The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-04-07
ERIE COLLISION
Train Strikes a Crowded
Trolley Car at
Garlstadt.
SEVEN PASSENGERS INJURED
Blame Laid on the Gar Con.
ductor Who Should Have
Known Train Was Due.

A frightful accident occurred at Carl
stadt last night where a locomotive Of
the New Jersey and New York branch
of the Erie Railroad ran at rapid speed
Into the side Of a trolley car Of the Jer-
sey City, Hoboken and Paterson Trac-
tion Company.
The trolley car was overturned. Its
thirty-ffve passengers were turnbfed out
and some Of them were thrown long
distance and dashed with great force to
the ground, while others were cut and
bruised by splintered tinbers.
Seven persons were injured. Five Of
them were badly hurt. but all were able
to go their homes.
The injured include two women, two
children and three men,
The accident was the direct result of
the motorman and conductor of the troll
ley car attempting to cross the railroad
track in front of an approaching train.
This rule is frequently violated, and
might have done so successfully last
night had not the trolley car jumped the
track
The night was one of the darkest
known and rain was falling in torrents,
when at 10:30 o'clock the trolley car ap-
preached the railroad tracks
There are gates and a fagman at the
crossing, but the fsgman goes home and
the gates are not operated after o'clock
at night.
1t was known to the motorman and
conductor that a train was due at the
Calstadt station at 1920 o'clock, but the
trolley car was run ahead rapidly TO
- ft,o
The car jumped it's tracks while it was
across the steam railroad tracks and the
pole left the trolley wire. The car was
then in complete darkness, and SO dark
was the night that no object few feet
away could be seen.
Realizing the danger from the train
then almost due the motorman and con-
ductor attempted to push their car off
the steam railroad tracks, but they neg
lected to warn the passengers of their
danger. and they were innocent of the
fact that they were stalled at the rail-
road crossing.
The last train out of Jersey City for
the night thundered along. and the dark
trolley car was not seen by it's engineer,
but he slowed down to stop at the Carl
stadt station. few hundred feet be-
yond fhe crossing.
The cowcatcher of the locomotive
ploughed through the side of the trolley
car, threw it from the track and oyer
turned it on the other track of the steam
railroad.
The cries of the wounded and frighten-
ed men, women and children in the troll
ley car, mingled with the crashing of
glass and wood, were heard for blocks.
and also by the engineer in his locomotive
cab.
These sounds gave TO him the first ln-
timation of the accident.
He stopped his train ana occupants of
nearby houses and passengers in the tram
ran to assist the injured
There were two physicians in the train.
nrs. Sichenberger and Cropsey Of Carl
stadt, Joined these and then others soon
arrived from Rutherford.
They were surprised to find that all pas
sengers of the trolley car were not killed.
They temporarily bandaged cut heads,
faces and arms, and restored women VINO
suffered from nervous collapse.
One of the injured men who gave his
name is Dominick Dobbins. weaver, OF
Passaic.
The trolley car is being removed from
the tracks today. 1t is a complete
wreck. General Manager David Young
of the trolley company has commenced
a rigid examination to fix the blame.
The passengers say they consider the
conductor of the car wholly to blame be-
cause he permitted the motorman to at
tempt to cross the track at a time when
he must have known that train was al
most due.
Passengers who were injured said last
night that they would institute damage
suits at once.