Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-26
Fourteen People Have Been Killed
on the Traction Roads of Pitts
burg Within a Year.
STREET RAILWAY JUGGERNAUT.
Every Death Was Caused BY the Car Mount
ing the Body Of Its Victim and
Crushing Out Life.
A REMEDY HAS AT LAST BEEN FOUND.
Lathsr Lsbsr Irrsnts Lifs-ssving Pilot for Rapid
Transit Coaches.

The inquest on the body OF John Kocher,
who was killed by a cable car at Fifth
avenue and Grant street, Wednesday, will
be held this morning.
BY this death the awful danger resulting
from rapid transit cars in the central part of
the city has again been pronouncedly shown.
His death makes the fourteenth of the kind
during the present year. In every instance
the car has mounted the victim, and life has
been crushed out by the wheels.
The years record has clearly proven that
the various life-saving devices now
used on the cars are not sufficient
to throw off any obstruction.
This almost wholesale slaughter has caused
considerable investigation by Coroner Nc
Dowell and others before whom these vio-
lent deaths have been prominently pre-
sented. Luther 81. Leber, of Allegheny,
has, however, been the first to solve the
problem, and has already secured a patent
for device which promises to prevent any
more additions to the list of street railway
fatalities of this nature.
Description of New Device.
This invention is pilot or fender fast
ened to the front of the car in a manner very
similar to the ones now in use. 1t differs
from the old ones, however, in that it ex-
tends from the bed of the car to the track,
and reaches back a sufficient distance to
cover the wheels. The inside is a mass of
springs which work automatically. The
pilot is so balanced as to yield when coming
in contact with person or other obstruc-
tion. Provision is also made for It's yielding
upward on an incline, and also lengthwise
of the car when heavier object is struck.
The operation simply is that when light
object is struck the fender or pilot will
yield upward, but ifa person or other heavy
object is struck, the pilot will drop to the
rails, and the obstruction will be throw
out clear of the wheels.
The fender has but a slight movement
in an inclined direction, and when it comes
in contact with an object, either heavy
or light, the fender will rise upward and on
an incline upon the frame at one side, only
that side which is struck, and at an angle
corresponding with the angle 10 which the
rods and springs are disposed, and the
movement OF the frame to which the fender
and lengthwise, all strain upon the rods
carving the spring is removed and will
therefore yield and not strike a solid blow.
The list of deaths from local rapid transit
cars for the last year shows that each person
was killed. as already stated, by being
mounted by the cars, and the following
are the fatalities that have been so caused:
A Long List for One Year
December y, ISS9-John Wagner aged 55
years. crushed by Pittsburg Traction car 4. at
Fifth avenue and Grant street
March 10 1S9N-Neil Laird, years and
months. killed by Citizens Traction car Old,
near Nineteenth street and Penn avenue.
March 2l-Patrick Madigan. IL years. skull
fractured by car ), on the Fifth avenue line,
near Boston street.
March 29-W. R. Mckee, y years, struck by
Citizens traction car l2S, at Penn avenue and
Iwenty-hrst street.
May 3-Charles +. Grasskopf, II years, killed
by Pleasant Valley electric car on Erie street.
near Federal. Allegheny.
April l3-Aargaret Lalley, 80 years, by car 81
OF the Pittshurg Traction company at Fifth
avenue and Vine street.
April 23-John Bapisto Leo Geodic 80 years.
killed by Central Traction car 81 at Sixth
street and Denny alley.
June l4-Wnliam Montgomery, years and
months, struck by Pittsburg Traction car 20, at
foot of Dinwiddie street.
July l9-Arthur Wilhelm, years and 10
months. crushed by car Dol of the Citizens
Traction line on Penn avenue near Seventeenth
street,
July is Harry Schurr, 5 years and months,
run over by car 2S7 Of Citizens Traction line at
Seventeenth street.
October l0-Edward Gseyitski, years, killed
at Iwenty-titth street by Citizens Traction
car pos.
November q Winfield Scott Smith, 45 years,
fell under Central Traction car 81 on Wylie
avenue.
December 24-John Kocher. SIS wears. both lers
crushed by Car IS of Pittsburg Traction line at
Fifth avenue and Grant street. kocher was
matchmaker employed at 80 Fifth avenue and
he boarded with Paul Nicolat at Is Wylie ave-
nue.. He was Frenchman and was 50 years
old
In speaking of the Leber patent, Coroner
Mcdowell said yesterday that he believed
it was practicable, and had such device
been used before not one of the above deaths
would have occurred. The new pilot is to
be tried tomorrow on car 10 of the Pitts
burg Traction Company. and if it is success
iui the Coroner thinks these protectors
ehOuld he Dlaped on erar- %.