New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-01
SWEPT BY A RUNAWAY CAR.
UPPER BROADWAY IN PERIL.
THE THOROUGHFARE ABOVE FOURTEENTH
ST. AT THE MERCY OF THE CABLE.

SOME BROKEN STRANDS AGAIN CAUGHT IN \
GRIP, AND THE CAR WAS AT ONCE BEYOND
CoNTRoI-IT CARRIED SIX OTHERS BE-
FORE IT-PANICsTRIg KEN PAssEN-
GERs-A SHOUTING CROWD PUR-
SUES THE JUGGERNAUT
That victim of misfortune, the broadway canle
road, was again in trouble yesterday Apparently !
this latest evidence of modern enterprise Is cursed
with a hoodoo' of unswervine hdellty. It's orlel
career so far has furnished an almost daiN recofh
of brcakdowns, blocks. runawdy7, varied mere ana
there by CHASTITY fatality. No less than four
times within the last week has the BroadwaS
system been the subject of misadvcntnre Three
of these accidents involved the practical stoppaSc
for MANY hours of ;hs entire system. The fourth
accident was the loss Of human life.
Several weeks ago the grip attached 10 one OF
the cars caught some loose strands OF the cao"
and swept down the crowded lower Br)alWaS'
irrcsistibly driving throwing aside all IN IFS
way Yesterday this oAperlenc" was reIca''u,
but the accident this time WAS in upper lhS'"'r
of lower broadway. Hundreds oi women an
children imprisoned in the cars affected by the
accident were paralyzcl with lrgnt and hlndr'lS
If persons through the Tcndcroin precinct were
nil1 NIll WllU cNfllt'uhul IL i'"i P'".'r''
rushed MP the crowded street That serious in
Jury did not result to a number Of the passengers
i. due mainly 10 the bravery and quick wit OF
five policemen attached to the Nineteenth Pre-
cinct.
Car No III on its uptown trip rounded the
circle a, Bowling Green and at :3j yesterday
afternoon started up Broadway. John Gorville was
oripman and William Abbott conductor. with
the usual ponderous smoOthncss and case. tn" car
proceeded on its course until il passed Fourteenth
Il. At that time, :0j, tho car was well h'le1
with passengers, many of whom were women.
Near Fftccnth-st. passenger trici 70 ailght. Inc
conductor rang the bell, the gripman turhed on
the brake hut the car, instead OF sack"nIu9
speed. actually went faster. The passenger ana
conductor. not seeing what had happened, became
mpaticnt. and the conductor anGrv rang the
bell But the speed of the car increased
Abbott ran TO Corvles side, and the two, eN-
erting all their strength. tnogcd rantlcay AZ IN"
grip A policeman, realizing the danger, crcpt to
the platform and lent his strength TO the >truS-
cling men He might as wcu have tri"d 10 stop
a locomotive. Past Sixteenth and seventeenth
SIS the heavy ear swept, whirling sharp round IN"
cnry, into upper Broadwav. Right ahead. only
twenty wards away. was another cable ear. The
conductor Of the leader saw No. III rushing
10 Q.t out Of the way Of the pur-uer But Dnk"
Of Icinstcr might aa easily have made a race with
Salvador.
Crash went car 40. i, into the leader. smash
ing H.. guard rnil and driving il along before II
Then amid the shouts and screams OF IN" men
and women the cars shot hercely mp the th>roush-
faro Soon tho two gathered mp third victim
AZ Tweuty-sccond-st. As the three came together
tho .rnsscngcrs made a ru.h for th" roar Platform
The pace was now Al eight miles an hour
To lump meant death or injury. Policeman
Frank j Flynn saw the danger. and jumping
to the rear platform Of the first ear, stood AGAINST
the door, forcing b1cll those who would nav"
nn,pod But Policeman Patrick lloar" ""ud NOT
prevent the women from jumping on car No.
III into the roadway. Matthew lir1'Ian, J"nh
McVcach and Round-mdn Corey followed, ana
hy main force Kept th" passengers ~ th"if ll''''
The gongs we've changing madly; the crowd was
Yelling wildly in pursuit the guc,t- IN the hotels
and I'm. >hnpkecperS- aong tho NM wrf" run
ming out barchcadcd into the street, ~ the pro-
ccs-on. row increased ny two more ears paN''i.
At Twcnty-scventh-,t. one Of the white University
pl,r. hors,. cans was tfundllng aIon-, rlelt ne
hind a cable car. The clamor behind a"'kc the
driver from his peaceful >umb"r. ana u" 'llo"'F
his horses and got them out OF m" tra'k-n"t
,,,ru,e too soon: for a. th" last passenger g"t
clear Of the platform, th" tram 81 n'r Hno''"
with awful force int" the r,il "aNnp't, NV. i
Ia lifting one end Of the white ear on the ras
and iammng it tight against the ciDlc car Ill
front. - t.l.tl., ,L,
Then. 10 the wond"rmcnt Of all b'holiciS' 'l''
linz. 5f 1.yen ears, with Jolt and Il Jar. s'"pp"
-, TLirtv-frst-st. \ telephone message I" me
nower.hols, at Houston-st. had brought IL" rab"
y, , b,lt Then the scared passengers All -ht'l.
One woman tainted and was attended at tlf
Grand Hotel. aud it WAS found that ne t"o WHO
,ur,n.d from the rear car suffered Only S'N'''
i'rr Tho caue. of the runaway j. easily ."N.
I";nrJ Sone loos. strands of the cab" hid
caught the grip. Two hours paSr'' VINE ,iII ,;TI
car. ON both up and down tracks S'09d ''ll.
a. il. tho worln1en repaired the cable. Then az
i've minutes after th" uptown cars rr,l'i.ri
their Journey. and within another half hour the
lin. WAS again running smoothly.