Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1902-08-23
KANSAS CITY'S FATAL GRADE
Gripman W, B, Taylor Added to ItS List Of
Accident Victims.
MANY STREET CAR PASSENGERS HURT
After wild Dash Down the Incline
They Crash Into waiting Car at
Union station and Are
Manned.

KANSAS CITY, Aug PA cable car
crowded with passengers got away from
the gripman at the top Of the Ninth street
incline from the Union station here at 6
o'clock this evening, and. dashlng to the
bottom at a terrific speed. crashed into a
train that had become stalled there. The
messengers we're hurled in every direction
the grip car on tho runaway train and
coach of the other train we're re-
= mass of twisted iron and splin :
One d. I gripman on the FIRST train.
was killed .stantly. and at least twenty
persons were injured, perhaps six Of them
seriously.
The dead:
w. B. TAYLOR, gripman.
The most seriously injured:
Francis Bishop Powers, tenor singer, Of
New York City; cut and bruised.
G. H. Warner, Memphis. Tenn; three
ribs broken and other injuries; sent home
tonight.
Prof. H. N Richmond Of William Jewell
college, Liberty, Mo-; hurt internally; sent
home tonight.
Mrs. Ola Jorndt, Kansas City, back in
jured, hurt internally; unconscious at late
hour.
William C. Underhill. Kansas City; inter-
nal injuries.
]. 7. Merrill, Paola, Kan.
Frank Mozee, Kansas City, colored porter
]. E. Hawk, Kansas City; leg broken
other injuries.
John Shipman, Kansas City.
Alfred Winkler Kansas City; nose broken
other injuries.
The incline, which has been the scene
of several fatal accidents, is 300 yards
in length, and. starting at the top Of the
bluff at Penn and Ninth streets. overlook
ing the railway station, descends at an
angle Of forty-nve degrees to an elevated
platform. At the time the accident hap
pened the cars were crowded with persons
going to and from the station.
How 1T Happened.
grip car and one coach had safely
reached the bottom Of the Incline and were
being switched 10 the opposite track pre-
paratory to the climb back toward town
Before this could be accomplished dozens
Of persons crowded onto the train. Jus,
then a train appeared at the top Of the
hill. heavily laden with passengers. The
gripman had lost control Of his car and
in another instant eighty passengers were
being hurled down the steep hillside al
lightning speed.
panic ensued, both on the descending
cars and among the crowd below. On ths
platform. In the scramble to escape. many
were trampied upon and several persons
tainted, while a score Of passengers on ths
runaway train jumped from the sides Of
the cars, rolling over and over on the
trestle work. The train struck the plat
! form with a terrific crash, rending the
| grip and the rear car Of the waiting trair
into q mass of debris. Qripman Taylor
was found dead. buried under the wreckage
while two dozen persons sprawled abou
unconscious. Half Of the injured were onl!
| stunned or bruised.
Six, suffering from broken limbs, bad cut
and internal injuries, were taken to nearb!
hotels, while a score of others, cut an,
bruised, were taken to their homes. Mos
of those who had jumped during the de
scent climbed back up the hill and wer
taken care of by persons attracted to tn,
scene. Others, perhaps six or eight, VIII
received slight cuts and bruises, continued
to the Union station and soon left tn
city. For these reasons it is impossible t,
give the exact number of casualties.