The morning call., 1892-11-15
TOO QUICK A STOP.
Several Persons Injured on
Cable=Car.
WHO WAS TO BLAME FOR 1T d?
Omnibus People Say They Were Not
i'm Fault, and So DO the Suffer-
Street Men.

A car of the Omnibus line approached
the Nintb-street crossing where the Suffer-
street and Howard street lines intersect at
745 p. NJ Sunday. A Sutter-street car had
just passed, going toward Folsom street.
When the Howard-street car reached the
middle of the street there was loud
bump. the car suddenly stopped, people
screamed and fell all over each other, win
dow panes cracked and confusion reigned
supreme.
The cause Of the collision is attributed to
two different causes. each company placing
the blame on the other side. Which is re-
sponsibe will be seen later.
When the Howard street train struck the
obstruction which brought it to a sudden
stop the car was crowded with passengers,
all returning from their Sunday outing
across the bay. The car was an open one
and the seats are very narrow. The train
was going al the rate OF ten miles an hour.
The Howard-street ears run faster in the
nighttime than in the day, when the speed
is from seven TO eight miles an hour.
The jolt was so sudden and unexpected
! that the peopls were cfammed and damned
| against the sides OF the forward seats, or
| struck their elbows and heads against the
| long posts supporting the roof OF the car.
| The screams of the women mingled with
the cries of the men. as they jumped from
the train, while there was heard the crash
| of falling glass.
The car was speedily emptied, when Ii
| was fou ndt.hat number were wounded.
Three women were unable to leave the
| car. and were taken out in 8 helpless condi-
| ton to Campbell's drugstore on the corner
| of Ninth and Howa I'd streets. The women's
names are Mrs. Jeffries, Mrs. T. Brown and
Mrs. Hill, all three residing at 1908 Howard
| street.
When the collision took place a large
| crowd gathered at the scene. The injured
| woman and an unknown wounded man
| when taken into the drugstore had their
| wounds dressed by the Omnibus Companys
/ physician.
The doors of the drugstore were locked.
and no one was allowed TO enter for over an
| hour.
| The adjuster of accidents of the Omnibus
| Company was on hand as soon as the ply
| stefan. and busted himself in taking down
| statements while the wounds of the injured
| were being dressed.
Mrs. Brown was the most severely in
| iured. Her head struck against the glass
| door which divides the dummy from the
! main part OF the open cars, and the bro ken
| glass split the top Of her head. making a
long cash about three inches in length. The
| wound is very severe scalp liberation, the
| cash just escaping the right eye, which was
almost ripped out. Her injury required
| good deal of stitching, and when seen yes
! terday afternoon her head was ali done up
| In paSters and bandages.
| my greatest injury" she said, spea king
| OF the accident lis not that the glass has
cut all one side of my head and destroyed
my looks, but 1t is the jolting and shock
which followed the sudden stop. when /
| was damned up against the forward seat as
| IL had been hurled against il out of a cam
| non. l am stiff and sore from it in every
limb and / can hardly move. / am more
afraid OF internal injuries than the horrible
cut on my face and head. NV knees, where
1 tnPVsSfruPk forward al lofu
and black and blue"
| Mrs. Jeffries, who was present at the in
terview, said that she was shaken I'D by
the shock, and hurt 10 the side where her
ribs were all bruised by striking against a
post of the ear. She also received slight
cut on the hand. She said there were many
who received slight bruises and cuts who
did not 60 into the drugstore Mrs Jeffries
said that Mrs. HIS injuries consisted Of a
severe cut In the back Of the neck, the
glass being sharp as knife where il made
its incislon. The party OF three had just
got on the car in order TO 60 out 10 the Mis-
sion.
There was still an other person Injured.
his name being Fred Foster q young printer,
who was returning from trip to Marin
County. Mr.. Foster Is liable to lose the
use OF bis right arm through the accident.
At the time of the collision, which took
place while he was sitting cramped up in
one of the front ssats of tho dummy, the
Jolt threw him against the forward post
hS W he etbllHS Sideways, ana us
elbow struck against the hard wood just
at the point. Feeling his arm paralyZed, lie
went TO DR.. Thomas Connolly's Office at
1929 Howard street, instead OF going 10 the
| drugstore to be healed.
| Dr. Connolly was interviewed Yesterday
and said:
Besides the severe shock TO young Foster
which may mean internal Injuries, he has,
to put 1t most favorably. lost the use of bis
right arm temporarily. The injury is a
| he nf al hnxu
struck with great force against the hard
part at the joint and injured the bone,
terribly aceratlng tbs flesh. The injury
affects all the joints and tissues of the arm
as If he were paralyZed in the limb. He
was also severely hurt in the chest, but how
much am unable TO state at present"
Besides the five people injured through
the careiessness of the railroad company Oh
us employees, there were not a few others
who. besides being badly shaken up, received
slight cuts, sprains and bruises but mol
sufficient to cause them TO 60 into the drug.
store on the corner
The Omnibus Cable officers claimed that
the damage was entirely due to the careless
ness OF the Sutter-street employees.
The Sutter-street officials were equally
strenuous in insisting that the accident had
no other cause than the negligence of the
men employed on the Omnibus line.
According TO the story of the Omnibus
| people their claim is this: When the SUIT
ter-street car passed down Ninth street
toward Folsom the conductor left his car,
caught hold Of the slot bar in the middle OF
the street, which works the gypsy or spool
as 1t is called. This gypsy when worked
presses down the rope of the Howard-street
cable. 1t is a slight piece of iron made like
spool, and is used in all crossings. Now
the Omnibus people claim that while the
Sut.er-street conductor was working the
spool, holding il too long, the Howard.
street car came across the street and struck
the spool, causing the smashup and col
lision.
Druggist Campbell on the corner of Ninth
and Howard streets says that was the way
of it.
The Sutter-street authorities on the othe,
hand claim that the accident did not spo
could not have taken place that way.