The Portland daily press., 1897-06-23
RUN DOWN BY ELECTRICS
Circus Team in Collision on
Forest Avenue.
DRIVERS LEG BROKEN AND ONE
HORSE KILLED.

HORSE KILLED.
Six Horse Team Tried to Cross Car Track
in a Dark Spot in the Street Motor
Man Could Not Stop His Car in Time
to Avoid Collision-First Serious Ac-
cident That Has Ever Occurred on
Portland Railroad.
The first accident that has occurred on
the line of the Portland Street Railroad
company to amount to very much since
| this company first began to operate it's
cars by electric power happened last night
about quarter to eleven o'clock on
Forest avenue in Deering.
| The result Of the accident was the
breaking of the leg of Augustus B.
Bryant of Suncook, N. H., who was in
the employ of Washburn's circus as
driver and the smashing of one of the big
teams of that show, the injuring Of a
slightly damaging one of the open cars of
| the railroad company.
| The accident happened in this way:
| The circus performance for the night was
over and the crowd had all been carried
into the city. The big crew of men about
the circus had began taking down the
tents of the show and packing up the
canvas and the seats for transportation to
the train. About eleven o'clock Augustus
| B. Bryant, one of the best drivers with
| the show started for the train with one of
the teams loaded with the tents and some
of the seats. 1t was very heavy team
| and Bryant hadihitched to it six big horses.
Ross Halls house, which is just opposite
the beginning of the fence which encloses
the baseball grounds, when he saw
coming towards him one of the open cars
which runs to Riverton.
At this spot it was very dark and there
was not an electric light for over fifty
yards from this spot in either direction.
A sewer is being constructed on the right
hand side of the road going towards Port
land and few lanterns were hung about
the fence enclosing the spot, but these
only added to the intensity of the dark.
ness. The overhanging trees cast gloam
as black as cellar over this section of
| the street, and the driver could, with
difficulty see in front of him.
| Bryant was driving on the right hand
| side of the road, going towards Portland
/! on the inward bound track. The electric
car was running out towards Woodfords
at an ordinary rate of speed, and had
| Bryant kept on the inward bound track
he would have been all right. AS it was
he evidently thought that he could not
pass the car on this track and so swung
his horses out to the left, directly across
the outward bound track. AS he did so
the motorman saw the team for the first
| time. He ground down the brake until
he bent it out Of shape and at the same
instant reversed his controller, turning
the power off the motor and on again so
as to reverse the car.
The pole horses of the big team We're
directly on the track, while the forward
wheel was resting on the inner rail. AL
though the motorman did his best to stop
the car It slid on for about one hundred
feet after he first saw the team and
crashed into the forward wheel of the
cart. The off horse had his leg cut off
just below the first joint the forward
wheel and axle of the cart were smashed
into kindling woods and Bryant, the
driver of the team, seated high up on his
seat near the top Of the cart had his left
leg caught between the cart and the hood
of the car, and broken.
The car itself wac NOT yo,v boIJx,
jured, although the shock when it ran in.
to the team was a very severe one. The
front guard rail was badly bent and some
of the forward gear was smashed. The
motorman was hurled against the rail
with considerable force and had the wind
knocked out of him, but was not badly
injured. AS quickly as possible Bryant
was taken down from his high seat and
lifted tenderly to the ground. His left
leg hung limp and useless, and he was
suffering great pain, but bore it like
hero and did not lose consciousness for a
moment.
| Superintendent Newman was in the
office of the company at the head of
| Preble street when the news of the acci-
an electric car which was standing in
front of the office and ran out to the scene
of the accident. AS soon as he reached
the spot Bryant was put on board of an
electric car by his orders and attended by
Policemen Berry and Wheeler of the Deer
ng force, was hurried to the head Of
Preble street. Here the man was put into
hack which was in waiting, and before
the news of the accident had become
generally known about the streets, the in
| jured man was at the Maine General
hospital, and in the care of physician
! On examination it was found that the
mans leg had not been very badly crushed
and that only the setting of the bone was
necessary. AS far as could be learned last
night Bryant was in no danger of losing
his leg, and had not been otherwise in
jured AT last reports at an early hour
this morning he was as comfortable as
could be eyDeCted