The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1893-01-05
SOME ONES eLuNosR.

SOME ONES eLuNosR.
1t Results In Terribl. Dl...tor n chi.
cago-A Train Crashes Into q Crowded
street Car. Killiar -Four Persone ~
Woundin9 Many. I
CHICAGO, Dec. 80. -Four personswere
killed and twelve injured at $40 4 M.
Thursday by the collision of q Pitts.
burgh & Fort Wayne passenger train
with heavily loaded street car at the
junction of Forty-seventh street and
Stewart avenue The dead are:
John Blahs, Fiftieth and LOOMS streets.
Killed by blow on the head, died In saloon nj
the corner :of Forty seventh street and Stewart
avenue; Archibald McAndrews. Forty seventh
ana wood Streets. instantly killed: John Rob.
erts, found In the debris Of the car: unknown
woman, died in a patrol wagon on the wev Ia
Mercy hospital, supposed to be Mrs Carson. "a
card bearing that name was found in her
pocket 80. ''>'
The accident happened at e:1o o'clock
when the street car 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 rate of about Is
miles an hour. The occupants of the
engine cab did not see the car ap-
preaching the crossing and on account
OF the heavy coating of frost on the
windows of the car the passengers did
not see the engine bearing down upon
them.
The wreck occurred while it was
still too dark for the driver or con-
ductor of the street car to see 100 feet
down the track: No one expected tho
construction train and the first
known of the danger was when
the engine shlieked 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 car 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
at the crossing the train came to a
standstill, and the half hundred
workmen 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 a question which puzzled them.
John Blaha was the first one
taken from the wreckage. He 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 and 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.
The police at once placed six persons
under arrest. These are Conductor
Bernard OConnor and Driver Patrick
Stanley. who were on the street car:
Engineer Rosscup and Fireman Mea2er.
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 shauty warming
themselves and swapping stories when
Schwartz should have been in his
tower on the lookout for trains.
Much doubt exists as to the rate of
speed at which the engine was rum
ming. No headlight was affixed to the
rear of the engine, and although both
Engineer Rosscup and Fireman
Patrick Meager say that a red
light was exposed on the rear
of the tender, the conductor o.
the street car, Dannie O'Connor,
and his driver, Patrick Stanley,
together insist that they saw no
light. This, together with the rate of
speed with which the train was moving
and the conduct of the crossing men,
" 40 w AAh POA ltAV pO1A W UC U0kGI.
mined at the inquest.
Stanley, the driver of the street car,
is also blamed According to the state
ment of Conductor O'Connor the driver
whipped up his horses and attempted
to cross the track without waiting for
the signal from the conductor that no
train was approaching. O'Counor as
serts 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 conflict between OConnor'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 O'Connor signaled him to
come on. He 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 car was on the track.
1t is little less than year ago that
a similar accid ent to that of Thursday
occurred at this crossing. At 10:40
o'clock on the night of January IA, 1892,
the Pittsburgh. Fort Wayne & Chicago
express, known as No. 9, crashed into
Fortyseventh 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.
A BLOODY ROW.
An Ohio W0man's Actions Lead to q Fight
In Which She Is Made Widow.