New-York tribune., 1896-04-02
ONE CRASH AFTER ANOTHER.
SERIES OF COLLISIONS ON THE BROAD
WAY CABLE ROAD.
THE ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY THE BREAKINo OF
sTRAND-PANIC AMONG PASSENGERS.
RIrT NORODY SERIOUSLY HURT.

sTRAND-PANIc AMONG PASSENGERS.
BUT NOBODY SERIOUSLY HURT.
The second section Of the Broadway cable
road. which extends from Houston-st. to the end
Of the curve at Broadway and Fourteenth-st..
was the scene of a series Of collisions at the time
when traffic was heaviest last night No one
was seriously injured in the numerous small
accidents which occurred simultaneously all
along the lne but the wreck following closely
on the accident of Thursday night at the Fifty
third-st. curve caused e panic in the crowded
cars, at least half a dozen Of which were badly
smashed.
The immediate cause of the accidents was the
breaking OF a strand in the cable beneath the
uptown track, almost opposite Astor Place.
about half past o'clock. AS to the immediate
consequence OF this there were two stories. One
to the effect th0t the grip Of one Of the cars.
becoming entangled in the broken strand caused
the car TO become unmanagcble when 1t reached
the curve at Fourteenth-st. the result being that
some Of the machinery at the curve was broken.
The her story was that the end OF the broken
strand touched an electric light wire In the tun
mel near the turning wheels. when that piece Of
the cable reached the curve. and caused a small
fire In the tunnel, which burned out por-
tions Of the machinery. The cable road officials
trouble.
At any rate the cable was stopped and the
wreckng crew from the Houston-st power
house rugged the supplementary cable In its
place.
The new cable had scarcely been rigged and
the blockade Of cars raised when a strand In
this cable parted near Washington Place. the
broken strand fastening itself round the grip OF
car No. 90 and preventing its working AS the
strand broke the car was within dozen yards
Of Washington Place. A cab. In which was
James Decher, the buyer Of the wholesale dry
goods house OF Teft, Weller e. Co.. Of No. 32S
Broadway, was at that moment endeavoring to
break through the double line OF cars to drive
east along Washington Place The grpman OF
car No. 90 intending to prevent a collision with
the cab, opened his grip and applied the brake.
The grip, bound round by the broken strand or
the cable, refused TO work and car No 30 dashed
at full speed into the cab, throwing 1t 10 the
side Of the street and smashing the shafts from
the body Of the vehicle. James Casley. OF NO
124 Third ave. the driver Of the cab. was thrown
to the ground and badly bruised MI Decher
burst open the door and jumped out
Car No 9O sweeping the wreck OF the cao
TO the side of the track. dashed on into the rear
ceded It.. The dashboard and guardrai were
sras shed IN. and the gr,pman only escaped being
n,nioned between them and the front wall OF the
car by jumping inside.
Robert c. Hallock. OF No. 10 West One-huh-
dredth-st the conductor Of car No 2ll. escaped
In a similar manner from the rear PLATFORM o'
his car.
A scene of the widest confusion followed the
crash The two cars. carried along by the capie'
were hurled into the rear OF the long hhe OF
cars which extended uptown 10 the Fourteenth
st. curve A few yards only separated the IN
| d,vidual cars in the line in the majority OF
| cases and where only this short space inter
vened the fronts and Of the cars were
badly damaged
WOMEN TAINTED.
All along the line q wild panic occurred IN the
| cars which were crowded with men and women
! bound uptown That was a minute or TWO De-
! fore the cable stopped In the interval many
passengers jumped through the car wndo"S'
The women screamed and several tainted TWO
girls who gave the names Of Nellie Mays NO lo
East One-hundred- -eighth-st.. and Maud Nor
r,s NJ No "a East N!nety-fourth-st.. tainted. and
were carried into drugstore where they were
restored to consciousness.
John Varian pattern maker, OF NO. 454 fleas-
ant-ave.. who was standing on the rear pat
form of car No 249 was thrown into the road. ana
injured about the BODY. He was picKed up
suffering from shocK and was attended TO by
DR. Mnden OF No. 230 East Sixty-ninth-st. VINO
WAS n passenger on the car. He pronounced the
mans injuries slight Varian refused iur.ne,
medical aid and took cab TO his nome. Enhl
Spank OF No $40 West Forty y-fourth-st, the con
ductor OF car No. 3l9. pinned between the
rear platform OF his and the dashboard OF car
No. 249 but was not injured -,
All along the line Of cars on me uptown TRACK
neonle were Jumping from the cars in fear or
serious injury In the midst Of the panic the
cable wreckn car dashing down from -FOUR
teenth-st with Its gong changing added TO the
confusion. .,o.,e..
The cable was stopped as soon as Telephone
message could reach the Houston-st power
house and the cars remained stationary De-
tails of horses were brought up to haul cars
away. while the wrecking crew repaired the
broken strand in the cable. 1t was aiter
o'clock however, before any considerable prog
ress was made and In the mean time the DOCK
ade OF cars extended up to Thirty-fourth-st.
BY 9 o'clock the repairs to the capIe were
complete and the blockade was clear. ne ois-
abled cars were hauled uptown by thoSe III
proper working order.
Not one Of the company's officials wouiu give
the slightest information as to the causes or tne
accidents or the damage done. At the Houston,
st power-house all the superintendent wouiu
sav was that II was a wonder that no one han
been seriously Injured, and that 1t was lucky
tbat the wreck he'd been no worse. No one
would estimate the damage done to the COM
pany's rolling stock.