Delaware gazette and state journal., 1896-01-23

Philadelphia, Jan. o. As the result
of a singular accident on the German
town branch OF tho Thirteenth and
Fifteenth streets line yesterday after
Aoon motormnn was killed and his
car ran for half milo without control,
endangeripg the lives of score Of pas.
Bengers. While car No. 1868 was de-
scending the steep grade on Pulaski
avenue, near the Nicetown shops of
the Philadelphia & Reading railroad,
between 3 land O'Clock yesterday after
noon, one Of the gates on the front end
bf the car became loosened, and Just
after turning the curvo at the foot of
the grade Motormau Clayton G. Collins
leaned over the side Of the car TO fasten
the gate. The trolley and feed wires
on this part OF the line are carried on
poles planted between the tracks and
there is clearance of hardly IL inches
between the poles and passing cars
Collins evidently forgot about these
posts, for he leaned far out toward the
other track. Almoat instantly he
crashed against one of the iron poles.
Stunned by the how, he fell upon the
gate, and his body hung there as the
car sped along. As each post was
passed his head received crushing
blow, and before the car had gone
more than a few rods the motorman
was dead. Each blow spattered his
blood upon the iron posts and the side
.of the car and left horrible trail
along the street.
The conductor Of the car was Samuel
A. Rockey, of No. 1902 Cumberland
street. As the car was filed with
women and several of them were stand.
ing in the aisle, his view of the front
platform was obstructed, and he did
not know that anything had happened to
the motorman until the women in the
car, who had seen tho horrible acci
dent, began to shrek and make a rush
for the door. With the utmost diff.
Guilty Rockey prevented them from
jumping from the rapidly moving car.
and when he saw that the motorman
was not in his usual position be went
through the car and saw the body Of
Collins dangling on the gate. He tried
70 get out upon the front platform to
.top the car, but the doors were
astened on the outside.
All this time the car wars running
rapidly toward Germantown. II
rounded the sharp curve at the
Reading railroad bridge, shot under
the bridge, crossed the tange OF strad-
died tracks where Wayne street mar.
rows above the bridge and went on up
the hill in safety.
Conductor Rockey was 30 confused
by the panic among tho women pas
sengers that it never occurred TO him
to pull down the trolley pole and thus
shut off the current and stop tho car,
but as the car slackened it's speed on
tho hill above Wayne Junction he ran
along the street to the front Of tho
car, climbed upon the platform and
shut off the current. The car came to
a standstill just above Apsley street,
fully half mile from the point whore
the motorman was struck by the poll.
Collins was dead when the car was
stopped and his head was horribly
mangled by striking the poles all along
the road. His body still hung upon
the gate, but was taken down and laid
on the floor of the car until the patrol
wagon arrived, and for more than half
an hour the line was tied up. Collins
was an extra man and had been Oh the
road for six or seven months. He lived
at No. 764 Martin street, near Catharlne
street.
During the flight of the runaway car
there were several narrow escapes from
collision with wagons which were on
the track ahead of the car As the
gong was not sounded there was no
warning Of the approach Of tho car.
except the shouts of the scores of
people who saw it, For several hun.
dred yards below Wayne junction the
tracks run along side the Reading rail.
road freight yards, and several engi-
neers who saw the trolley car with its
dead notorman, shrieked loudly with
their whistles until they attracted the
nfA ~ tan ,h.s l.. a 1.
path of the car and warned them by
signs of their danger Wayne street,
at tho Reading railroad bridge, Is
being widened and there were many
carts on and near the tracks, but they
got out Of the way in time to escape
an accident,