Evening star., 1897-02-06
ALEXANDRIA .AFF FAIRS
Five Persons Injured in Railroad Acct
III
dent. =;
~
A Wreck Caused by n Landslide-
Defendant In Liquor Case
AcIuitted-NOtes.
Evening Star Bureau,

No 121 North Washington street,
Alexandra, Va, February @, 1897.
Train No. 211 of the Washingto ton, Alex
andria and Mount Vernon Electric rail-
road, which left Washington at 30
o'clock last night, in charge of Motorman
Gregg and Conductor Allen, ran into a
landslide near the power house, and was
derailed and almost demolished. Five per-
sens are injured as result of the acct
dent-Mrs. Edward Cogan, cut on forehead
and face by broken glass; Harry Arnold.
leg cut ard bruised; Ferdinand knight,
hand cut; Conductor Allen. fingers cut
and arm sprained Motorman Gregg, right
side injured. In no case are the injuries
thought to be serious.
The train when it left Washington had
on board about eighty passengers, men,
women and children. 1t was going at
Its usual rate of speed. and had slowed up
some as 1t approached the power house,
when Motorman Gregg saw large black
object on the track about twenty yards
ahead. He Immediately reversed the motor
and put the brakes hard down, but the
train was too close to the huge mass of
dirt and stone that had fallen across the
track. In moment it was struck. The
ishts went out, the train rolled over on Its
SIDE and the motor car across the track.
For moment all was quiet; then rang out
on the midnight air the shrieks of the ter
ror-stricken women and children. Men
climbed out of the cars by every available
opening. only to return for the women and
children, who were frantic with fright 1t
took but short while to rescue all, but 1t
could hardly be realized that in such an
accident no one was killed.
Inc railroad authorities Immediately had
another train made up, and the injured
and other passengers were taken to their
homes In Alexandria. Today the injured
are doing nicely.
All the glass in both of the cars was
broken out. In the trailer the passengers
on one side were thrown violently on those
on the other side, and it is nothing short
OF miracle that somebody was not killed
or seriously injured
Motorman Gregg said, in speaking of the
accident, that 1t was one of the orders of
the company to shut off the current Just
ne1ore reaching the point where he struck
,he Douiders, and the passengers all say
ne dld this, as they noticed perceptible
decrease in the speed of the train The
traln was running about twenty miles an
hcur when 1t struck the obstruction.
saw the boulder ahead" said Motor
man Gregg, "and immediatel reversed the
motor, put on the air and used my best eff
fcrts On the mandrake but it was too late
We were too close''
The motor car was knocked across the
track, ana l. was some time before Motor
man Gregg could extrica,e himself from
the wreck. No blame is attached to the
train employees in connection with the ac-
cident. ~
Just where the wreck occurred is a deep
cut, and 1t Is thought that the heavy rains
or Inc last day or two caused the dirt to
loosen and fall down on the track. The
cave-ln occurred between ii 20 Pm. and
II: 90 pm, as train passed this point
safely at 11:2O p.m.o>A gang of men was
Immediately put 20 work to clear the track
OF the tons of dirt, 4anl Today passengers
were transferred at the scene Of the wreck
until II AS O'Clock, When the track was en-
tirely cleared. anto the s1irst tram went
through to WashingtonJii The trains are
now running on theiTeguiar schedule time
Baltimore Not Guilty.
The case of Frank Baltimore (colored).
who runs small eating house on North
Fayette street. OPPOSITE, the local depot,
was before the mayor last night at a spe-
cial session of police court upon the charge
CT selling liquor Without license. Officer
Sherwood stated to his Honor that he ar
rested Baltimore upon thf complaint of a
colored woman named Josephine Lee. who
stated to him that she had bought whisky
In Baltimore's place. ThebLee woman was
then sworn, and she said that she had
bought cents worth of whisky in Balti-
more's place. When asked when she had
bought It she could not say whether 1t was
last spring or fall After hearing several
other witnesses the mayor dismissed the
csse.
Police Court.
Mayor Thompson this morning disposed
of the following cases:
silas White. arrested by Officer Beach;
| charge. stealing two pictures valued at s.;
dismissed for want of evidence.
Isaac Studds; charge. allowing his vicious
dog to run at large: ordered the dog to be
killed.
Amos Robinson. Robert Morrison, Harri-
son Baltimore, Albert Brown, Reufus
Brown. Alonxo Harms. Frank Carroll, VIII
liam Williams, Chas. Redmond. Frank
Rose. Wallace Shelton. Joseph Daniels.
Herbert Fttzhugh. Noble Sanders. Wilton
Shelton. Thomas Wallace ana Albert Will
son. all colored; arrested by Ohicers Goods.