The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-15

Conductor and MotOrman of
Ballard Car Started II.
PASSENGERS SERIOUSLY HURT
Lesing Control Of . Car on . Curve. the
Carmss Jump and Passengers Fol-
lsw-One Kept Coel.

Oxing 10 the desertion of their posts By
the sro:orr,an and conductor OF West
Street & North End electric car some
twenty persons had narrow escape from
= headlong plunge over bridge into the
brush. twenty fee. below. As it is, the
car was only prevented from running
away By The presence Of mind of one Of
the passengers. Oae passenger was seri-
ousiy injured and several others slightly
injured.
Car No. 20. in charge of Alfred Kimball,
mo;o-man, and W. ]. Peters, conductor,
went down Mercer street on its way 10
Ballard at 4:ao yesterday afternoon at the
rate of abon. twelve miles an hour with q
fair load of passengers. When it APP
preached the curve where the track turns
TO 60 over the trestie bridge on Beach
street Kimba,l started to cut OFF the cur
rent and set the brake. but found that the
controller would not work. Still holding
the controller he turned the switch on
the root. which is used in emergencies, as
he thought the trolley rope was tangled
In the gearing chains in the rear.
In doing this he released the brake
handle and thus the velocity of the car
WAS no. reduced. The conductor. seeing
the car entering the curve at full speed,
evidently feared that it would Jump the
track and go over the bridge, and SO
jumped from the rear platform, sprawling
in the dust as he did so aud cutting him.
self over one eye. The motorman, in-
spired by the same fear, lost his head and
also jumped, followed by the two passen-
gers who were riding on the front plat
form. The whole proceeding was wit.
messed from the street by Mr.. and Mrs. c.
+. Bedding. who happened to be passing
at the time.
The car renamed on the track but il
was going at full speed, and the passen-
gers. thinKing from the conduct Of the
conductor and motorman that they we're
in danger, began to Jump also. Miss
Annie Anderson fell violently in the road
way in doing so and was picked up sense
less with the blood pouring out of her
ears. Another passenger. whose name
could not be learned, but whose nose was
just healing from . fracture, broke the
bone again and was otherwise bruised.
Mrs. Charles +. Blackburn jumped with a
heavy child in her arms and slightly in
jured her back. Other passengers received
slight bruises, one man complaining of
pains in his chest, which indicated that
one Of his ribs was fractured.
In the midst Of the confusion Charles f.
Blackburn coolly stepped to the front and
set tho brake hard, stopping the car on the
steepest part of the hill and thus proving
practically that the scare had been cause
less.
Miss Anderson was carried into the
house of o. c. Morse. at 49, Beach street,
and DR.. L. &. Neville was called. He
found that one of her collar bones was
broken and that she had suffered concus-
sion of tho brain. After administering
remedies he took her To- her home in a
cab. The other passengers scattered to
their homes and k,mball and Peters took
their car on 10 Ballard.
Peters was the conductor of the car
which jumped oil the trestle last winter,
az a result Of which accident David OAR
willie died.
J. ". Conoway. Of Ballard, says he did
not notice anything wrong until the car
was going At . terrific rate of speed and
he saw the passengers rushing out of the
car. He heard SONS one cry out 10 jump
and he jumped. lie did not think he was
hurt at the time. but after tho excitement
had died down and he was ut his home, he
found he was badly bruised and very sore
His injuries are no. thought to be serious.
however. Mr.. Conoway is positive that
the conductor aud motorman jumped from
the Car.