The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-18
MOtOrman Bowman Fatally Hurt and
Unable to Tell why He Could
Not Stop His Car.
WRECK DUE TO A MISTAKE
BROOKLYN MOTORMAN PROBABLY
misunderstood THE SIGNALS.
Lost His Own Life, and over n Score of
Concy Island Pleasure Seek
ers Were Injured.

CHICAGO, Aug 17.-By the collision of a
trolley car on the Forty ty-seventh-street line
with rapidly moving passenger train on
the Pennsylvania road tonight four people
were killed outright anG eleven injured.
The Dead
FREDERICK o. EDWARDS, thirty-sev-
Ell years of age.
HARRIET sUTCLIFFE. fifty years of
age.
IDA Is. OsLER. twenty mine years of age.
of 2143 Vine street, Cincinnati.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN about twen-
ty-five years of age.
Injured
LUTHER JACKSON. internal injuries
and ribs broken.
MARY O'MALLEY, left arm broken and
head cut.
KATE GREENFIELD, both legs broken
and internal injuries.
MARION BRAINARD, cut on head and
shoulders.
JAMES GILLETTE, cut about face and
head.
WILLIS BROwMAN, motorman of car.
three ribs broken, internal injuries; will
die.
V. j. FULTON, conductor of car. slight
ly cut
MARGARET DWYER, internal injuries.
MRS. LIZZIE COMLE, three ribs broken.
DIR. CLARIsSA BIGELOw. left thigh
broken and head cut.
]. BROZDWITZ, left leg broken.
The accident occurred at Forty-seventh
and Stewart avenue, where large number
of railroad tracks run north and south at
car line runs at right angles. 1t Is the
custom of the conductors TO run ahead of
their cars and, standing upon the tracks.
signal the motormen to advance or remain
stationary, according. to the absence or
presence of approaching trains The car.
which was filled with passengers, came up
to the tracks tonight from the west. The
gates across the street-car line were down,
as a passenger train was moving rapidly
south. Whether the motorman, Willis
Bowman, was unable to control his car.
or whether he became confused and turned
on the current. Is a matter Of doubt. The
car paused a moment as 1t approached the
tracks, but before Conductor v. ]. Fulton
could alight to ahead of the car. ac-
cording to the usual custom, there came a
RAPIDLY across two intervening tracks and
crashed heavily into the passenger train.
Had the car struck a passenger coach in
the side the loss of life would not have been
so great, but 1t struck between the rear
end of the second coach and the front Of
the third 1t was caught up, whirled
around, turned bottom side up, and carried
fifty feet south of the crossing in a few
seconds.
At the time of the collision nearly all the
passengers were inside the car, not more
than two or three being on the platforms.
Not one of them had the slightest warning
of the accident, and chance whatever
to make an escape. The crash Of the wood
en- gates as the car broke through them
was the first intimation OF danger. but be-
fore they could leave their seats the colli-
sion had occurred.
The noise of the collision and the screams
of the passengers pinned down in the
wreckage quickly brought a large crowd to
the scene, and ambulances and patrol wag-
ons were quickly at the place. The car was
so badly smashed that II took but a short
time to remove the dead and dying.
Motorman Bowman. upon whom the re-
sponsibility of the collision rests, was un-
conscious when taken out. He rallied
slightly several times, but could not give
any account of the accident. 1t was seen
that his injuries were such as must cause
death in short time and no attempt was
made to secure a statement from him.
Whether he turned on the current or
whether the car in some way became un-
manageable will never be known.
Flagman Frederick Walleck, of the rail-
road company, who was attending to his
duties at the crossing and who was
slightly injured by flying bits of wreckage,
said: Il don't know what was the matter
with the motorman. 1 saw the train COM
ing, lowered the gates which were in good
condition, and had light swinging from
them. L the car coming also but as
the gates were down, | never dreamed of
it's coming right on. 1t don't seem to me
that IL stopped al all. There was a smash
ing sound it came through the gates
almost at full speed. 1 yelled at the mo-
torman. but 1t was all over In a second
The gates which were broken TO frag-
ments. and pieces of which were carried
upon the tracks by the trolley car. proved
tfe correctness of Walecks statement
Towerman Albert Haas. OF the railroad
declared that the gates were down and that
as the car approached the crossing he
could see Bowman tugging at the brakes
and heard him shout that he could not
stop the car.
Engineer Gage Fireman f. j. Eckhard
of Fort Wayne. and Conductor r. Nc
Mahon. also of Fort Wayne. were detained
by the police until the latter felt satisfied
that the railroad men were not 10 blame
for the accident. Then the crew was al
lowed TO 20 on with the train to Fort