St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-03-31
THEIR FATAL LEAP
Serious Results From a Troll
ley Car Escaping Control
and Dashing
DOWN A MOUNTAIN SIDE.
Passengers Make an Attempt
to Save Their Lives by
Jumping.
THREE INSTANTLY KILLED.
two Others Fatally Injured
and Ten More or Less
Manned.

EVANSVILLE, Pa, March 3o:-
Three persons were instantly killed,
two probably fatally injured and ten
other slightly hurt on the Lenlsh
Traction company by jumping from
a runaway trolley car on the noun
tain near this place.
THE DEAD ARE:
MRS. WILKIN L. WILLIAMS, of
Hazleton.
MRS. JOHN R. EARLY, of Beaver
Meadow.
JAMES EARLY, aged eight years,
son of Mrs. John R. Early.
The fatally injured are: Mrs.
James Evans, of Colerain, side torn
open and otherwise injured; Mrs.
John Weir, wife of Supt. Weir, OF
Beaver Meadow, back hurt. She
was an invalid, and the chances for
her recovery are very remote. These
persons were seriously injured: Will
kin L. Williams, husband of the
woman who was killed, legs and side
bruised; Maggie Herrity, of Beaver
Meadow, leg broken and body cut
and bruised; three children of Mrs.
Evans, James, aged ten years, fIac-
tured skull; Hannah Somers, of
Beaver Meadow, body hurt and head
cut; Morris Hughes, of Wilkesbarre
badly bruised about the body. All
of the other persons who sustained
injuries were able to walk to their
homes. The accident was the worst
in the history of the trolley roads
in this. region, and was due in part
to a panic among the passengers,
who crowded about the conductor
and gIipman of the .unmana geable
car. The disaster occurred on No. 9.
AS the car passed out on the grade
leading down the mountain Grip
man Seitz applied the brake, but the
chain snapped. He then threw the
safety lever To his terror, this re-
fused, and the terrified motorman
sprang to the reverse brake, hoping
to control the car by the current
The actions Of the motorman and the
speed of the car had by this time
alarmed the passengers. Failing to
control the car, SeitZ shouted to Con-
ductor Socks to apply the rear brake.
The motormans shouts caused
panic on the car, and the passengers
made rush for the platform. The
car was going down the mountain
at a
MILE A MINUTE.
Conductor Socks appealed to the pas.
sengers to go back into the car. so
that he might apply the rear brake. but
his appeals were not headed. David
Backman, of HaZleton, and two other
men endeavored to keep the women
from throwing themselves from the
car onto the rocks, but, try as thev
would, they could not prevent the
frightened women from croWdine
around the conductor until the car
was entirely beyond control Mrs. Will
Jams was the first to jump Her body
struck against a post, breaking her
back and caused instant death. Mrs.
Early next flung herself on to the
rocks, and was dashed to death. She
tried to save her boy, but he shared
the same fate as his mother. The re-
naming passengers, with one excep-
tiQn, then jumped. Mrs Evans was the
only person to remain on the car. with
the exception of the motorman and
conductor. The car kept the track
until the crossing near the foot of the
incline was reached. Here it Jumped
the track and crashed into telegraph
pole. The front of the car was stove
in, and piece of board penetrated
Mrs Evans side. The screams of the
FRANTIC PASSENGERS
as the car rushed down the mountain
could be heard for half a mile. The
residents of this place hastened to the
scene of the accident, and did all thev
could to relieve the suffering. A short
time after the accident a CORPS of
physicians arrived from Hazleton on a
special car, and rendered assistance to
the injured.
Had the passengers remained in the
car the accident could have been avert
ed, as the rear brake would have held
the car and prevented the runaway
There are six attachments on each car
provided for such an emergency. but
the conductor was wedged SO tightly
against the dasher by the panic-strick
en- women that he was unable to move
his arms until the car had gotten be-
yond control. The motorman and con-
ductor We're but slightly injured.
JERSEY FORESTS AFLAME.