Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-23
TWO RAILWAY ACCIDENTS
Collision Between Electric Cans and De-
railment on Suburban Line.
Motormen Slightly Injured-A Passen.
ger ON Delayed Car Falls From
. TFestle.

evening at 6:45 o'clock, and a derailed
| train short time later was the indirect
cause of another accident, in which a man
| fell through a trestle just east of the Rock
| Spring Hotel. In neither case were the
results fatal, though it seems little short
| Of miraculous that human life was not
sacrificed.
The collision occurred short distance
west of the switch at the Foxhall road
Closed car No 4, a heavy eight-wheeler
| going west and loaded down with people,
and open car No. SO, coming to Georgetown
| with only a few passengers aboard, were
| in the mix-up. The collision occurred about
100 feet west of the switch, at point where
| the road makes slight curve. The track
| at this point and continuing up to near
the District line. is single one. with
| switches laid at intervals and those who
| are acquainted with the road. it is said
| have looked for a much more serious ac-
cident than that of last night.
| Car No. was in charge of William ].
Limerick. as motorman, and it is said that
| yesterday was his first trip on the Great
| Falls road. The car which he operated
| had been used, it is stated, in running from
Glen Echo to Chevy Chase Circle, and yes
| terday it was placed in operation on what
| is known as the river road, the other name
of the Great Falls line. The car secured
a full load of people at the Georgetown
| terminal and started on it's west-bound
| trip. When it arrived at the FoXhall road
| switch, the first out, there was no
| car waiting the siding for it to pass.
| Usually the wait at this switch I'M
| til they pass each other, and of late, with
| the full number of cars in operation, every
| switch on the lower portion of the line
| has been used.
Had Not Time to Jump.
Motorman Limerick did not wait on the
| switch. but kept on. After his car had
| gone hundred feet car No. 36 was
sighted coming around the curve. The
| COL
lision was inevitable, but the time was
| so short that no one jumped. Both of the
| motormen stuck TO their posts until the
| crash came Car No. Sc was in charge of
| Daniel CornWeH Neither was derall-
| ed by the force of the collision, but the
| tenders and front dashbcards of both were
! wrecked.
| The 1notormen themselves were the only
| ones who did not escape injury. The man
| in charge of No. was caught in the
curling Of the dashboard between the
| thigh and kLee of both legs and pinioned
to the end of the car. When extracted
| from his position it was found that both
| limbs were badly bruised. Motornan Corn
well came eff somewhat better. The thumb
| of hand was badly sprained, and he
| received an injury about the head. He
was taken to Georgetown University Hos
| ptaI Immediately by friends, where he re-
| ceived surgical aid. After dressing his
| injuries DIR. Mccarthy advised the man to
| go home, ard if he felt any pain in the
head to Immediately call in doctor Linn
erick was taken to the hospital in the
| patrol wagon, and made as comfortable as
| possible. The injuries of neither man were
| sufficient to keep them in the hospital.
| Superintendent Statement.
| According to Superintendent Ballinger,
| who has charge of the Great Falls road
| and the other lines in the West End, the
! accident only slight affair. The
motormen were only slightly injured and
the cars damaged but little. The dash
| board of car No. was injured, he said, but
| the cost of repair would not exceed $40.
| Car No 36 he stated was in operation to-
| day, and the other car would be ready to
| run this evening. He vas satisfied that
| both motorr en- did all IN their power to
| avoid the collision as the brakes of both
| cars were found to be on tight after the
| accident None of the passengers Mr..
| Ballnger stated, was injured According
| to the railroad people, the fault of the co.
ision was with Conductor James Kernick
| of car No. 4, who told Limerick to pass the
| switch
| The statement of passenger on car No.
| does not tally with this account. Mr..
| George w. King. who was aboard, places
| the blame of the collision on the railroad
| and not on the employees The men only
cbeyed their orders, he said. and went by
| the signal at the switch. which indicated
! clear track ahead. The road is equipped
| with some sort of block system that works
| new and then SO it is said. and soon as
! enters a block it throws up a signal
| at the other end, which reads that the
track is occupied, and The other car must
| wait on a switch for its appearance before
| proceeding.
Mr.. Kings Views.
| when We first sighted the eastbound
! car" stated Mr. King to Star reporter
| this morning, 'it was about 200 feet dis
| tant, coming around the curve. We had
| no light car, but the other car car
| ried a headlight. No blame can be attached
| to the motorman of car No. 4. AS soon as
| he saw the other car coming he put on
| his brakes and stopped his car. Whether
| in the gloom the other mOtorman failed
| to our car do not know, but it seemed
! to me as though he kept on at full speed,
| never applying the brakes. When the
| crash came we expected that some one
| would be killed. Our was SO heavy
| and the brakes were down tight that il
| stopped the momentum of the other car.
| Had both cars been Of equal weight there
| might have been an entirely different story
| to write up in regard to the matter
! Another thing which is worthy of no.
| tce is that while the accident occurred
| within considerably less than half a mil,
| from the car barn of the company, it was
| fully twenty minutes before any attempt
was made to get things in shape again
Every Ihing that was done was at the sug
| gestion of the passengers. The injured mo-
| torman was extricated from his position
| and placed in seat on a car. The en-
| ployes Of the cars, the conductors. did not
| know what to do, and stated that thew
| were waiting for orders. The DELAY was
] fully half an hour, and when our journey
| was recommended it was necessary to run
| a man ahead until near the District line
| when the double track was reached Sew
| eral of the pa 'Sengers suffered bruises by
| the collision. | was somewhat injured nv
| the occurrence, and would have suffered
| even more had not a fat man at the end
| seat acted as a cushion for me- When an
i attempt was made to separate the cars IL
| was found that they We're so tightly
| Wedged that both had to be showed onto rho
| siding. Most of the passengers were afraid
| to continue the journey and returned to
| Washington.
| The service on the road occasioned mucb
complaint from people who were at Glen
| Echo. After waiting half an hour for n
| car during which time only one little car
| crowded to suffocation, passed, we were
| obliged to take to Cabin John bridee
| and pay an extra fare in order to insure
a seat on the homeward trip. l understand
| that at Tenleytowr some people were
| obliged to wait for over half an hour before
| car appeared, and then it carried a crowd
| numbering nearly 100. On my car there
| Were ninety-six passengers, and every train
| that came down was crowded Just az
much.
| Another Accident
| Later in the evening car 26 of the Gre.t