Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-04
CARS COLLIDE IN FOG
One Killed, Nineteen Injured,
at Kansas City.
ACCIDENT ON INCLINE
GRIPMAN LOST CONTROL OF HIS
CABLE CAR.
It Ran Away Down Very Steep Incline
and Struck One Coming
Up.
ACCIDENT ON INCLINE

KANSAS CITY, NO. November 4-Oae
person was killed and nineteen others in
jured. four perhaps fatally, in collision Oh
two cable cars in fog on the 18th street
incline near the union depot this morning.
Most of the injured were working girls,
clerks in the big retail stores uptown, VINO
were on their way to work from homes IN
Argentine, Armourdale and Kansas Cily'
Kan, across the river from Kansas CITY
Mo. The accident was due to slippery
tracks.
One train heavily laden with passengers
had reached Summit street. four blocks east
OF the top of the 18th street viaduct,
structure four blocks in length, that spans
the railway tracks in the union depot yards.
For the entire distance of eight blocks
there is a sheer descent Of about 80 degrees
Gripman Lost His Grip.
At Summit street the first car had stopped
to let off a passenger, when the gr1pman
lost his grip on the cable. Immediately til''
train started back. gaining great speed
A heavy fog made it impossible to see IN
any direction Indescribable confusion en-
sued among the passengers, who were tco
closely packed inside the car to MAKE
move to save themselves.
Several on the grip car and many among
these on the platforms of the rear car
Jumped and escaped with but slight IN
jures. When the train had reached the
top of the viaduct it was going at rate
of perhaps thirty miles an hour. TWO BLOCKS
away midway down the incline, another
heavily laden train was making It's way
upward. The fog was too dense Tor eltner
crew to see the other and not until the
runaway train was within a few feet OF
the second train did those on the latter
realize any danger.
Struck With Terrific Force.
The cars came together with terrific force,
throwing the passengers in every direction
and partially wrecking the viaduct. The
scenes that followed were agonizing. Be
wildered, crushed and unable to see clearly
in the dense fog, which at this low-lying
point was thicker than above, it was some
moments before the situation could be real
ICED and an effort could be made by the pas
sengers to extricate themselves or others to
remove them from their perilous position
Several of the injured had been thrown
clear of the viaduct railing and falling
twenty feet to the railway yards below
sustained injuries more or less serious. Am
balances were sent from all parts of the
city, and when order was restored and the
injured removed it was found that one
Miss Emma Homir. clerk from Kansas
City, Kan, had been killed and nineteen
others more or less seriously hurt, Tour
perhaps fatally.
m1rdC1S 1udC ANY ISCdpSu.
1t Is considered miraculous that twoscore
were not killed outright The grip car of
the second train telescoped the rear coach
of the descending train and was splintered,
while both coaches were badly damaged.
A board struck one man seated in the rear
of the second grip car in the throat, rem
dering him unconscious and cutting cash
that will cause his death. Half dozen
others sustained broken legs and arms,
while many others were badly bruised and
cut. In the descent of the runaway car the
lives of many girls were undoubtedly saved
by the men pushing them from the car to
the pavement. These escaped with minor
bruises.
Almost all of the injured were young
women clerks The injured were carried
tenderly to house at the top Of the IN
cline, which was thrown open to receive
them, and here they were laid out on beds
and on the floor and given temporary at
tention until they could be removed to hos
pitfalls. Means and screams of the injured
filled the room. Several were unconscious
when first taken from the wreck and when
they revived they did not even know that
there had been a collision, suddenly had
the accident occurred.
Harmon Watkins, who is an employe of
the Methodist Book Concern, was probably
fatally hurt,