New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-23
CABLE CARS RUN AWAY.
STRING OF SEVEN DAsHEs AROUND
DEAD MANS CURVE.
no. cc5 OF THE BROADWAY LINE PICKS UP
BROKEN STRAND IN THE CABLE. PUSHING
SIX CARS AHEAD OF 1.-TWO PAS
sENGERS SLIGHTLY INJURED

sENGERs SLIGHTLY INJURED
AND TRAFFIC BLOCKED.
A serious accident occurred on the Broadway
cable lire a few minutes before o'clock last
evening by n northbound car picking up broken
thread In the cable and thereby becoming un-
controllable. At the time the car picked up the
broken strand II going at a high rate or
speed and had Just passed Eighth-st. Inc
broken strand became tangled in the brake. and
rendered the latter useless The car then con-
tinued on Its way uptown beyond the control OF
the motorman. By the time II reached Thir-
teenth-st It had crashed into the car Immediately
ahead Of 1t, and overtaklng four others, was pro-
peng all five cars at an alarming speed
In front OF the Morton House the runaway
car. with the five ahead OF It, crashed into
another car that was about TO shoot around
the curve In another instant all the cars went
whlrling around the curve. AS the string or
cars was opposite Flfteenth-st. the cable was
stopped SO far as could be learned, the ioi-
lowing were the only persons Injured IN the
fight OF the runaway car:
JOHNSTON Walter. n porter. Of No. 800 West Sixty
elghth-st.; slightly injured on LEFT leg
NARDEII. Miss Anna, clerk, or No. 6I west ohe-
hundrcdtf-st.. slightly injured on right elbow.
Both Miss Nardell and Johnston had their
wounds dressed by an ambulance surgeon. ana
went to their homes without assistance.
EXCITEMENT AMONG THE PASSENGERS
The accident completely stopped traffic on the
uptown and downtown tracks OF the ROAD from
the Battery TO Thirty -sixth-st for more than
two and a half hours. 1t Is almost a miracle
that mary passengers were not Killed. as the
cars which the runaway car drove aheau ol IL
were filed with passengers. about halr OF WHOM
were women and children a large nunpel "a
the women and the men lost their heads, ana
lust as the sixth was picked up they eltheI
fell or jumped into the street SeveTai wo"isn
tainted the runaway car puinfeo hi'o '
one ahead of II. - 80 ,,os
The runaway car which was an open one, was
No 2G5 David Graham. OF No oo3 west 70 ~
seventh-st.. was the motorman. a, ne Iri,,hth,
trouble with the brake until he reacheo Els',tn ~
ST There the conductor rang the peii loi nm
to stop, but when he tried to stop the s,, car ,o
was unable to do so. He lost no time III M ~, VI @ ~
Ing the conductor that the car was peyohu , con.
troll and the two began to shout as Loudly as my
could those in charge OF tne ah1 cahs a"e''
of them to tighten their hold on the cape.
At The time traffic on the line was eAueHleI'
heavy and in consequence. the cars were rum
ming about half of block apart NO sooner
did the motorman ahead Of the flying car near
the shouts Of warning than there was louu
report and the runaway crashed INTO MS cai.
The flight of the runaway car. however was ny
checked. The collision was witnessed py ~ ~seNela'
policemen who were stationed at nearby cros'
ings and they jumped on the cars Deloie
Twelfth-st was reached the runaway car was
nushing two others and IT picked up three more
cars by the time it reached Thirteenth-st'
CROWDS FOLLOW THE FLYING TRAIN.
From Eighth-st. to Thirteenth-st large
number Of men and boys had run alongside OF
the string Of cars being showed along by the uh-
controllable one. yelling a warning TO persons
crossing the tracks and gestculating wildly:
Above their shouts could be heard the voices OIL
the policemen, who were clingng TO the sizes
Of the cars, all of which were open except one.
The policemen stood on the steps OF the cars 10
successive crashes came the policemen were al
most knocked off the steps They managed to
stick to their perilous posts, however, until 'he
string stopped.
few feet from the Fourteenth-st crossing
was q car at n standsti Persons were getting
off and on this car and the conductor and motor,
man In charge of 1t were waiting for the signai
from the starter to go ahead when there were
shouts from hundreds Of persons FOR the car 10
move The motorman applied the grip nrinly
to the cable, and he did go he was almost
knocked over the dashboard by the string or
cars smashing into his car.
The force of the collision sent one man flylnS
from his seat into the street. He struck heavily
on his back and rolled toward the curbstone
A moment after the string dashed into the sixth
car ensued wild scramble or the passengers IN
the closed car to get out of the windows man.
who witnessed the mad rush said to Tribune
reporter last night that ii was wonder some
one was not killed. In their excitement. he add
ed the men and women left pocketbooks ana
parcels in the car. The flight OF the cars was ar
rested by the starter at Fourteenth st. signalling
n
'"0'e ANOTHER BROKEN STRAND.
At about $40 o'clock the cable was repaired
and the cars began moving slowly. At o'clock
Car No. &C. bound downtown, picked up another
broken strand in the cable at Fifteenth-st. and
traffic was again delayed for ten minutes. 1t
was said that the cars would not be running on
regular schedule until about midnight.
According TO several policemen stationed yes |
terdav in Broadway. there was break In the
cable somewhere between Thirty y-sxth-st. and |
Houston-st at o'clock yesterday afternoon. 1t
DELAYED traffic about half an hour
When seen last nigh; Mr.. Nreeland. the presi- |
dent of the Metropolitan Street Railway COM |
pany. said in explanation OF the accldents' una, una,
they occurred In the cables operating the road |
south Of Twentythird-st. at which point the |
whole traffic Of the city is concentrated At this |
point the Columbus-ave line, running from the
Harlem River via Lenox-ave; the Broadway |
line from Fifty-ninth-st. and the Lexington
ave line from the Harlem River are thrown upon |
the two cables operating from that point south |
along Broadway. They were caused immedi-
ately by frayed strands in the cable rope foul |
ing in the grip mechanisms Of cars. thus making |
II impossible for the gripmen TO get free OF the |
moving rope Both these cables, he asserted. |
were new and Of the best possible CONSTRUCTION
that experience or mechanical skill could devise
He said that until the company was allowed to |
break the enormous bulk Of travel now thrown |
on Broadway, south Of Twenty-third st. by |
tapping Il at Vesey-st. and Canal-st for west |
Side patronage and at the Postofice and Astor
Place for those living on the East Slde' such ac-
cidents were likely to occur.
THE cable-cars on the Broadway line stopped |
running at 80 o'clock this morning. the cable
beinp in such bad shape after the mishaps of
YESTERDAY that the cars could not be hauled.
Horsecars from the Sixth and Seventh ave lines
vere called into requisition to take the place or
the cable-cars.
SIZE WANTS THE AID OF THE STATE.
CARRIE 4 W. VILAss ACTION AGAINST THE