New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-25
CRITSHED BY A FIRE ENGINE.
ALOADED STREET CAR BOWLED OVER

oxr OF THE PASSENGERS BADLY INJURED,
THOUGH ALL HURT MORE Or LESS
Eight men and women riding downtown in an
Fast Side surface car early last night were
brought face 10 face with terrible danger.
The pole Of fire engine which was dashlng
LONG the streets at full speed. in response to an
alarm crashed into the car and overturned 1t.
That the people in the car were not killed out
RIGHT. or manned and dsfgured is due mainly
"a GOOD luck The weakness of the driver. who
could not keep his head in a critical stua-
.ior is mainly responsible for the accident
II was Just after 7 o'clock when alarm of
fro was sounded from the box at Ave. and
Tbirdst Among those who responded to the
.,u was Engine Company No. %. whose house
i; in Fifth-st Just west of First-ave. James
Campbell drove the three powerful horses. run
ming abreast between two poles. the poles
heinc ioined together by cross or drag bar
Company Captain Fisher was on the ashpan OF
the engine and with him were Fireman Davis
and Rape. The engine bell and the
engine whistle changed and footed their
warning TO pedestrians and drivers Every
hodv stopped or cleared ont of the way
n let the engine pass. everything put d
sprface car of the Green Line which sercnelN
sailed down Avenue 4, the driver loosely holding
the reins and apparently unhecding all other
things
The engine dashing along Fifth-st had almost
touchcd the cast side of Avenue y, when camp
bell saw the Green Line car approaching lheh
for the first time William Niece, the car-drlver
woke up with a start and made wild effort TO
s,on on the north side of the crossing, as if TO
let the engine pass. Then. as if possessed ny
frenzy of excitement and panic. he made Wild
~ started
forward again on gallop, as if in mad effort
70 cross the street and clear the engine. Camp
hell saw that collision was inevitable With a
mighty effort he pulled at the reins and tired to
turn the engine sharp down Avenue ~ but the
three horses were stronger. The speed at which
they were going was too high TO be so quickly
overcome.
There was cry of horror from The people
IN the avenue shrek of fright from the hapless
.assencers as the pole of the engine crashed santng
" into the body of the car. For the tenth part ol
a second the corpulent mass of wood and iron
swayed and then with a smashing thud roiieo over
on its side.
There was a rush of people from all quarters, and
IN a moment many hundreds surrounded the car
Rnt every one seemed paralyzed with fear The
crashing Of the glass the wild plunging ana KICK
ing of the horses and the cries and groans of the
Imprisoned passengers froze all life and move
ment out of them. Most horrible of all to those
who were not bereft of their senses was the sigh,
of the two kerosene lamps sputterlng ana smoklh.e
under the confused heap of forms and thlea,ehmg
10 burst into a blaze Captain Fisher was the hist
10 recover his wits and grasped the fuIl slgnln
cance of this terrible danger. Jumping from MS
engine, he climbed into the car, picked up me
lamps and threw thrm into the street. This
action broke the spell Of fright which had hung
over the rest of the onloOkers. \ hundred OF
the able bodied men standing arounu
instantaneously came back to life and before the
passengers had time to crawl out seized the car
at both ends and with one mighty enort pulIeu
il into an upright position again.
Then the passengers, dazed and bewllercd, am
not vet quite whether they were awe or
not crawled out of the car Each mar or woman
biei from cuts on the face and hands, or iined
with the pain of theiI bruised limbs. None were
dangerously hurt however, and all went TO their
homes, declining to be treated by an ambulance
surgeon. :, ~ 49,
Avenue 4 had cuts his nose. left knee ana
right wrist: Kate Schneider, twentyone years
old Of No 52j Eghth-ave., was badly bruised on
the riQht hand and side; while Mary Farrell
tbirtv-three wears old of No. go West Thirty
fifth-st, will suffer for many days from the con
tusions on her head and right hand. Mcpee, ana
Egan Hasselman, the conductor of the car, haH
been hurled from their platforms 10 the sidewalk
but in common with the horses. escaped INJURY
The dragbar Of the engine was snapped IN TWO
and when the passengers of the car had Dech
rescued the firemen were obliged 10 turn PACK 10
their station Within few minutes the car;
badly smashed. had been dragged off the line, ana
late in the night taken away.