The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-05-04
Fatal Accident on the Electric
Railway.
A CHILD WAS THE VICTIM
Knocked Down when Trying to Gross the
Track in Front of the Car-Its Body
Terribly Mangled Yet It Survived for
Fifteen Minutes.

A dreadful accident occurred on the
West Coal street line of the Schuylkill
Traction Company last night, resulting
in the death of Andrik Bender, the five
year-old son of Andrik and Eva Bender.
As car No. 81, with Thomas Kinney as
motor man and William Dooley as CON
ductor, was making trip over the flats
at the west end of Coal street, running
eastward the unfortunate child made
dash across the track and before he could
get out of the way the car struck him.
As the child fell beneath the wheels the
motor man seemed paralyzed by horror.
He exclaimed "Oh oh / oh n" as he
turned off the power and applied the
brakes.
The child was frightfully mangled, the
wheels passing over the lower part of the
abdomen and almost cutting the body in
twain. Notwithstanding the terrible
nature of the injury the child lived fully
fifteen minutes after the accident and
when picked up from the track he looked
about appsRlingly.
The parents OF the child were almost
distracted by grief The sight of the
victim and the anguish of the parents so
worked upon the crowd that assembled
that the men in charge of the car deemed
it advisable to leave the place and they
proceeded on their journey to the stopping
place on Main street. The motor man
then turned the car over to another
employe of the road and returned to
Girardville as passenger.
Meanwhile the child had been carried
to the home of it's parents, which was
directly opposite the place where the
accident occurred. He was a fine, robust
little fellow and evidently favorite of
the neighborhood. 1t was remarkable
hot bs yal f,,1
an instant.
The affair caused considerable comment
on the method of running the electric
cars in that section of the town and the
more the matter was discussed the
stronger the desire became to make an
attack upon the motor man on the return
trip, The men on the car evidently
anticipated this, for in running back they
passed the place at such a speed that no
one could get on the car.
The story of the motor man is that his
car was running at a speed of from five to
six miles an hour The child was sitting
on mound of earth covering the recently
laid water pipes, playing with dirt. When
the car was about four or five feet away
the child sprang towards the track. The
car struck him and knocked him back
against the mound of earth rebounding,
the child rolled upon the track between
the front and hind wheels of the car.
The motor man is sustained by several
eye witnesses of the accident in the state
ment say that the car was not running at
fast rate of speed. Moreover, it is
claimed that the cars cannot run at a
high speed eastward at that point because
heavy grade begins there and the power
of the line is not sufficient for such speed
In running westward the cars run faster
on account of the headway given on
descending the heavy grade.
After the first excitement following the
accident subsided there were number of
people on the scene who said they con-
sidered the accident was due to a sudden
action on the part of the child and the
motor man could not have avoided it, no
matter at what speed the car was run
ming.
The motor man says he will have sew
eral eye witnesses of the affair at the
coroner's inquest and will show not only
that the accident Was unavoidable, but
also that the car was running at slow
speed.
Last night the father of the child went
before Justice Cardin and swore out a
warrant for the arrest of the motor man
and conductor Constable Boland ar
! rested them at Girardville. They went
before Justice Mclaughlin and each fur
| nished 81 600 bail to appear before Coroner
| Manley, at Shenandoah, when the inquest
will be held. The bail was furnished by
p. j. Birmingham.