The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-18
THREE STREET CAR ACCIDENTS.


Four Cable Cars Bumped Togcther-
Slide ON jackson Street.-The One Hurt.
An accident TO q cable car on the Madison
street cable line yesterday evening was the
cause Of collision In which four. AIRS were tele-
scopsd. and more o. lees damaged. and trsfic
was suspended for nearly two hours. About 5
O'Clock car No. IA, new one on the line. was
returning from Lake Washington with 1876 pas
sengers, when on the turntable at the power
house, weakened from the heavy load, and the
griphsneer springing. the grip was dropped down
low enough o Catch on the ta,le. The momen-
tum showed the ITO It trucks from their place to-
wards the center OF the car, bTiaging il 70 . sud
den stop.
The cars were running on two and a-half min
ute time, and inside of five minutes. two more
csrs had come in sight over the hill aud were
lying ct intervals Of eighty feet. waiting for the
damaged car TO be pat In the round-house.
About this time No. IL, which was destined 70
do the work," left the lake with lis passengers
and started towards the city. when coming mp
hill, . rvck which was on the track, caught in
the front tracks. and Gripman small stopped
the car until passenger could remove the
obstruction. In arting up again il was found
else, and when the grip caught nrm hold OF
the cable the trucks were Jerked two feet
from under the car forward. and
the gear being twisted, could not
be operated. Conductor Hollsngshead
with creditable GOODNESS, aided by the grip
men, succeeded in getting oil the passengers TO
jump, which they did. and although some were
toppled over and piled mp in the soft sand. no
one was hurt Seeing the runaway car, the en-
gineer in the power-house was notified, but be.
fore he could stop the engines. No IL had
crashed into No. 2, damaging the platforms and
drawheads considerably. Nos. and II next
smashed into car No. 6. ana
No. s was crashed into disabled
No II with such force and rapidity that
the cars were almost telescoped. Immediately
following the crash Q small man with fiaring
from under No. IA 10 scared that his red
wh,skers turned almost white. The mans name
wss Sieber aud he was trying to take an inven-
tory of he damage.
The accident was unavoidable, and Is no one
was injured, Mr.. Gibson, the superintendent,
says that no one can be held responsible. He
says the company only regrets discommodipg
the public. many people having walked into
the city. The wreck was cleared away, the four
damaged cars put in the round-house, and the
nrst car started 70 the city ct 7:l5 O'Clock. The
mayed cars will be repaired Immediately,
and will soon be in use again.
The pass engers on Car No. on the Yesler
avenue Bile line. while coming mp the high
trestle on the east end of Jackson street. had an
u
noon. The car left the Casino Immediately
alter the afternoon performance, loaded with
seventy-ive passengers or more. It started
up the steep incline and had made
about one-half Of the distance to
The top, when the grip lroke or
lost its hold on the cable. and moment later
The car was shooting down the trestle at gait
which made the passengers very nervous. With
great presence of mind the gripman called out
to his passengers to lamp off and hold the car.
Those on the dummy did SO, and with the help
OF the brakes and a crowbar they succeeded in
getting the car stopped after 1t had run fifty or
sixty feet down the track. Every one jumped
at the first alarm from the grip car.
An open car on the Front street electric line
left the track going down the grade into North
Seattle yesterday afternoon about o'clock and
struck telegraph pole at the side Of the street.
No damage resulted, but it was some time be-
fore the car VT Q put back on the track.