The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-13
CAR QUIT The TRACK
AND RAN INTO FENCE AT ABER-
CORN STREET AND HALL LANE.
SMALL BOYS THE CAUSE OF IT.
BANKED THE TRACK FOR FIVE
FEET WITH SAND.

MotOrman C. A. Cabaniss Has His
Arm Badly Wrenched-No Passen-
gers Hurt, Though Four Were on
the Car-The Car Very Badly UseG
Up-Was Running at More Than
Average Speed When the Obstruc-
ton Was Strucl<-Sand Also Piled
On the other Track, but Not In
Sufficient Quantity to DeraiI North
Bound Car.
Car No. log of the Abercorn and
Barnard belt jumped the track at
Abercorn and Hall streets last night
about $50 o'clock, tore diagonally
across Abercorn street over the east
track, through the heavy sand up on
the east sidewalk of the street where
it was brought up with jerk by col
lision with one of the trolley poles and
a fence around Mr.. j. B. Johnson
residence; the latter of which 1t tore
away for about twenty-five feet.
The car was in charge of Conductor
H. B. Wingard, and Motorman c.. A.
Cabaniss, who wrenched his arm pain
fully, though not seriously, in his
efforts to get the brakes on in hurry
when he found that the car was off
the track.
The car is pretty badly damaged;
the front is crushed in, the iron sup
ports to the front of the roof bent, and
the floor ripped open in places. 1t is
possible that there may be other dam
ages, to the trucks and running gear,
but this information could not be dis
covered last night.
The accident was the mischievous or
malicious work of small boys. They
banked sand six inches high and five
feet in length on the track, and it was
when the car struck this obstruction
that it left the track.
The story told by Conductor Wingard
is that the car was going south on
Abercorn street at a rate of speed
higher than the normal, because he
was behind the schedule. and that
when it reached Hall street with a
jump that landed it almost on the
other track to the east, it left its own
track and started across the street He
pulled the trolley down, he said, then
caught hold of two little girls. Gladys
Rountree and Mabel Williams, who
sat in the rear seat, and who natur-
ally were very badly frightened. AL
most as he caught them the car was
brought to a standstill by coming in
contact with the pole and the fence.
There were two other passengers
aboard. a white and a colored man,
but neither was either of these hurt,
though pretty we'll jolted.
Wingard says that he has no recol-
lection of seeing any boys near the
track, or, in fact, in the vicinity of the
place where the accident occurred, but
almost as soon as the car had stopped
against the fence several youngsters
who must have been in the immediate
neighborhood gathered at once.
Motorman Hartley of car No. 49, who
passed Hall street going north about
fifteen minutes before the accident,
says that sand had been placed on the
west track at Hall street also, but that
it was not in sufficient quantity to de-
rail his car, though enough to give the
car a distinct jolt as it struck it. A
number of small white boys were quite
near the track then.
Two inspectors of the railway reached
the scene of the accident, shortly after
1T occurred, and heard the story of the
conductor and mortorman. 1t is not
impossible that the matter will be re-
ported to the police department and
detectives detailed on the case to find,
if possible, the youngsters responsible
for the mischief, which that it did not
result in death or serious injuries to a
number of people is owing more to
good fortune than to anything else.