New-York tribune., 1896-07-29
FOUR HOURS IN THE STORM.
FORTY TROLLEY CAR PASSENGERS IN A
WRECK
SAVED BY TELEGRAPH POLE FROM ooxc

SAVED BY TELEGRAPH POLE FROM GOING
OVER A TwENrY-roor ENHANCEMENT.
Rutherford July % (speclaD-The forty pas
sengers from Paterson. Passaic and Rutherford
who spent four hours last night in travelling
from Eoboken to rutherford are not likely soon
to forget their exciting experiences. Many Of
them are cut and bruised, and some of them owe
their lives to a telegraph-pole which Is ben, far
over the meadows on the Paterson Plank Road,
and which prevented the derailed car from top
ping over the embankment twenty feet high
The car left Hoboken about 530 p m when the
fierce electric storm was gathering force the pas
sengers from this neighborhocd including the
Rev. X. H. Parker Miles. OF Lyrdhurst: Mrs. Cur
ran, the wife of ex-Councilman Curran, and two
children, and Alfred Sellers. Of Rutherford. They
were we'll out of the city and near Homestead
when the power gave out. and for nearly two
hours the car with its load Of passengers stood
on the lonely road while the rain came down IN
floods.
The New-Jcrsey Electric Railway has a power
house at Secaucus. and feasible the
power was again turned on and the car began
to go ahead at good rate. The storm was still
raging and the road was torrent. Only one or
two cars were running. and they had 10 feel
ahead to examine the road. Near secaucus the
upgrade is steep. and on one side the rails run
close to the enbankment, beyond which the tops
of the trees which skirt the meadows can be seen
The car was running in the teeth OF the storHl'
and sand stones and water were running GOWN
the road and filing in the tracks il Is supposed
that large stone lodged in the rail, for, before
reaching the top Of the grade. the car jumped
from the tracks AS the trolley left the wire
there was a binding flash. and the passengers
realized that the car heading toward the
meadows a score Of feet below. Several women
screamed in terror. few Of the passengers
Jumped out into the flooded roac, and others.
who jumped to the left. fell down the eiubank-
ment
a stout telegraph pole perhaps two feet thick at
the base, and the car ran toward IT. The motor
man never budged from his post. but twisted the
brake-handle in desperation. The car fender
struck the pole squarely at the base. and curied
up; the pole bent outward as II about 10 iali Dut
only leaned A few feet: while the car oscliated
for n moment on the. edges OF the bank. ard then
was still. The passengers who had fallen down
the banks scrambled up and a general review
Of injuries showed nothing more serious man
bleeding hands and faces and sprained limbs
although one man thought one OF his rlbs was
broken The rain continued to fall in torrents
and the passengers huddled together in the car
until a wreckirg PARTY came along. when the
journey to Rutherford was resumed, the car
reaching here after 9 o'clock. The passengers
speak In warm terms Of the motormans BRAY
cry and self-possession
Washouts and the shutting off Of power prac-
tically stopped travel the Paterson, Plssaic
and Rutherford Electric Railway between and
$50 .. m; after the latter hour, however cars ran
with fair regularity.