The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-27
MAD RACE TO DEATH
BY ELECTRIC CARS
They Collide With Terrific Force.
Killing Five Passengers and
Injuring Many Others.

ALBANY, N. Y, May 26.-Electrc cars
racing for a switch while running in
opposite directions, at a rate of forty
miles an hour. cost five lives this after
noon by a terrific collision, in which over
forty prominent people were injured,
some fatally and others seriously.
The lobby of the local postoffice filed
with dead and wounded, hysterical
women and children, looking for rela-
tives and friends, surgeons administering
temporary relief and ambulances racing
through the city, taking the wounded to
hospitals, were the early limitations Of
the accident
The scene of the accident was a point
about two miles out of Green Bush, on
the line Of the Albany & Hudson rail-
way. The point where the cars met on
the single track was at a sharp curve,
and so fast were both running and so
sudden was the collision that the motor
man never had time to put on the brakes
before south bound car No. % had gone
almost clean thrOug north bound car
No. Il, and hung on the edge of a high
bluff with it's load of shrieking. manned,
humanity. One mOtorman was p.nioned
up against the smashed front of the
South bound car with both legs severed
and killed instantly, while the other one
lived but a few minutes
Fully 100 men, women and children
formed a struggling, shrielIing pyramid.
mixed with blood detached portions Of
human bodies and the wreckage of the
cars.
MOTORMEN ARE KILLED.
Some of the more slightly injured of
men extricated themselves and began
10 pull people out OF the rear ends of the
two cars and almost every one was taken
nut in this way and nearly all were badly
injured. The few women and children
who had escaped injury and death. were
hysterical and added their cries to the
shrieks Of the dying and mutilated Men
with broken arms and bones, dislocated
Joints and bloody heads and faces. tried
TO assist others who were more helpless.
Help had been summoned from East
Greenbush and vicinity and in a little
time the bruised mass of humanity. with
the mutilated dead for a gruesome and
silent company, were loaded on extra
cars and taken to Albany. There ambu-
lances and physicians had been summon
ed and the postOf11ce turned into a morgue
and hospital. AS fast as the physicians
could temporarily fix up the wounded
they were taken TO their homes or to
the hospital.
With both motormen killed it was hard
to get at the real cause of the accident,
but it was pretty well determined that it
was caused by an attempt of the south
bound car to reach the second switch
instead of waiting for the north bound
car at the first siding.
The cars weigh fifteen tons each and
are the largest electric cars built. but so
1rightful was the crash that both cars
were torn almost to splinters. Both cars
We're filled with Sunday pleasure seekers
returning from the new recreation
grounds that the railway had lust OMEN
Gu Inc South bound car left Albany
at 4;SO o'clock and the accident occurred
at o'clock. The cars on the line were
running at switch headway-that is as a
car reached siding it was supposed to
wait until another going in the opposite
direction passed. The motorman of the
south bound car reached one of the
switches, but seeing no North Sound car
decided to take no chances and go on to
the next siding 1t was at curve he
tween that the cars met
TALE OF THE ACCIDENT
Among the passengers on the South
pound cars was Deputy Superintendent
Howard ]. Rogers, of the state depart-
ment OF public instruction. He was ac-
companied by Mrs. Rogers and tbair
young son and daughter, all If whom
were slightly injured, with the except on
of the daughter.
Speaking Of the accident Mr. ROGERS
sad; My recollection of what happen-
Gu as the cars came together is rather
Hasue' We We're proceeding southwark
at very rapid rate Of speed orr c3r he -