The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-05-30
KISSING FLAMES
CAUSED PANIC
PASSENGERS TERR0RIzED
FLED FROM TROLLEY CAR AND
ONE WAS INJURED ny FALLING.

Trolley Wire on Whitaker street
Line, Just south of Liberty, Broke
as Car Appronched-The Electric
Flashes Spread Terror Among
PaHsenEers-Chinnma Was Mar
rowIy Missed by One End of Live
Wire-Live Wires DanEIed AbOut
the street.
An accident similar in every way to
the one which occurred on East Broad
street about two months ago, except
that the results were not so serious,
occurred on the Whitaker street line
of the Savannah Electric Company,
Just south OF Liberty street shortly af-
ter o'clock last night
Car No. 20 was going south, when
the trolley wire popped with a loud
report, causing electric flames to fash
about the car, as the wire writhed
around in the street. The passengers
were panic stricken and fed from the
car, one of them being injured by fall
ing.
A Chinaman was slowly walking out
Whitaker street, and was directly OPP
posite the car at the time of the acct
dent. One end of the broken wire
fell on the sidewalk, almost at his feet,
the flashes almost enveloping him. With
a cry of terror, he went down the
street, his pig-tail very much in evil
dence. He was still running when last
seen.
An hour after the accident the Ce-
lestial had not returned to the scene
10 see what the trouble was.
Jumped and Was Hurt.
The car was in charge of Conductor
S. X. Eason and Motorman B. J.
Moreno and there were seven passen-
gers at the time of the accident, one
of them having just gotten on at Lib
srty street.
Conductor Eason was standing on the
running board. when the wire broke
and he says one end of it struck his
coat sleeve. He jumped into the car
while all the passengers jumped out.
X. V. Mulligan, railroad man, was
the only passenger hurt, though there
were several ladies on the car. all Of
whom jumped. Mr.. Muligan sprained
an ankle. and bruised his knees from
the fall. He was sent home in a cab.
system WINS Tied Up.
The live wires continued to writhe
about on the ground for some time,
one of them falling on the sidewalk
next to Helmken's cafe. II was Thought
for time it would set the place on
fire, but IL was dragged away with a
stick before any damage was done.
The cord was cut from the car and
one of the live wives tied up on a
pole. The other end was too short to
reach a pole and it had to be guarded
10 keep pedestrians from walking into
it,
II was an hour after the accident
before the repair work was started, the
cars on the line being tied up in the
meanwhile. 1t was considerably over
an hour before traffic was resumed.
story of a Passenger.
]. ]. Corcoran. who had just board
ed the car at Liberty street, when the
wire broke, says he thinks he was
the Jonah. Sur day night a week ago
he started to the Isle of Hope, and
was tied up at Sandfy station by an
accident. Last night he again started,
but had not ridden 100 feet, when the
wire snapped.
1T looked like the whole street was
full of fiames," said Mr.. Corcoran.
in describing the accident. II had
just gotten on the car and it was not
running Very fast, but for some rea-
son the motorman did not stop it, when
the wire broke.
Il did not jump at once but when
the car kept on going. 1. too, became
frightened and leaped. The car ran
quite little distance after the wire
broke.
1T was enough to brighten any one
the way the wires We're twisting about
and the flames shooting up. was on
car in New York once. when the same
thing happened and a man was kill
ed"