The times., 1901-06-01


WILMINGTON, Del. May S1-Thre'
trolley cars on the Peoples RaliWa!
came together at midnight and tW'
men are dead and at least fifty per
sons injured as result
The dead are Joshua Gilman, of thi:
city. and Elmer Jones. conductor.
The injured are Isaac Hackett and
wife and three children, crushed and
badIv cut: William Frank, badly lacer-
ated and confused wounds; Charles n
Fagsn. veins of left wrist severed and
knee fractured; Harry Frick, foot badly
injured. and may have to be ampu-
tated; Robert DiHsworth, skull and leg
injured by jumping from car; Joseph
Scott, an employe Of the road, head and
foot cut; John McClaster, knee and arm
hurt: Albert Fullmer. knee hurt; Jo-
semi Lemon. head confused, may be
hurt internally. arms and legs injured;
Gilbert Mearns. sprained ankle and
bruises: George Chilley, head severely
lacerated and confused; George w. Nc
CauIIev. fr.. leg broken; Maggie Quinn,
slight concussion Of the brain. There
are about forty others slightly injured.
The accident was entirely unlocked
for and was aggravated by the fact
that il occurred on a grade eight blocks
long. Laden with 100 passengers, car
No 3. a closed car of new type just Sc
cured by the Peoples Railway Com
pany. was coming in from Brandywine
Springs. Car No. 16, a closed car, was
ahead Of No. ;. also returning from the
park. Proceeding westward from Mar
ket Street was open car No. ,, with few
passengers.
When car No. 5 reached the top of the
hill at Franklin Street Motorman Ben
son sought to check the speed down
the grade by applying the brakes. He
had such a heavy load of passengers
that he desired to run carefully down
the incline AS he applied the air brake
he found that il would not work. The
brakes did not catch on the wheels, and
the car Ieaped forward.
The passengers were startled a mo-
ment later by a report and a flash as
the fuse burned out. There was but one
precaution the motorman could take to
save his passengers. He set the emer-
gency brake, but. powerful as it is sup
posed to be, it also failed to respond
BY the fuse burning out, the emergency
brake was put out of service.
The motorman in his little compart-
ment faced an appalling situation. a
short distance ahead of him was Car
No. 16, also filed with passengers, and
in charge of Motorman Harry B.
Krauss and Conductor Elmer Jones.
The uncontrolled car leaped forward
down the grade. gaining speed con
stantly. The passengers screamed, men
stood up excitedly, and women
shrieked.
In the confusion some Of the passen-
gers leaped from the cars. Then came
a slight crash as the rear car caught up
with the one ahead This did not
amount to much, but the shock appar-
entity put Car No. 16 out Of control. for
it also darted forward at a pell-mell
rate down the grade that terminates at
Street. Dumping together &C.
the cars raced down the hill
at lightning speed. They touched oc-
and again separated.
When the fearful crash occurred that
battered in the ends of No. IS, crushing
It's hardwood timbers like matchsucks,
glass few in every direction. The for
ward end of No. 16, where it collided
with No. ., the open car, near Madison
Street. also was crushed into splinters.
No. was not so greatly damaged as
the other cars.
The injured We're picked up from the
streets, and examinations were made Of
the cars to learn if any persons had
been hemmed in them. Nobody was
found after the first rush was over. and
the work of caring for the victims was
begun. Houses Of persons who had
been awakened from their sleep by the
sxplosion-like report following the col
isioD were opened and converted into
temporary hospitals.
Ambulance and patrol wagons
reached the scene quickly and went
through the street, picking up the in
ured who had jumped from the cars
While coming down the hill They were
aid out on doorsteps all the way from
franklin Street TO Madison Street.
Joseph Lawson and A. a. Waite were
IN car No. 16, in charge of Conductor
Jones. As soon as the crash came they
Jumped without injuring themselves.
but stumbled over the body Of Jones,
who was lying fatally injured by the
;ide Of his car. They carried him into
he residence Of Irwin C. Hanna, where
wo parlors were turned into a hospital
ward. Jones right leg was broken in
-hree places, and his head, hands, and
BODY were cut with large ugly gashes. |
The man was taken later 10 Delaware
Hospital
Striking Madison Street, the end of
he grade, the cars continued with con
siderable momentum up the next grade |
-oward Jefferson Street At the top Of /
he hill, and midway in the block. was I
pen car No. 2, with its few passengers.
I raced down toward Madison Street |
o check the fight Of the approaching |
that were travelling toward |
/ They came together with a sound |
ike that Of an explosion. Cars Nos. 5 !
Ind l6 being the heavier, forced No. 2 |
lp the hill toward jefferson Street At |
Windsor Street the three came to a |
tandstiu. No sooner had the cars |
lackened their speed than men and |
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