The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-17
CAUGHT ON CROSSING
TROLLEY CAR WRECKED By a
PLANT SYSTEM TRAIN.
GATES DIDN'T SHUT IN TIME.
WHEN THEY DID THEY KNOCKED
TROLLEY FROM THE WIRE.

Fast Mail Going South Hit Collins
willie Car at Gwinnett Street Cross
inE-Motorman Was POwerless and
with Conductor and Two Passen-
gers Jumped for Lfe-Englne's
Pilot Wrecked, But Train Was Not
DeraiIed Grade Crossings Are
DangerOus-SevernI Serious Acct
dents Narrowly Averted Recently.
Suggested That Streets Run Under
Railroad Tracks and an Ordi-
nance Should BE Introduced.
Trolley car 80 of the Coflinsville line
was completely demolished at the Gwin-
nett street crossing at 615 o'clock yester-
day morning by the Plant System fast
mail, leaving Savannah for the south at
6:lO o'clock.
Motornan NJ. Weeks, Conductor L.
Pennington, and two colored passengers
had a narrow escape from death. The
engine struck the car near the front plat
form and completely demolished it. The
car itself was smashed into splinters and
the trucks are only fit for scrap iron. The
axle was broken in half and the front
wheels were snapped in two, as If they
had been made OF wood. The engine lost
its pilot and another locomotive had to
take the train to Jacksonville.
The trolley car was on ats way from
Collinsville to the city, and the gates a
the crossing were up when Motorman
Weeks slackened his speed he had just
gotten under the eastern gate when the
whistle Of the rapidly moving express
was heard. The gate-tender dropped the
gates hurriedly, and one of them knock
ed the trolley from the overhead wire.
The motorman was powerless. The cur
rent had been cut off and the fast mail
was close upon him. To remain at his
post would have meant death and, with
the front of his car within almost the
shadow of the approaching train, the
motorman, with a cry of warning, jump
ed The conductor and two passengers
followed his example only just in time to
save their lives If they had hesitated
for only a moment there would be diff
ferent and fatal story to have chronicled.
The engineer Of the fast mail saw what
was going to happen and reversed his
locomotive al the same time blowing for
brakes. He was too late and the pilot
struck the trolley car. The car swung
around and its sides came down in splint-
ers. The pilot Of the locomotive was
Wrenched, but the train was not derail-
ed. The gate tender stated that a switch
engine and a string of freight cars pre-
vented his seeing the passenger train
until it was too late.
the engineer did all in his power to pre-
vent the collision; that the fact that the
train was brought to a standstill within
few feet of the crossing showed clearly
that 1t was not going at a very rapid rate
| of speed.
Had the car been filled with people or
had there been women and children on
board the result might have been fatal.
Under such circumstances nothing could
have saved those who were in the car
at the time Of the collision from Instant
death Fortunately the locomotive did
not strike the trolley car in the center
Had this been the case the passenger
train might have been wrecked AS it
was the accident happened under fortu-
nate circumstances and beyond demolish-
ing of the car no damage was done.
What was left of the body of the car
was taken to the railroad shops, but a
new car will have to be built
The accident slows forcihly the need
or different arrangements at the street
crossings. 1t has been urged for a long
| time that the city lower the streets at
Bolton and Gwinnett streets and that the
railroads raise heir crossings at those
points. The trains would then run over
| the streets and the trolley cars and
other vehicles could pass under. 1t has
been pointed out that the city is growing
| and that there is heavy travel across the
! railroad tracks Switch eng mes and mas
! senger trains are const ntly passing
! across the streets and traffic is as fire.
| quent over the railroad tracks. Several
| serious accidents have already been mar
rowly aVerted, and it would seem that
unless some satisfactorySchange is made
| it is only matter of time when a fatal
! collision will occur. The loss of life would
| be little short of appalling if a locomotive
were to strike one of the crowded trolley
| cars.
Some time ago the street railway peo-
pie made some sort of proposition for
the running of their tracks under those
of the railroad companys, but no agree
ment was ever reached From all ac-
| counts, such a change would not cost a
| great deal and the money required would
| not all come out of the treasury of any
one corporation. The railroads, the street
railway company and the city endeavored
| 10 agree upon some plan, and the pedes-
trians and street car patrons who are
! forced to cross the tracks many times
| daily would feel much safer.
The safety gates at crossings are sup
posed TO be safeguards against accidents
| In this accident they proved a trap shut
| ting in the trolley car, and holding il on
the tracks at the mercy of the train.
There is no city ordinance regulating
! the speed of trains in the city limits, and
! trains over the Plant System tracks ru4h
| through the southern section crossing
streets at full speed. The failure of the
| gates to protect the trolley car in yes
| terday's accident either through a blum
/ der or neglect of the operator. aud the
! high speed at which trains run through
/ the southern section Of the city, il is like
| ly, will result in some action being taken
! by the City Council to require proper
/ protection of grade crossings.
FORMER SAVANNAHIAN DEAD.