The morning call., 1894-12-12
ONE BEHIND THE OTHER.
When the Gripman Lost Control
of His Car.
FIRE ADDED TO THE HORROR.
Both Trains Were Crowded, and
Many of the Passengers Were
Seriously Hurt.

CHICAGO. Dec. lin collision be-
tween cable-cars in the Washington-street
tunnel this evening one man was fatally
hurt, fifteen more were seriously injured
and score of others more or less bruised
The cars were set on fire by the stoves.
aud for time there was fearful panic
The seriously injured are:
John Smith. internally injured and both
legs broken. Will die.
George Newman. face badly cut.
William joyce. right leg broken and
seriously bruised.
James Mcdonald. left side of face
crushed and head cut.
John Frems. leg twisted, bad bruises
about hips, nose broken.
james McGnty, seriously bruised about
the face and shoulders.
Mrs. Thomas Beeman, seriously bruised.
head and face cut.
Mrs. George Reiss, head hurt and tenn
porarily deraDged by the shock.
Mrs. William Parker. both ankles broken
and severe bruises.
John Donohue, head and face cut.
William Maloney. jaw broken.
j. b. Burtle, head hurt ana face crushed.
a. Aikens, nose crushed aud body
bruised.
Mrs. Estella Viamen. injured about
shoulders and hips.
Harry Goddard. face cut, head cut and
legs hurt.
I. 81. Moran. gripman, badly bruised
and injured internally.
Nellie Schott. head cut and badly
bruised.
G. B. Barton. face fearfully lacerated
and teeth knocked out.
Miss Olga Schroeder, fingers smashed
and head cut.
N. Peterson, left arm broken.
John Speth, face lacerated and nose
smashed fiat.
III. Nelson. kneeeap torn off and badly
bruised.
In addition TO these there was a large
number OF people who sustained pain full
injuries and smashed fingers. knocked-out
teeth. spraiDed ankles and wrists.
Both the West Madison-streer and the
MISUNDERSTANDING ca BILE lines run through
the tunnel, and at the time the accident
occurred, $50 o'clock, all the westbound
cars were damned to suffocation with
people returning from business on the
south side. A Madison-street cable train,
consisting of gripcar and two trailers,
was two-thirds Of the way down the In
cline toward the bottom of the tunnel
when cable train on the Milwaukee
avenue line, also consisting of three cars,
entered the tunnel. Almost Immediately
after starting down the slope Gripman
Moran of the MISUNDERSTANDING line lost
h is hold on the cable, and the car slipped
forward down the steep incline. Moran rang
his alarm bell. and be and the conductor
set all the brakes on the train, but were
unable TO hold it, and just as the
bottom of the tunnel was reached, the
runaway cars struck the Madison street
train with awful force. smashing it's rear
car in,o splinters and demolshing the
Milwaukee-avenue gripcar. Both cars
were piled up in heap, from which such
passengers as were able to move crawled
out battered and bleeding. Each of the
two wrecked cars held about seventy-five
passengers. and that number of them
were not instantly killed was wonder.
To add to the horror of the accident, one
of the wrecked cars caught FIRE and began
to blaze furiously. All the peopls Injured
on both cars had been removed before the
fire became dangerous, but a number of
people were pnioned In the wreck, and
others were held fast between the wreck
age and the walls of the tunnel. All If
them were quickly removed. and the fire
extinguished by an engine com pany. The
cause of the aecide emit was the breaking of
the grip of the Mi!waukee-avenu car.
Later-Morris Smith died In the hos
pital at IL o'clock. John Donohue, an
other of the injured, died in the County
Hospital at m idni ght