The Minneapolis journal., 1904-12-26

Again have the grade crossings on
Central avenue demanded sacrifice
and life has again been offered, reck-
lessly and needlessly, it seems, while
score Of people are under the care
of surgeons and seventy more are nurs-
ing minor injuries and recovering from
severe shocks.
Following the dreadful accident on
Sunday, Dec. lS, when trolley car
on the Columbia Heights extension was
avenue NE, another collision occurred
last Saturday evening at the Northern
Pacific track at Eighteenth avenue NE.
A big trolley car with eighty-fve
passengers Wedged in so that they
could hardly move, was, struck by
allel the track and allow the locom!o-
tive to tear out the side. Then, wit
nesses say, to make matters worse, the
engine Of destruction, after apparently
clearing the wreck and before the fran
tic passengers, dazed and bleeding,
3 less huddle Of people and car and nm
ished it's wicked mission. That the
> death list did not reach over score
o was miraculous, providential.
q The accident has caused not only a
h sensation, but a storm of wrath, IN
e sentiment is all the more acute from
the fact that the accident at the be-
q ginning of the week seemed to be due
|. to negligence criminal in the ex
q treme While the casualty list was ther
d limited to M. L. Manley, the conductor
d of the car, and Paul }. K1bbey, ting
It. would have been large had there beer
= any passengers on the car.
n Signal Misunderstood.
IS In the stories told about the acci
g, dent of Saturday evening, several i'm
Up portant circumstances are uncontra
a. dicted. -,
u, The crossing gates were up, altho
" locomotive and trolley car were ap
IS preaching the crossing.
!. The motorman did not wait for nj
hsS conductor to cross the track and re
Oh ceive his signal, but accepted sigma
IN IN of railway fla gman at the crossing.
ny ny the locomotive misunderstood the tiae
III man IS signal and both the car and tn
engine continued on their way.
as as After the accident the locomotiv
o. 20. was backed away.
'r- m The collision came at GLIB: The ca
"a ~ was filled with people, workingmen IT
1T turning from their toll and Christina
zee shoppers. The trolley car was manne
ef, by G.. r.. Gustafson, motormap, an
'al Conductor Elliott, and with the forme
es- in the cab was Ernest R. Ordway,
:, street-car inspector. On the locom
ne tive were E. s. Bellows. engineer. an
,, c.. Macner, fireman. Michael Br1del
IS the flagman, was on the crossing.
he The trolley car was running north 9
les the Eighth and Central line, and tt
engine was approaching from the eas
mt The car stopped and the conductor pr
lst sumably got off. Before he had crosse
lth the tracks Bridell, the flagman, mac
lot some sort Of signal, which both tt
! mean that the track was clear and sat
all Engineer Bellows thought that the 81
an an nal was for him and also sent his e
uy. gine ahead.
my Realizing the danger when it was t.
= late, Gustafson tried to drive the c
oI over in a hurry and Bellows tried
"a d stop his engine, but their efforts we
'mcn m futile.
on Panic Follows Crash.
Use
my The car was hit at the third al
up. fourth windows from the front, throy
it from the track and pushed across t
street parallel with the railroad trac
There was a panic. The men frant
and the women hysterical, dazed by t
shock and by their injuries, crush
their way off the car or plunged hea
oral long thru the windows. While tn
mes gathered about the wrecked car, the s
mo- no. ne which h+ had hssh stopped bs7i
Iue Gar, DuG SOlIc" LII duV du
mas backed away toward the east and sol
distance down the road, where the cr
- left the engine and came to the (
- of the injured ..... -. q .sr7. a.s
The body Of William NJ. eager "
found on the ground just south of t
ar. railroad and east Of the streetc
-. track. Just how he was killed is I
lis known, but many say they believe tt
ihe was run down when the engi
lat backed away. Apparently no one
clear over the manner Of his death,
ar the body was not discovered for seve
~ minutes after the engine had gone.
of Sad Christmas Eve at Gager's.
n It was not until an hour and h
Ill. after the accident that his identity Y
:. disclosed. A nephew Of Gager' s s.
lie, in-law who was attracted to the see
by the excitement, looked at the
ke mains thru childish curiosity and +
ognized the face at once.
les "Why, it's Uncle Marshall!' = he
Il claimed as soon as he saw the face.
nd eager, who was an engineer, Ii,
at 1920 Quincy street. He leaves
80 wife and five children. At the time
III the accident the family was wait
expectantly for the father and provi
MS with his burden of Christmas gifts,
the bright home was darkened by de
a est gloom and sorrow when the rest
the city was in the midst of joy
3D. celebrations
While many were severely inju