The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-07-06
FAITHFUL NO. 5
The Fire Engine Capslzed
on Her Way to a Blaze
in Kingussie Flats.
NARROW ESCAPE OF THREE MEN
Trolley Cars Blamed for Obstruc-
ting Montgomery Street-Truck
No. / Crippled Too.

A small fire in the Kingussie flats at
Washington and Essex streets, resulted
in two bad accidents one of which nearly
ended seriously to three firemen.
A fire engine was nearly overturned at
Montgomery and Henderson street, while
at almost the same moment at Grand and
Van Worst streets, the axle on Hook and
Ladder Truck No. broke throwing the
crew to the ground. The truck was,
luckily, just leaving the house when the
accident occurred and no one was in
jured. It was not so with the engine,
however. 1t was going at full speed
when overturned, and one of its crew
was badly hurt
Engine No. is housed in Mercer street.
1t was the first to respond to the alarm,
which was turned in at LIS o'clock. In
charge of Driver Rodger Boyle and with
Captain George Dingley and Fireman
'Bucky'' Hayes on behind, the three
black horses dashed into Grove street and
around the City Hall into Montgomery
street. All went well until they were
within couple of hundred feet of Hem
derson street. A Montgomery street car
bound for the ferry got ahead of the en-
gine. Another car was coming up Mont
gomery street.
The motorman on the west bound car
saw the engine coming, but did not stop
to give it room to pass The conductor
on the east bound car stupidity stopped
on the east side of Montgomery street.
Men ran wildly ahead of the engine. yell
ing at the men in charge of the east
bound car to move on and signalled for
the other to stop where it was. Neither
obeyed, and the result was that they
came abreast in front of Adams Express
Company's stables, completely blocking
Montgomery street.
The engine in the meantime was com
ing on at terrific speed, Driver Boyle
yelling for clear way. When he reach
ed Henderson street, the road was still
blocked, both of the cars being at a
standstill. There was nothing for him
to do but turn into Henderson street or
dash straight ahead. To do the first was
to incur serious danger to himself and
his associates on the engine. as he was
driving close to the gutter; the second
course meant a collision with the troll
ley cars and perhaps the loss of lives
among the passengers. He chose the
first course.
With the blacks well in hand, he en-
deavored to make the turn. 1t was nee
essarily very sharp as there was abso-
lutely no room in which to swing the
engine. The horses swerved into Hen
derson street. dragging the engine after
them They dashed to the centre and
then attempted to turn. The front wheels
of the engine struck the car track and
slid along on the smooth asphalt. The
rear wheels of the engine did not slide.
The result was that the horses were
pulling one way while the engine was
facing another way. The outcome was
obvious. The engine toppled a few sec
onds the horses reared high, the driver
jumped and in another instant the mas
sive machine was overturned, the fire be-
meath the boiler blazing high and threat
ening to consume the woodwork, while
the scalding steam was pouring out upon
the pavement, making 1T dangerous for
anyone to go within twenty feet of it. 1t
looked at first as If "Bucky'' Hayes, one
of the men on the rear platform, had been
thrown beneath the machine. A dozen
men rushed forward to drag him out.
They were relieved to find that while he
had been thrown rather heavily to the
ground and was hurt in several places he
had not fallen beneath the engine. His
most serious injury was a badly bruised
knee, where a flying lump of coal. weigh
ing about twenty-five pounds, struck him.
The skin was scraped from his arm from
the wrist to the elbow and he also suS-
tained injuries about the back. Captain
Dingley escaped injury and Driver Boyle's
lump saved him. Boyle lays all the blame
for the accident upon the conductor of
the east bound car, who failed to signal
his driver to go ahead.
On January Is, Engine No. which has
come to be known as 'Fateful No. 81 was
overturned at Henderson and Mercer
streets. one block from the scene of to-
days accident. Thomas Dillon was the
driver on that occasion. The engine was
damaged $1,000. Engine No. was pre-
sented to the city in January, 1891 by the
PENNSYLVANIA Railroad Company, TO re-
place an engine which was struck and
demolished by one of its incoming trains
at the Barrow street crossing, which was
then at grade On that occasion Stoker
Daniel Oman, who was driving, was in
instantly killed and also the two horses
which were drawing the apparatus. The
same day. it will be remembered, Henry
Farrier. Chief of the Fire Department,
was killed by an explosion of acids in
fhe basement of Street and Water Com
missioner Charles Boltwood's hardware
store. at Pavonia avenue and Grove
street The chief was in the basement
endeavoring to extinguish flames which
were raging there when he met his
death