The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-23
WORST CABLE JAM YET.
SEVEN CARS IN Il BUNCH BANG
AROUND DEAD MANS CURVE.

An Appalled, Crowa Locks Or, RrpectinE Dts-
aster, ard Gos. O'Beirne Teiephones roF AL
the Beiievue Aubuissces-Opiy Tive Fersons
mach Hurt-Line Biecksaed FOR sasny Hears.
Tho most impressive smash yet on tho Broad
way cable road came at 5:45 o'clock last night
when, after q series Of collisions Of upbound cars,
seven Of them in q bunch banged around Dead
Mans Curve lickety split. with passengers yell
ing and jumping of, and an appalled, crowd
expecting to see the whole lot go into kindling
wood any minute. Only two persons were hurt
enough TO require medical assistance.
There had been a series OF accidents on the
road all the afternoon, and the culmina-
tion was q block which lasted for moro than
three hours In tho busiest part Of the day. Tho
first accident OF any Importance happened at .
o'clock in tho afternoon, when the grip Of q
south.bound cable car got caught in q broken
strand Of tho cable. Fortunately the Rripman
was able to release the grip before tho car had
gone any great distance and before anybody was
hurt.
The accident caused a small block. which
lasted during the time necessary to start tho
spare cable. Later there was q number Of block.
AIDES. Cars that seemed to have lost their grip,
or to have released 1t for safety, were pushed
along to their destinations by tho cars behind,
and the mechanics of the company were riding
on tho platforms on the lookout for new diff
culties.
But the climax came when the homeward
rush was heaviest. North.bound car 21s
had just reached Eighth street. The conductor
rang the bell TO stop TO let q passenger alight,
When the gripman tried to throw out the cable
he found that he could not do 30, and the car
went bowling ahead. One hundred feet north
of Eighth street 1t banged into the rear platform
Of north.bound car 265, Daniel Graham grip
mn which UNA iappmad Nth paaaap0era Tho
force of the collision loosened the grip of car 2ls.
and the gripman was able to bring It TO a stand
still. The grip Of car 265, however. had caught o
broken strand Of the cable. which the other grip
had come free of, and Graham's efforts to release
1t were %fruitless. The shock Of the collision threw
the passengers from their seats. and the women.
of whom there were more than twenty, began to
cry for help. Several OF them pushed to the side
Of the car. which was an open car, and tried to
jump of. but they were restrained by the men,
who told them there was no danger.
But as the car went on, all tho passengers be-
gan to see that they were in a serious predica-
ment Graham was working away at the wheel
like a mailman, twisting 1t now to the right and
now to tho left. without the slightest effect on
the speed. Suddenly o woman who sat In the
third seat from the front fell In O faint, where
upon all tho passengers arose, and the women
and children began to scream again.
Then O man jumped. He landed safely. and
made for the sidewalk. He was followed by q
woman and two children. When they landed
on the pavement they were thrown forward
with considerable force. A hundred men ran
from the sidewalk and picked them up and led
them into a neighboring store. where It was
found that, except for q few bruises. they had
escaped injury.
Rounding the curve at Tenth street the rum
away car hit an express wagon. ON the seat Of
which were q man and q boy. Tho tail Of the
wagon was thrown violently around, and tho
driver and his companion nearly lost their seats.
Tho wagon, however. righted itself, none tho
worse except for a broken tailboard. By this
time the women on the car were In Mysteries,
and the men were not much better.
On the sidewalk there was a throng yelling
and shouting at the passengers. Many OF them
rang alongihowling advice. Some cried "Jump!"
Others cried Don't jump 1t was very inter
esting. just before the car reached Eleventh
street three policemen Of the Mercer street sta
ton ran out into the roadway and jumped on to
,"Keep. your s%eats!" yelled one; there isn't
The passengers stood up in the narrow ways
b bsnnis on ,n The se side9 SsEsis fr and nId. '9s sy g m ths
trien TO throw themselves from the car. but the
policemen on the footboard, with the aid OF
several other men. hung on to the stnnchions
and blocked the passages. One woman fought
so desperately to throw herself into the street
that the man who held her back was forced ut
last to throw his arms about her and hold her
down in the seat.
between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets
six cars were blocked on the northbound track.
They were being held there by the starter at
Fourteenth street, whose duty 1t Is to regulate
the running OF cars around Dead Mans Curve.
As the runaway car approached. the spectators,
now numbering many thousands, sent up a great
again to jump for their lives. In the car the
women threw themselves upon the men who
we'll all be killed"
Then the runaway car dashed into the rear Of
forced forward until it struck tho car next
ahead. and 80 on in turn until the procession of
s bowline eAf along at the fuiHi" speed Of tie cable.
Just before they struck the curve Inspector Ben.
was on duty at Fourteenth street. touched an
electric button connected with the power house
to siSeIen. and when the cars reached FiiteeSnth
street they came to q dead halt. The button
T ,hs ena lnspSe sP tb bad noMer house aSs t tSSa sSe wsr Rsa
an accident, and he Immediately stopped the
machinery.
man fell from the platform OF one OF the forward
cars. A little way further on a woman jumped
Gen. James Il. o'Beirns, the Charity Commits;
sioner, who was in tho Morton House, and hoard
that pbane sht to T Beilsvw ws hO spiiSH f s@% SIi t I%'s sSslll sf,H
nmbulances. In less than thirty minutes q
squed Of SIX ambulances, in charge of superin'
Tho man who fell from the car when II wal
rounding tho curve said he was Walter Johnson
a porter, OF 300 West SiXty-eighth street. Hi:
loft shoulder was injured and no was otherwise
bruised, but he refused TO go to tho hospital
After his injuries were dressed no went home
The woman who jumped just before the cal
stopped was unconscious when she was picked
up. She recovered a few minutes later, and said
she was Annie Maidell of 81 West Tooth street
Her right elbow was injured and she suffered
from shock. She, too, refused TO 20 TO the hoe
pital.
When the procession of cars stopped near FIJI
tecnth street there was a crowd OF more thar
TO- 900 people in Union square. The three pc
li,emen who boarded the car at Tenth street LEFT
hurriedly without giving their names. They
belonged the Mercer street squad. Strange tc
say. no report of the accident was made a
called there last night at 8 o'clock tht
Sergeant on duty declared that he haC
heard nothing about the flight OF the runaway
car. The only police report was handed in by
Officer Kellcher OF the West Thirtieth stree
squad. in whose precinct the cars stopped. Al
usual. the employees OF the road, from the in
spcctors down to the track hands. were as duml
as oysters.
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