The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-10
The Collision Occurred at Michigan
Street and the l.. T.. & w. Tracks
at 7,3O p. m.
PECULIAR CAUSE OF WRECK
THE CONDUCTOR LULLED INTO Sc
CURITY BY SHADOW.
Ii Was Cast by the Arms Supporting
an Electric Light-ConditiOn of
the Injured.
Injured

EDGAR HAGEE, motorman of street
car. 436 North Illinois street, several scalp
wounds left arm injured and legs bruised.
SEWARD LEMON, ga Woodruff Place,
head bruised and cut.
ROBERT B. CLOUD, $50 North Beville
avenue. bruised.
GEORGE e. GALLOWAY, 23O5 East
Michigan street cuts on head and bruised
about the shoulders and body
EDWARD BRENNAN, II Middle drive,
Woodruff Place. scalp wound and cuts on
face.
Five people were more or less seriously
injured in a collision of Big Four freight
train and an East Michgan-street last
night at 7.20 o'clock at Michigan street and
the l.. E. & w. tracks. None was fatally
hurt, but two, Edgar Hagee, motorman
of car No. 1899, and Seward Lemon, stu
dent of Shortridge High School and of
d. A. Lemon, of 64 Woodruff Place, were
badly cut and bruised. They were taken
at once to the City Hospital, where their
injuries were attended.
The others hurt, Robert b. Cloud, of $50
North Bevile avenue, and George K. Gallo
way, of 23O5 East Michigan street, were
able to care for themselves and assisted in
rescuing Motorman Hagee and young
Lemon from the debris of the wrecked
car. Edward Brennan is ten years old and
the son of Michael Brennan, cashier of the
Indianapolis Gas Company. He suffered
scalp wound and number of cuts and
bruises. His injuries are not serious.
UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES.
The accident was the result of unusual
circumstances. At Michigan street an
electric light swings high in the air right
over the tracks. The globe is supported
by two iron arms which encircle it,
These arms are slender but cast a pro-
nounced shadow. sufficient to neutralize
the brilliancy of the light at certain an
giles. When Conductor George Elkins of
car No. 1893, jumped from the rear platform
and ran across the four tracks inter-
secting the street at that point to see if
train were coming he was unable to
detect the approach of a Big Four freight
train which was switched at that point
The shadow thrown by the arms holding
the light darkened the tracks toward the
north. Elkins waved his arm for the
car to come ahead, and Motorman Hagee
obeyed the order. The car slid safely
across three tracks and was on the fourth
when the freight train came out of the
gloom at good speed and struck the street
car with terrific force.
The other peculiar circumstance that
was in part responsible for the accident
was that the locomotive of the freight
train was ''sandwiched' in between the
cars IL was handling, and its headlight
was not visible to the conductor of the
street car. Three big box cars were in
front of 1t. which completely obscured
the headlight The remainder of the cars
were In the rear of the locomotive. Con-
ductor Elkns claims that no lights were
shown on the box cars or he would GER
tainly have been able to warn the motor
man TO keep back
After waving for the motorman to come
ahead he stood in the middle of the
fourth track waiting for his car to come
up. Then he heard the rumbling of the
| freight train 1t backed down upon the
| car when IL was too late to warn his motor
| man. The car was hit near the front end,
Just back of the vesubule. The car was