Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-03-13
Brakes Refused to Work and Car
Dashed Along From Seventh
Street to Front Street.
G0LLIDED WITH SEVERAL TEAMS
Thomas jefferson, Colored,
Had Leg Broken--Thomas
M. Culbert'S Hand Badly
Gut - T Wo WON en-
Pa S engerS
tainted.


trolley line ran away on Market street
from Seventh to Front, about IL O'Clock
Saturday, and as result several
people were injured, horses were
manned, three wagons were wrecked
and several others were damaged. The
car was badly wrecked and several of /
the passengers we're slightly injured, |
but the conductor and motorman es
capped unhurt, although both had mar
rsw escapes. The injured, SO far as is
known, were as follows:
w. Thomas jefferson, colored, left |
leg broken, taken in the patrol wagon
to the Delaware Hospital.
James Chambers, colored badly cut |
about the face, head, body and legs |
and hurt internally, taken in the
Phoenix ambulance to his residence,
1856 East Thirteenth street.
j. Howard Morris, back sprained,
taken in a street car to his residence,
1918 Market street.
Thomas NJ. Culbert, right hand cut
by glass.
Miss Mendenhall, hand cut by glass.
The wagons wrecked were the prop
erty of James Chambers, the George
w. Bush & Sons CO., and Harry Scott.
The horses attached to the Bush wagon
were so badly injured that they will
probably have to be killed. They were
moved in Veterinarian James r. Ma
haffy's ambulance to his horse hos
( pital, near Ninth and jackson streets.
At the time of the accident there
were eight passengers in the car, which
was in charge of Motorman John Jones
and Conductor David Crawford. The
car had stopped at Seventh and Market
streets, as is required, before crossing
the tracks of the Seventh street line,
4 but when Motorman Jones tried to stop
4 before crossing the Sixth street line he
y was unable to do so as either the
& brake would not hold or the current
"a could not be shut off. The car is
x1eluipped with air brake and there is
X nn impression that the trouble was
with the brake. At Sixth street the
k7car was moving at ordinary speed.
NATTER Sixth street had been crossed,
None of the passengers, woman, sig
N Nnalled the conductor to stop. He had
gnlrnady signalled the motorman to
asastop, but soon realized that the car was
Min trouble and SO informed the passen-
l gers, but told them to keep their seats.
VA Thomas NJ. Culbert, Water Depart
M ment inspector, also wanted to get off
" tine car at Sixth street and when he
AZ found the car did not stop went to the
" rear platform. Conductor Crawford
n feared he would jump off while the car
Il was in motion, and as it was gaining
n speed all the time, being on a down
n grade, caught Mr.. Culbert by the
N shoulder and pleaded with him not to
n jump. "Ihe car is running away,
Colonel, said Conductor Crawford to
Mr.. Culbert "but you must not jump
Promise me that you will not jump :"
Mr.. Culhert promised and the con-
ductor released his hold on Mr.. Cul-
4 bert's coat. Mr.. Culbert then braced
himself against the rear end of the car
and remained on the platform during
the wild ride down the steep grade
n from Fourth street to Front.
II Conductor Crawford had already told
N the other passengers that the car was
n beyond control and he cautioned all of
ii them to remain in the car, which they
II did. Two women we're so badly fright
ened that they fell on the floor and re-
N manned there until the car came to a
M standstill. One tainted as she was
n leaving the car and fell into Mr.. Gull
n bert's arms. lie carried her to u
nearby store, where she was revived.
B# During the trip down Market street
N the motorman, at times, demonstrated
M with the passengers to keep them from
IA getting out of the car at the front
end, as he felt pretty sure that to jump
off the car at that end while it was
running so rapidly would mean sure
n death. While doing everything in his
Nv power to work the brake with one hand
| he had to put the other hand against
" the door occasionally to keep people
% from opening it, for, although the pas
g$ sengers as rule were obeying the
II order of the conductor to keep seated,
eE there were two or three, it is believed,
fM whn Wpnl1 bpyp illTOned If they had
had good opportunity.
M Motorman Jones stuck faithfully tc
sN his post and all the way down he was
M making an unsuccessful effort to stol
the car with the brakes and ringin:
the bell vigorously. When the car frs
VA began to run away it was feared tina
the trouble was due to inability tx
shut off the current and immediatel,
bH Conductor Crawford climbed to thu
.Y4 outside of the rear vestibule anc
.s pulled the trolley off, but this appeared
Il to have no effect and the trolley wa
Z; put back again
@f just before the car reached Fourtl
street it struck Sheriff McDaniel's car
Ariage, but fortunately it was not on tn
track and was merely thrown around
RThe sheriff was in the carriage, but es
mapped injury.
James Chambers, colored, who retail
, coal from wagon, was driving hi
wagon across Market street at Fourth
( and the car crashed into it, throwing
+ 3ig Chambers some distance and injurin
n him pretty badly. A young man VIII
was with him was only slightly in
11M jured and the horse was unhurt. Th
rear part of the wagon was wrecked
Although "a street car line crosse
Market street at Second and there
much traffic at that point and also a
Third street, kind Providence kept th
road clear until just above From
street. where the runaway crashed int
one of the double teams of the Adam
l Express Co., which was at the north
west corner of Front and Marle
M streets. The driver, j. Howard Morris
WV was thrown from his high seat to tn
ground and had his spine hurt,
lIsW The car was running so rapidly tina
9ss~ sJs seJfs,a4ad ta taltas the elaSua at Econ
nNaM