Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-12-12
CABLE CARS CRASH.
smashup In n Chicago Railway Tunnel, and
the Wreck Takes Fire.

the wreck Takes Fire.
CHICAGO, Dec. I2-In "a collision he.
tween cable cars in the Washington street
tunnel one man was fatally hurt. seven
more people were seriously injured and
score of others more or less bruised. The
cars were set on fire by the stoves, and for
time there was fearful panic around
the wreck. The most seriously injured
are: John Smith, internally injured and
both legs broken, will die; George New
man, head and face badly cut; William
Joyce, right leg broken and severe bruises:
James Mcdonald. left side of face crushed
and head cut; John Freams, leg twisted,
had bruises about hips, nose broken;
James McGinty, seriously bruised. head
! and face cut; Mrs. George Rciss. head
hurt and temporarily dazed by the shock
Mrs. Parker, both ankles broken and 80
we're bruises; John Donohuc. right leg
broken, head and face cut: William MJi-
rooney. teeth knocked out and jaw broken;
G. b. Burt, head cut and face bruised; y.
| A. Aikcns, nose crushed and body crushed
and bruised; Mrs. Estclla Nicmcn. injured
about shoulders and hips; Harry Goddard,
| face cut. head cut and leg hurt; L. H.
Moran, gripman on Milwaukee avenue
| grip car. badly bruised and injured inter
/ nally; Nellie Scott. head cut and hadly
bruised; G. b. Barton, fcarfully laccrated
and teeth knocked out; Miss Olga Schroc-
| uGEs anu NAA ~ Il -
terson. left arm broken; John Spcth. face
| laccrntcd and nose smashed fiat; NJ Mel
| son, knee cap torn of and BADLY bruised.
In addition to these there was n large
number of people who sustained painful
injuries and smashed fingers knocked ont
teeth, sprained ankles and wrists.
Both the West Madison street and the
Milwaukee avenue cable lines run through
| the tunnel. and ut the time the accident
| MI tho lnnn1
med to suffocation with people returning
from business 4 Madison street cable
train, consisting Of grip car and two
,railcrs, was two-thirtls of the way down
| the incline toward the bottom of the tun
mel. when n cable train uf the milwaukee,
line, also consisting of thrc cars entered
the tunnel.
the slope Gripman T. II. Moran Of the Mil
waukcc avenue car lost his hold On the
cable and the cars lcapcd forward down
the steep incline ut n fearful speed.
Moran rang his alarm bell, and hc and
the conductor set all the brakes ON the
train. but were utterly unable tn hold IT.,
and just rs the bottom of the tunnel was
reached the runaway cars struck the Mad
ison avenue train with an awful force,
smashing its rear car into splintcrs and
dcmolishing the Milwaukee avenue grip
car.
Both cars were piled up in n heap, from
which such passengers wcrc capable ni
moving crawlcd out. battered and bleed
ing. Each of the two wrecked cars held
about 75 passengers and that "A number ri
them wcrr not instantly killed was n Won
der. To add to the horror of the accident
one of the wrecked cars caught fire and
began to blaze furiously. All the people
injured on this car had been revived bcfor,
| the fire became dangerous \ number O
people Were pinioncd in the wreck. anC
others We're held fast between the wr'ck
, age and the walls Of the tunnel. All a
them were quickly removed, and the fir
was cxtinguishcd by an engine C"npan!
which responded to the alarm. The CauS'
of the accident was the brcaking Of TIN
grip of th" Milwaukee avenue car