The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-11-29
WILD RIDE ON CARS
BAD RUNAWAY ON PENSACOLA
STREET YESTERDAY.
Cars Got Beyond Control of Green Mo-
torman and Nearly Jumped Curve at
Corner Lunalilo Street.

Close onto 200 people had a narrow
escape yesterday afternoon from being
| seriously injured in a runaway elec-.
| trio car wreck at the corner of Pensa-
cola and Lunalilo streets. Two electric
cars got beyond the control of motor
man and had not assistance been given
by passengers and the conductor apply
ing the breaks the cars would certainly
have jumped the curve at that corner
and serious if not fatal injury inflicted
upon all of the occupants.
The train consisted of two of the
| smaller coaches, one being run as q
trailer. They left the oahu College
terminus, crowded principally with
men who had been attending the foot
ball game. The motorman on the for
ward car, is said by passengers, to have
been too slight to control the speed Of
the train and his incompetency i'm this
respect became evident when the car
swung from Wilder avenue into Pensa-
cola street. There is a considerable OF
a grade on Pensacola between Luna
lilo and Wilder. 1t is said by passen-
gers on the front of the first car, that
the motorman turned the electric pow
er on, full force. The cars started and,
impelled by the gravity gained increas-
ed impetus and soon went bowling
along Pensacola at a furious rate. The
motorman turned the current off before
the curve at Lunalilo street was reach
ed and began to apply the brakes. He
was evidently not strong enough to get
the brakes frightened so that it would
have an effect in checking the speed of
the car. He began to tug and pull at
the lever but it was apparent to those
i'm the front part of the car, that he had
lost all control of the conveyance which
was running along, any where from 20
to 80 miles an hour, so passengers as
sert.
BY this time the great danger was
apparent to everybody, and some of the
men began to jump off the cars. Sew
eral women were aboard and they be-
gan to scream and rise to leap from the
cars In the meanwhile, the motormau
on the rear car perceived the danger
and he began working at his brake as
hard as possible to help check the speed
of the train. The conductor of the for
ward car saw the predicament of his
motorman, and ran forward and united
his strength to that of the motorman,
to put on the brakes Several passen-
Igers also assisted and succeeded IN
checking the speed in slight degree,
just as the car reached the curve.
| Don't jump" yelled somebody.
throw your weight over on the mauka
side of the car and balance her"
Everybody leaned over to the right
as far as possible. In an instant, the
car struck the curve. Everybody eX-
pected to be carried off the tracks ana
sent whirling into the fence but, by
some good fortune, the runaways held
the track safely, although the passen-
gers declare the curve was rounded on
two wheels.
Eva of the curve. further along Luz
nalilo street, was the switch on which
were standing two cars, also loaded
with passengers. Look out for the
runaway car" yelled the people on
| these cars. In an i0-sant, the people
| swarmed from tho "'anding cars and
ran pelmell, helte" alter to both sides
of the streets. A c0'Nsion was averted
| however for the urgra1e on LunalilO
street, helped the rGi''ueu to further
check the runaways and bring them
under control.
| The passengers We're very indignant
that man apparently incompetent to
| handle the brake, should be in control
of a car and he was forced to go way
back to the rear car while the motor
man of the trailer took charge of the
front car.