The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-09-01
DANGER IN STREET CAR RAILS.
Tho Rails OF the Electric Lines Ia PITTS.
burIh Heavily Charged Will, Electricity.

burEh Heavily Charged witt, Electricity,
P'rEsBvRGH, Pa, August 3l.-A bi
howl isgoingup on the Southside agains
the condition Of the track OF tho Thir
teenth steeet electric road. II Is sal,
that the rails areso heavily charged will
electricity that the track Is dangerous
aad that someone may be killed. Ther,
have been frequent instances OF the elec
tricity In the rails doing mischief, anl
complaints have often been made.
Yesterday the excitement was brouph,
to climax by horse being thrown ia
the ground by ashock and causing q
serious runaway. Ono man was badly
injured and the buggy smashed to splin.
ters. The result promises to be u auit
against the company for damages.
john Strump, Il resident OF the South.
side, Is the last one to have a practical
demonstration OF the amount OF electric.
ity In tho ralls. About noen yesterday
he attempted to drive his horse across
tho track at the junction OF Birmingham
avenue and Plus street. The road is
very eteep at this point, and the position
OF the track makes 1t bad place to drive
over. AS the horse was crossing the
track 1t struck one Of It's hoofs against
a rail and fell down, with conyulsiye
Shiver 1t had received powerful
shock.
SHOCKED A SECOND TlAE.
The horse, after some struggling, re.
gained it's feet, but, in doing 80, it again
struck It's feet again the rail, and the
shock threw 1t once more to the ground.
BY this time the animal had become so
that when it again rose to it's
feet and received Il slight shock, it gave
q lurch which tipped the buggy over,
throwing MIR. Strump out.
The horse did not stop running until
caught at South Eleventh street. The
buggy was q wreck, and it is feared the
iorse is injured. Later Mr.. Strump
visited Alderman Beinhauer's office, and
consulted with the alderman in relation
o bringing action against tho company
or damages.
Alderman Beinhauer says that he had
III experience last Sunday with the
rack ut the same point, which came
near resulting more disastrously than
Slr. Strump's runaway. lie was attend. |
ng funeral at the time. As the horses |
attached to the hearse crossed the track, |
me Of them stepped on rail and re.
:eived very severe shock. The horses
ire naturally very docilc, but the acci. !
lent excited them 80 that they came
lea' running away. They aiterward
'etused to cross the track, and It was
'nly by good management that a terrible |
Iccident was averted.
a NUMBER or INSTANCES,
DR.. Potter's horse has been shocked |
md thrown to the ground several times
While crossing the tracks OF the Thir.
eenth Street Electric road. Numerous
'ther instances have also cone to light |
where horses have been shocked. Some |
lorses who have he'd experience with |
he subtle fluid refuse to cross the track, |
", in doing so, give leap.
But the danger from the charged rail |
9 not confined to horses. About 500 |
chool children CROSS the tracks daily, |
.oing to and coming from school. Some
# them discovered that the track was
harged and commenced to experiment
With it. They found that by touching !
mall wire to the track they could re-
eive shock, and some OF them did not
are to repeat the experiment.
1t is feared that some OF the school
children will receive ehock that will
more than anuse them. Some OF the
esidenis are very much concerned for |
be safety OF their children, and will
DIN any move to have the rails made
more safe,