Connecticut western news., 1895-12-26
MET AT FULL SPEED. TROLLEY CARS COLLIDE IN A FOG
 WITH FATAL RESULTS.

Motorm~n Tried to Steal Switches and Han
 Into Each other--A Stove slid Down the
 Aisle of One Car and Landed on . wo-
 mAn-Ths wrecksgs Caught Fire
 PATERSON. N. J., Dec. ao.-eoins un- der full headway in dense fog cars 50 and 1S on the Paterson. Passaio and Rutherford Electric railway crashed into each other yesterday. Thomas Murray of a72 Spring street. Paterson. niotorman of car 7s, was killed, and l2 or i5 others were injured. The point at which the ac- cident occurred Is about midway between Clifton and Paterson, near a crossroad known as hipp's lane. At this place there are two switches, about 500 yards apart From the switch nearer Paterson there is a gradual descent A single track con- nects the switches.
 The running schedule of the cars was mixed badly this morning owing to the fog. and tho cars had been trying to "steal switches" Cars 7S and 60 arrived at their switches at about the same time. kach motorman was unable to sec the other car, and decided to go ahead and trust to luck. William oldfleld. motorman of car 60, evidently apprehended danger, for be-
 
 gate tn order that he might be prepared for danger Oldfield saw n big white ob- ject looming up out of the fog when he was about half way to the next switch, He knew it was a car. and reversing his lever he jumped, escaping with slight bruises.
 The two cars came together with terrif- ic force and then bounded about ten feet apart Every pane of glass was broken, and the woodwork was smashed in doz. ems of places. The platform of car 60 which Oldfield had jumped from. was crushed flat against the end of the oar. Murray, tho motorman of 7S, reversed his lever as soon as he saw the approaching car aud tried to jump off, but he be- came cntangled in the gate and was crushed against the car He was alive when taken from the wreck, but died be- fore he reached the Emergency hospital in Passaio. George Johnson of Lake View, the conductor of car 7s, was putting coal in the stove at the time of the accident The shock upset the stove, and he was burned badly. Edward x. Kieret of Pas saio saw something was going to happen and made a jump through window pane. He was cut by the glxss but escaped seri. ous Injury. Peter Jelleme of Garfield was out and bruised. Mrs Rosa Amshoff of Rutherford was sitting next to the stove when the cars met.
 Pinioned Under the Stove. The force of the collision threw her to the end of the car, and the stove came after her and pinned her down. It set fire | to her dress and she called loudly for help. A man, whose name is unknown, saw her plight, and. despite the fact that he was bleeding profusely from a wound | in his temple, hurried to her aid and ex. | tricated her from danger The fire was put out. and, aside from few bruises and severe fright Mrs Amshoff was not hurt | The only other occupant of tho car--a woman who lives at 46 Park avenue, Ho- boken, N. J.-appeared to bc hurt badly, but the extent of her injuries could not be ascertained, as she was taken away soon after the accident On car 60, besides William Oldheld, the motorman, who jumped, and James Warner of Paterson. the conductor, there were seven persons. Warmer was hurt about the legs and out about the head. One of his legs Is thought | to be broken. Frederick Seeker of Cd | Plum street. Paterson, may die He wss cut about the head and was hurt inter. nally. There were six other passengers In uar 60, but their injuries were SO slight that they were able to go home unassist- | cd.
 Car 7s had had less serious accident a little before the collision with car 60. The heavy fog and the endeavor of the men to steal switches were responsible for this boo. The mishap occurred in Bergen ooun. ty between two switches and near what is known as the Hermitage The oars were going st good speed when they collided. Car 7s had some glass broken and the fender bent. The other car lost several windows. Mrs Rosa Amshoff, who was in the second accident, was also in this. She wanted to leave the car at the time, but the conductor persuaded her to re main in 1t
 Soon after Murray's death his little brother met car 7S with a pail containing the motormAn'n dinner. The conductor on tho car was about to biurt out the sto. l " of Murray's death, but the new motor man stepped forward and took the pail and sent the little fellow off to join his comrades.