The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-31
Frightfu1 Accident on n Pennsylvania
Mountain Caused by n Defective
Brake Chain and q Panic.
TWO WOMEN AND BOY KILLED
TWO PEOPLE FATALLY HURT AND
TEN LESS SERIOUSLY INJURED.
Kentucky Educator Burned to Death
in a Forest Eire-New Jersey
Woods Ablaze.

EVANSVILLE, Pa, March 30.-Three
persons were instantly killed, two probably
fatally injured and ten others slightly hurt
on the Lehigh Traction Company's road
by jumping from runaway trolley car on
the mountain near this place. The dead
are:
MRS. wATKIN WILLIAMS, of Hazelton.
MRS. JOHN r. EARLY. of Beaver
JAMES EARLY. aged eight years, son
of above.
TIE fatally injured are:
MRS. JAMES EVANS, of Colorain, side
torn open and otherwise injured.
MRS. JOHN WEIR, wife of Superintend-
ent Weir, of Beaver Meadow. back hurt.
She was an invalid and the chances for
recovery are very slight.
These persons were seriously hurt: Wat
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, having his skull fractured; Hannah
Somers, of Beaver Meadows, body and
head cut; Norris Hughes, of Wilkesbarre,
badly bruised about the body. All of the
other people who suffered injuries were able
to walk to their homes.
The accident was the worst in the history
of the trolley reads in this region and was
due in part to a panic amcng the passen-
gers who crowded about the conductor and
gripmen of the unmanageable car. The
disaster occurred on car No. 90 As the
car passed out on the grade leading down
the mountain, gripman Seitz applied the
brake, but the chain snapped. He then
threw the safety lever To his terror, this
refused to work and the motorman sprang
to the reverse brake, hoping to control the
car by the current. The action 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 TIE
motormans shouts caused panic in the
car and the passengers made a rush for
the platform. The car was going down
the mountain at a mile a minute. Cons
ductor Socks appealed to the passengers
apply the rear brake, but his appeals were
not needed. David Backman, of Hazelton,
and two other men, endeavored to keep
the women from throwing themselves from
the car on to the rocks. but try as they
would they could rot preventive frightened
women from crowding aIoCnd the cons
ductor Until the was entirely beyond
control. Mrs. Williams was the first to
jump. Her body struck against a post,
breaking her back and causing instant
death. Mrs. Early next flung herself onto
the rocks and was dashed to death. She
tried to save her boy, but he shared the
same fate as his mother. The remaining
passengers, with tne exception, then
jumped. Mrs, Evans was the only person.
to remain on the car, with the exception
of the motor man and cor ductor.
The car kept the track until the cross
reached. Here it jumped the track and
crashed into telegraph pole. The front
of the car was stove in and a piece OF
board penetrated Mrs. Evans's SIDE The
screams of the frantic passengers the
car rushed down the mountain, could be
heard for half mile The residents of
this place hastened to the scene of the
accident and did all they could to relieve
the suffering. A short time after the acci-
dent corps of physicians arrived from
Hazelton on a special car and rendered
assistance to the injured. Had the pass
sengers remained in the car the accident
could have been averted, as the rear brake
would have held the car and prevented
the run away. There are six attachments
on each car, provided for such an emer-
gency, but the conductor was wedged so
tightly against the dasher by the panic-
stricken women that he was unable to
move his arms until the had gotten be-
yond control. The motorman and con-
ductor were but slightly injured.