a stone or some other obstruction
fastened securely in the slot could not be
seen by the two gripmen in the cab. When
the grip struck it there was fearful grind
ing, and then the front end of
the car was upheaved with such
violence as to extinguish every light with
in. A tremendous tug forward, and with
something like a convulsion, the car took
another upheaval. This time the con-
cussion broke several windows to pieces
Then the grip broke off entirely,
and the car was just slipping
backward when the two men
in the cab put all their strength to the levers
which operate the brakes. They were sue
cessful, but had there been only one man in
the cab, the probabilities are that he could
not have locked the brakes tight enough
himself, and the car would have dashed
backward to the foot of the steep hill,
four squares below. The car was crowded
almost to suffocat on. and regular panic |
,nsued No person was hurt, but that car,
90, is now laid up for repairs. Another |
lour's delay resulted from the second acci- |
lent.
The management of the road say that such |
accidents will be impossible when all the |
ars are started, and the tremendous crowds |
low harrassing the few cars are distributed |
N all. Too frequent stops just now bother
he pripmen,