The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-11-20
A NEWARK TRAGEDY
Three Firemen Fatally In
jured in a Trolley Car
Collision.
THROWN FROM TRUCK NO. 2
Twelve Passengers in the Car
Thrown in Heap-Men Hurt,
Women Painting.
speciai to the Jersey City Meas.

NEWARK, Nov. 20, 1S94.-W hile truck
No. 2 was answering q hurry call for
a fire at 7:45 o'clock this morning it col
lided with trolley car on Orange ave-
nue. Five firemen were thrown to the
ground. Three are believed to be fatally
injured and were taken to the City Hospi-
tai. The other two are seriously injured
The injured are
JOHN ]. BRESLIN.. aged "a, married.
fireman Truck No 2, internal injuries, re-
moved to the hospital.
JOHN B. CHENOWITH. aged 30, single.
driver Truck No. 2, back sprained head
cut, internally injured, removed to the
hospital.
EDWARD GILHooLEY. aged 2s,
single, tillerman Truck No. 2, shoulder
injured, cut in the face, removed to his
home
WILLIAM BRITTENGER, aged %,
married, fireman Truck No. 2. hurt on
the head, removed to his home.
ALVIN A. BENNETT. aged 80 single,
fireman Truck No. 2, slightly injured in
ternally, removed to his home.
GEORGE DOMAIN, aged 40. married,
fireman Engine No. 4, cut about back
and bruised on face, removed to his
home.
At 7:45 o'clock an alarm of fire was
rung in from Box 70, on Central avenue.
Truck No. 2, stationed on Plane street,
rolled out with its full complement of men
hanging TO it's sides. Wheeling into
Orange street to cross into Sumner, where
the fire was. the truck had to cross the
tracks of the Hill trolley line, on which
car No III, in charge of Motorman Geo.
Ketchap, of No. 615 Warren street, was
booming down the decline. 1t was inn
possible to avoid collision, as the horses
Of the truck We're on dead run.
In an instant the car struck the truck,
turning it completely over and burying
the fremen under the weight of ladders
and other heavy stuff. The truck horses
were swerved about and fell in the debris,
while the car was jammed like a ram in
the wreck. Twelve passengers on the
car were hurled forward in mass, many
of them being slightly injured. Two
women tainted, but were otherwise unin-
jured.
FAST TO THE TRUCK.
1t was with the greatest difficulty that
the half demolished car could be extri-
Gated from the ruined truck. Four rods
held the car fast, running through its
sides and holding it as if in vice. Am
bulances from the Second police precinct
and St Michaeps Hospital were sum
moned. Fully fifteen minutes elapsed be-
fore the firemen could be reached.
When Driver Chenworth was hurled
from his seat his feet caught in the
lines and he was dragged round under
the wrecked truck where he lay with
two tons of debris on his back. He was
the last one reached by the rescuers.
Fireman Bresin was tangled up in a
demolished ladder his neck resting be-
tween two bent rungs. He was choking
and almost dead when rescued. Both
of these men were severely crushed by
the weight of the truck, and their re-
covery is doubtful. Fireman Deman of
Engine No. had caught on to the truck
while rushing from his home to facili-
tate reaching the fire
He was jammed in the wreck with
his head in pail. One ear was cut
and his nose injured. Thos. Percell, a
policeman of the Second precinct, was
on the rear of the car. He said that
Conductor Fox of Plane street was
too excited to pull the bell notifying
the motorman to put on brakes, and
that he did it himself, but the warning
came too late. The car was wrecked,
and Motorman Ketchap probably saved
his life by jumping from the car.
The truck horses are so badly injured
that they win have to be killed. Con-
ductor Fox and Motorman Ketchap
were arrested and held pending the re-
suit of the firemen's injuries.