River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-01-05
SOME ONES eLuNoER.
IL Results In "A Terrible Disaster AT Chi.
eago-A Train Crashes Into "a Crs w..ed
street Car, Killing Four Persons and

/ OtNG -
IL Results In "A Terrible Disaster at Chi.
eago--A Train Crashes Into "a Crs w..ed
Street Car, Killing Four Persons and
Wounding Many.
CHICAGO, Dec. 30.-F ar persons were
killed and twelve injured at 6:I0 a. m.
Thursday by the collision of Pitts
burgh Il Fort Wayne passenger train
with heavily loaded street ear at the
/ junction of Forty-seventh street and
Stewart avenue The dead are:
John Blaha, Fifiieth and Loomis streets
killed by blow on the head. died in a saloon AT
the corner .of Forty seventh street and stewart
avenue Archibald McAndrews. Forty seventh
ana Wool streets. instantly killed: John Rob
I etts, found In the debris Of the car; unknown
woman, died in patrol wagon o. the way to
Mercy hospital, supposed to be Mrs Carson as
card oeari4 that name was found in her
pocket
The accident happened at 6:10 o'clock
when the street ear traffic was at its
heaviest and the cars were crowded to
the doorways As the car approached
the Fort Wayne tracks an engine came
backing down at a rate of about Is
miles an hour. The occupants of the
engine cab did not see the car APP
I preaching the crossing and on account
of the heavy coating of frost on the
windows of the ear the passengers did
not see the engine bearing down upon
them.
The wreck occurred while il was
still too dark for the driver or con-
ductor of the street car to see 100 feet
down the track. No one expected the
construction train and the first
known of the danger was when
the engine shiiel1ed and the
crash came. An instant later the
killed and wounded were strewn along
the frozen ground, the street car was a
complete wreck and the train rushed
by leaving frightful scene of death
and confusion behind. The horses
broke loose from the ear and ran
away. Early risers in the vicinity
rushed to the rescue of the pas
sengers and the alarm was
turned into all the neighboring police
stations. Three hundred yards south
of the crossing the train came TO a
standstill, and the half a hundred
worlSmen who were on board en- route
to work down the track hurried to the
assistance Of the injured.
Wild confusion reigned for the first
few minutes. Those who had come to
the work of rescue could hear the pitt
full cries of the wounded and see the
body of one dead man. Where to begin
was question which puzzled them.
John Blaha was the first one
taken from the wrecllage. lie was car
ried to saloon in the vicinity, but
Died almost as soon as he reached
there. The other wounded were then
picked up by willing rescuers AMI car
ried into the houses near the crossing.
At first little attention was directed
to the train which had done the dam
age, but after those about the car had
been picked up it was found that the
bodies of two men were under the
tender of the engine. These were re-
covered.
he police at once placed six persons
under arrest. These are Conductor
Bernard o-connor and Driver Patrick
Stanley. who were on the street car:
Engineer Rosscup and Fireman Meager,
of the construction train; "Old john
Ullbright gateman. ana Peter
Schwartz, towerman at the crossing.
The accident seems to have been
due TO the grossest carelessness. The
crossing men, Albright and Schwartz,
were, according TO their own state
ments, not attending to their duty.
They were, by their own admission,
seated in Allbright's shanty warming
themselves and swapping stories when
Schwartz should have been in his
tower on the lookout for trains.
Il 4
speed at which the engine was run
ming. No headlight was affixed to the
rear of the engine, aud although both
Engineer Rosscup and Fireman
Patrick Meager say that a red
light was exposed on the rear
of the tender, the conductor os
the street ear, Dannie 0'Connor,
and his driver, Patrick Stanley,
together insist that they saw no
light. This. together with the rate of
speed wifAShich the train was moving
and sse net of the crossing men,
will be important points to be deter
mined at the inquest
Stanley, the driver of the street car,
is also blamed According to the state
meut of Conductor O'Connor the driver
to cross the track without waiting for
the signal from the conductor that no
train was approaching. O'Connor as
Eerts positively that he gave no signal
to the driver, not having gone far
enough ahead of his car to feel salts
fed that it was safe to cross.
There is aconflict between O'Connor's
story and that told by Driver STAN
ley. The question appears to be
whether O'Connor in performing
his duty of seeing whether the
crossing was clear went far
enough ahead of his car Stanley
says that OConnor signaled him to
come on. lie did So and when the car
was under full Roadway, sliding along
the frosty tracks, he suddenly received
a signal to stop, but before he could do
SO his ear was on the track.
1t is a little less than year ago that
a similar accid mt to that of Thursday
occurred at this crossing. AT l0:40
o'clock on the night of January IA. 1892,
the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago
express, known as No. 9, crashed into a
Forty-seventh street cross-town car
loaded with passengers going east
Maggie and Mary Gilmore. two sisters,
were killed. One was killed outright
and the other died at the hospital the
following morning. Twenty-Five pas
sengers were injured.