Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-02-09


of truck B. occupied position on the turn
| table to the left of the driver.
| About how fast were you going that
! morning?'.
THE usual rate OF speed until the truck
was between 18th and 10th streets. when
the foreman told the driver to slow down.
Witness said he was acquainted with the
rule of the department requiring change
| I'm the speed at the street car crossings
| He saw cabs on the stand at Connecticut
| avenue and M street, and there were
| wagons backed against $he curb in front OF
| the grocery store. These wagons, ne
| thought, INSTRUCTED his view little. The
driver turned his horses north by direction
| of the foreman and witness grabbed the
reins to help the driver. Witness said that
1 the truck could not have gone behind the
l car and avoided accident. He did Rot
| hear the mortorman's bell ringing.
II suppose did not pay much attention
! to the car bell.' the witness said, because
| our bell was ringing"
| Foreman Donohue, he said. was ringing
! the bell almost constantly from the ume
the truck left the house until the collision
occurred. The car. he said, struck the front
| part of the truck.
did the car push the truck along the
| track any?"
Yes. SIR" said the fireman. ri think 1t
pushed the truck about four feet"
Witness saw the motorman on his car
and he thought he applied the brake
Another Participant.
| Fireman Thomas NJ. Boucher. member
| Of truck company, also described the
accident. @
DO you know if the foreman was ringing
the bell Thursday morning. -
Eyes. SIR" said Boucher. HE was ringing
| it from the time the truck left the house"
Witness said that the driver observed the
/ rule requiring him to lessen the speed at
| railroad crossings. He noticed the change
in the speed when the truck was west OF
| 18th street. .
Were you injured?" Boucher was asked.
| ''only little" he answered. Il was
| thrown from the truck"
Did you hear the motorman ring the
| bell?'
81 can't say that did,
Who was opposite you on the truck"
"Keefe.'.
Witness said he did not observe the car
| until it was almost upon the truck. As
soon as he could he jumped from the street
| where he was thrown and grabbed the
| horses to prevent them from running away.
| An Eyewitness.
DIR. William Tindall, secretary to the
board of Commissioners, testified that he
observed the accident which resulted in the
death Of Fireman Keefe. A few minutes
after o'clock Thursday morning. DR.. Tin
dali said. he was on Connecticut avenue,
| when his attention was attracted to NJ
| street by the vigorous ringing Of bell. He
| heard a noise caused by the collision and
| He did not know what had happened until
| he reached the corner. The popularity OF
| the noise caused witness to believe that the
| truck had broken manhole. He did not
| recoliect having seen the street car until
| he saw one Of the firemen fall in front of
| the fender.
| 1t was witness impression that the horses
| slowed up little just before reaching the
| crossing. The n1OtnrOan nff 10
| and said the accident was not his fault. He
| reversed his current so hurriedly, he said,
that the fuse blew out. Witness described
the movements of the firemen after they
were thrown from the truck.
| Or. I1ndall said he was about 250 feet
away, at the time the collision. occurred.
| last fireman was being carried away when
! witness reached the point Of collision.
| Tried to Warn the MOtorman
| H. c. Grimes, 3139 N street, a clerk in
| Magruder's store, testified that the acct
| dent occurred about $40 o'clock Thursday
| morning. Witness said he was standing on
| the corner waiting for the car to go to
| Georgetown He heard the ringing of a.
| bell and looking out M street he saw the
truck approaching. The moving car was
| about DE Sales street, and witness con-
GUIDED that the car and truck would meet
| at the corner. He waved to the motor
| man to stop, and he noticed that the latter
lowered the speed of his car The truck
was coming at a high rate of speed.
Witness described the movements Of the
| truck and said:
| my contention is that the car didn't
strike the truck, but that the truck struck
! the car" Witness said that the car was
| almost at standstill, and that by swing
ing the horses of the truck to the north on
| Connecticut avenue the truck was thrown
| against the car. The motorman, he said,
| remained on the car and did not jump off,
| It was his opinion that the motorman did
| not hear the truck bell ringing.
! These heavy cars you know" said wit
ness, make tremendous amount Of
| noise"
Witness heard the car bell ringing and
] he saw the motorman apply the brake. At
| ter the collision occurred the motorman said
| he could not have prevented the accident.
There were three or four wagons lined up
| in front of the store, and witness thought
| they obstructed the motorman's view. Wit
| ness said he had discussed the matter with
! friends, and had also made a statement to
| the attorney for the railway company.
The witness was erOSs-examined at length
| by Mr.. Duvall. Just as the heads Of the
| horses were on line with the Connecticut
| avenue sidewalk witness said the driver
| changed his course and attempted to swing
up Connecticut avenue. Witness believed
| that when the horses were between the car
| tracks the driver again changed his course,
| probably believing he could go out Rhode
| Island avenue without having an accl-
| dent.
Was an Accident.
| Francis Marrow, colored, 1902 18th street
| northwest, testified that he was in Ma
gruder's store making purchases when he
heard the bell on the truck ringing. He ran
| out and saw Mr.. Grimes trying to stop the
| car. The car, he said, was coming up
| grade at pretty good speed, and the car
was so heavy the motorman couldn't stop it.
| 'If 1t had been one of the little cars,
| said Marrow, Il have no doubt the motor
| man could have stopped 1t, but the big cars
| are SO heavy"
| Witness said he looked around and saw a
| 'mix-up" and 1t was his idea that the car
| struck the rear end of the truck. He
| thought it was impossible for the driver Of
| the truck to have stopped his horses in time
| to have prevented the collision.
| cit was an accident" he concluded.
When questioned by Mr.. Duyall the wit
| ness said he did not notice the car slow up
| any He was paying more attention to the
| truck. So far as he could tell the car did
not slow up until he heard the 'sqush"
| He paid no attention to the motorman after
| he first saw him.
Other Eye-Witnesses.
| John 8. George, mail carrier, living at
| 1919 New Hampshire avenue. who was
/ $50 1a