The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-18
CRASH AT A GRADE CROSSING.
PLANT SYSTEM ENGINE COLLIDEs
WITH A THUNDERBOLT CAR.

The Gates Raised While the Loco
motive Was Approaching the BOl-
ton Street Crossing and the Car
Struck Just as 1t Was Clearing the
Track-The Rear Platform Torn
OF and the Car Thrown Across the
RaiIs-Between Twenty and Thirty
Passengers on Board and All Mi
racuIousIy Escaped Injury-MOtOr-
man GIymus Injured in the Hands.
Danger of Grade Crossings Demon
strated.
A Plant system locomotive collided with
a Savannah, Thunderbolt and Isle OF
Hope railway car at the Bolton street
crossing yesterday afternoon, demolshing
one end of the car. throwing it sidewise
across the track, and nearly pileing it
into a ditch.
The car was coming in from Thunderbolt
and Isle of Hope and had between twenty
and thirty passengers. Almost miracu-
lousy all escaped injury. Motorman An
tome Glymus and a passenger, who was
standing on the toward platform, were
thrown from the car. The motorman's
hand was torn and cut, but the passenger
escaped with few Slight bruises. Con-
ductor Frank Whatley and Old Joe, an
Old negro Oysterman, were on the rear
platform and jumped as the crash came.
There was one lady on the car. The other
passengers were men and colored women.
The collision was caused by lifting the
guard gates when a locomotive was APP
preaching. The incoming motor car had
stopped, on the east side of the crossing
while train was passing. AS the last car
passed, the gateman lifted the gates and
the motor car started to cross the tracks.
The motorman did not see the locomotive
coming down another track in an
opposite direction and evidently the gate
man did not or he would not have lifted
the gates. The car was halfway across
when Motorman Glymus saw the APP
preaching locomotive. To stop would
have resulted in the locomotive crashing
into the car broadside. Giving the con-
troller a twist, he turned on the full force
of the current, in the hope of clearing the
track in time to escape a collision. The
engineer saw the car and reversing his
engine, set the brakes. but too late to
stop. The pilot struck the rear platform
of the car just as it crossed, tearing it
loose from the trucks. The conductor
jumped and saved himself.
The force of the collision threw the car
crosswise, one end overhanging the en-
bankment on the north side of the Savan-
nah, Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope rail
way track.
The passengers saw the locomotive mo-
ment before the collision occurred, but too
late to save themselves by jumping. 1t
was fortunate they did not see il, or many
would probably have been injured, if not
killed in the attempt to escape There
was panic as it was The women Shrek
ed and the men scrambled over each other
to get out of the car. The locomotive
stopped few yards beyond the crossing.
Inspector Kidwell on the street railway
company was standing on the platform
i'm front of the companys offices, a short
distance away, and saw the collision. 1t
was clearly the fault of the gateman he
said, in raising the gates and allowing the
car to start across the track in front of
the approaching locomotive. The motor
man could not see the locomotive from
behind the passing train, and when the
gates were raised 1t was signal that
the crossing was clear. The moment he
got on the track he saw the locomotive,
but 1t was then too late to avert the col
lison, and the only thing he could do was
to give his motor the full strength of the
current and try to clear the rails. A sec
ond more would have done it. AS it was,
he carried the car far enough to save
a crash into it broadside.
There were several witnesses of the ac-
cident and all told practically the same
story. The escape of the passengers was
due to the fact that the car was heavy
and did not overturn. Had it been a
lighter car and had the locomotive struck
1t a foot further forward it would have
gone down the embankment with all on
board.
The accident was the first grade cross
ing collision that Savannah has had and
1t demonstrates the danger of such cross
ings even when they are protected by
gates in charge of men employed TO look
out for both motor cars and passing
trains.
POSTPONED TO JAN. 4.