Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-12


MS way toward the rear brake. Witness
said there were about 40 passengers on
the car. He had frequently seen the cars
crowded as much as was the car.
One Hundred and Fifty Passengers.
George Thorp, 800 9th street southeast,
testified that there were about $50 passen-
gers on the car. He heard the chain snap
near the asylum gate The was then
going at the rate of fifteen or twenty miles
an hour, and before the foot of the hill
was reached it was running at the rate of
sixty or seventy miles. When he heard
the motorman say the chain had broken,
and saw him tthe motorman) jump, wit
ness knew it was time to do something,
and he went through the air. He knew the
car had to stop at the foot of the hill, and
ne did not know what was going to stop it.
And" he added, Il thought 1 would
take my chances in the air.
Charles A. Cooper, $40 9th street south
west, said he was astonished at the num-
Der OF passengers on the car. He thought
the current was on when the crash came.
Ihose who jumped, he thought, were hurt
worse than those who remained the
car. "A passenger on the car gave the bell
cord several vigorous pulls, and the con-
ductor started back. He thought the con-
ductor could not have reached the rear
brake in time to operate it, because of the
crowd on the running boards. The motor
man, he thought, said nothing. He did
hear somebody say, Jump if you can:
the cars getting away from u.s." He
knew nothing about the breaking of the
chain.
Chains Not Worn.
B. H White, Congress Heights, formerly
employed by the Capital Railway Company
told the jury that he examined the car
shortly after the accident occurred and
saw 1t was in two pieces. Witness said that
the chains Were all new ones hen they were
sr,,
shown him, the witness said. were not worn
enough to hurt them. The motor, said wit
ness, can be reversed, but not with any de-
gree of safety when the car is running at
a fast rate of speed. While he was in the
employ of the company he said the brake
on this particular car was never reported
to him as being out of repair. The fact
that the lights did not go out did not show
that the current was still on the car. The
lights would remain long as the trolley
remained on the wire.
Conductor and Motorman Experience
ed.
"Why did you leave the company's en-
ploy?' he was asked
Il was discharged by the new general
manager"
The motorman who was on the car, wit
ness said is an old and experienced man,
and the conductor he regarded as one of
the best in the city. Both men have had
q
juror, witness said that the only brake on
the the single chain brake. He
knows nothing of the brakes on the Capital
Traction road, but said he thought the Met
ropolitan company has an auxiliary brake.
When witness was with the company the
cars were inspected every night Witness
identified the chain as the one taken from
the demolished car and said it is heavier
than most chains used for this purpose.
John w. Lowry, 1919 32d street who was
a passenger on the car, told the jury thai
he heard the chain snap and saw the mo-
torman jump. The passengers he said,
were packed in the car like sardines in
box. Witness remained on the car until the
Anacostia horse car was struck. The mo-
torman, he thought, rang the gong three
times just after the chain broke Then he
jumped off.
''We ere you hurt at ALP he was asked.
Only shook up was his answer. LAS
luck would have it. when the top of the car
was knocked off it went back over my
head"
When the chain snapped the car was 60
ing very slow. Witness thought the motor
man was trying to stop the car when the
chain snapped.
Car Running Slowly.
Joseph Hennager, 225 18th street south
east. testified that before the car started a
man who he though worked for the rail-
road company said that no more passengers
W ere to get When the brake snapped
ths car going slow.
Wihess said he heard somebody say,
THE cars gone" and he replied, I'm gone
too" After reaching the ground he rolled
twenty-five or thirty feet and ruined his
clothes. Witness went to the foot of the
hill and helped the doctors until midnight.
George Jackson, who a passenger on
the car, told of the breaking of the chain.
He conversed with the motorman just be-
fore the accident happened, and the latter
remarked, IF the chain breaks you had
better jump
Just then the chain snapped The motor
man passed him and jumped, and just aft
erwards, witness said, he jumped. During
the conversation before the accident, he
said, the motorman remarked, This -
cid brake amt no good, anyhow" Witness
was with Mr. Roberts and the latter re-
manned on the car. He was seriously in
jured, and witness told today that he
may die at any Tina.
Witness said he knew something of cars
In Baltimore, he said. the cars have what
is known as the track or safety brake, in
addition to the W heel brake.
Might Have Been Avoided.
Witness said he thought the accident
might have been avoided had the current
been reversed as soon as the break occur
red. There was no current on at the time
of the accident. Witness thought there
were about 135 passengers on the car
j. d. Newton, 430 Jackson street, Ana
horse car line, testified that he saw the
ruined car and found that the chain was
broken The chain was worn a little. The
horse cars had safety brakes at one time,
but they had been taken off.
Aloysius Shaffer. T13 Sd street, who was
passenger on the car. also gave testi-
mony. Witness could not jump, and so he
remained until he was thrown off
John w. Higdon, 100 e street southeast,
who was a passenger on the car, testified
that he heard somebody say the brake was
disabled He heard the three bells given
ard saw the conductor go toward the rear
of the car Witness thought there were
between so and 100 passengers on, the car
MOtOrman Recalled.
Motorman Selby was recalled and Ques-
tened by a juror. He said he reversed the
motor before he gave the conductor the
danger signal.
What happened when you reversed the
mCtor?' he asked.
1T didn't take"
He denied that he made the remark about