The times., 1898-11-23
Wild PLUNGE OF 4 CAR
Crashed Into Columbia Clubs
Boat House.
MUCH PROPERTY WRECKED
Motorman Stuck to His Post-Excit-
Motor Jumped the Track and
Lunged On-Front of the build
ing Torn Away.

An electric car with a highly agitated
motorman clinging TO the front brake
handle, vainly attempting TO check its
momentum, dashed wildly down the hill
on Thiry-second Street, leading from NJ
Street to the river, yesterday afternoon,
and had it not been for the solid beams
on which the Columbia boat house is con-
structed, car and motorrman would have
plunged into the Potomac. AS 1t was, the
car carried before it the front portion of
the building, and now stands in the boat
house with a mass of splintered wood
all that remains Of number of fine
shells, gigs. outriggers. canoes and bat
teaus-piled up in confusion around it.
That the motorman was not killed is
little short of a miracle He pluckily'
stuck to his post and did not leave lie
car until it had come to a frll stop.
Shortly before o'clock car No. 5, of the
Georgetown and Tenleytown Railway, in
charge of Conductor Joseph Moran and
Motorman Hayden, arrived at the George
town terminus of the road and started
down the hill toward the switch, where
the trolley is changed and the car run up
on the main track TO begin its return trip
to Tenleytown.
The tracks We're slippery because of the
rain. The car passed over the switch at
the usual rate of speed and when Hayden
applied the brake it refused to stop. The
motorman tried sand to check the rap
Idly increasing speed of the car, but to
no avail. The conductor saw the danger
and endeavored to connect the trolley,
which had slipped off, but his efforts were
futile. He was not on the car, having
got off 10 make the change of trolley for
the return.
But now the car had passed beyond all
control and attained terrific rate of
speed. Hayden remained at his post and
divided his attention between the brake
and the sand. The descent of the hill was
accomplished in a few moments, and
when the car reached Water Street,
where there is a sharp curve in the track,
it jumped the rails and plunged across
the small space intervening between the
railway tracks and the boat house. 1t
hit the building square in front, carry
ing with it the big double doors and near
ly the entire front of the building, and
did not stop until II had reached the
middle of the boat house. leaving in its
trailsa mass of debris. representing sew
eral thousand dollars worth of fine shells.
pleasure craft. and other floating proper
ty. owned by the club.
The actual loss will amount to about
5000, but a sentimental value. only ap-
preciated by those who have won and
lost races In different parts of the coun-
try with shells and boats which gain a
strong hold upon the affections Of the
athletes, attached TO nearly all of the
property destroyed. Three four-oared
shells. a single shell. single gig, five
double out-riggers. three clinker boats.
two batteaus and two canoes were In
cluded in the ruin, and two handsome
eight-oared shells were badly damaged.
a quantity of valuable spoon oars were
also destroyed. The damage TO the boat
house is estimated at $500.
The car was but slightly damaged, the
only evidence of its wild lunge down the
hill and into the boat house being a de-
molished platform and four broken panes
of glass. three in front and one in the side
A peculiar feature of the accident was the
narrow escape of one valuable canoe
which was hurled from its rack forty
feet TO the other end of the building, and
was not injured in the least.
Hayden. the motorman. was uninjured
After his car had come to a standstill in
the middle of the boat house he climbed
down from the rear platform. whittier he
hdu gone di iht last minute 10 Apply tEe
brake from that end in the hope of slack
ening the cars speed when 1t was seen
that a collision was unavoidable
Several years ago a similar accident oc-
CURED on this same hill, but no damage
was done. as the car swung from its path
before hitting the boathouse. The motor
man in this as in the former accident
was handicapped in his control of the car
by having to use sand from can over
the dashboard of the car, instead of hav-
ing sandbox appliance. After the accI-
dent the company sent sand car from
Its sheds TO sprinkle the tracks.
Fortunately, there We're no passengers
in the car, II having reached the terminus
of the road.
Policeman Edwards, of the Seventh pre-
cinet was a witness of the accident and
rushed 10 the boathouse expecting to find
the motOrman dead. He reported the
matter TO the officials of the road and a
watchman was sent to take charge of the
clubs property.