The San Francisco call., 1904-11-07
Explosion on Electric Car
at Hayes Street Crossing
Results in Stampede of
the Frightened Passengers
CONVEYANCE COMES
TO A STANDSTILL
Miss Della Davis and Three
Men Injured by Being Cut
by Glass and Trampled On
in the Panic That Follows

SaderO and Ellis streets line at DeV1Sa-
dero and Hayes streets yesterday after
noon at about 5:45 o'clock. Two of the
injured ones were severely hurt and
two were slightly bruised.
Demetreus Ruboekes received a deep
cut in the left arm that severed an
artery and caused him nearly to bleed
| to death. F. E. Wertz of 504 Stockton
street suffered a compound fracture of
the right leg. Miss Della Davis Of 11O1
Adeine street, Oakland, was slightly
bruised about the body and her ankle
was sprained. An unknown man was
cut slightly about the hands by broken
! glass, but he left the scene of the ac
cident without reporting to any of the
| railroad men.
It was car No. 7O4, one of the old
Folsom street cars, transferred to the
! Ellis street division on account of the
heavy Sunday traffic, that came to
grief. The big crowd from the park
filled the car at the western terminus
of the line and it started eastward with
as many people aboard as could be ac-
commodated. The motorman and con-
ductor were poWerless to prevent the
! overcrowding. Remonstrance would
i be useless with such a homeward-
! bound crush of passengers as that
I which gathered at the park entrance
awaiting transportation toward the
/ city.
STOPS AT CROSSING.
Before the car reached the turn at
! Devisadero street many of the pas
! sengers got off, but there were still
: about sixty on board. In accordance
with the rules of the United Railroads
stop was made at Hayes street be-
fore crossing the tracks of the cable
road. The blowing out of the fuse oc-
! CURED when the motorman turned his
1 controller after getting the signal to
go ahead from the conductor The car
/ had not started to move when the flash
and sharp report as If of an explosion
caused a panic among the passengers.
/ The glare of the fuse and the sound
I of breaking glass were terrifying but
/ not necessarily dangerous. Had the
/ passengers kept their seats no harm
1 could have come to them. but several
4 women who were sitting on the for
J ward part of the dummy, among whom
were Miss Della Davis and her COM
( panion, Miss Mary Richards. lost their
! heads, screamed and made jump for
I the street.
! In an instant there was a struggle in
/ the interior of the car as men and
women attempted to crush toward the
doors. Ruboekes attempted to get
through a window and punctured his
/ arm with a sharp piece of glass. Wertz
] jumped from the step of the car and
!
/ en- fell on top of him, kicking and
struggling to clear themselves Of what
! all seemed to believe would be a second
! explosion. Car windows We're smashed
and pieces of glass were scattered all
over the street.
| RESULT OF PANIC.
When the frightened passengers had
recovered their presence of mind Miss
i Davis was lying in a faint in the street,
/ Wertz was groaning and calling for
} help as he crawled toward the curb
stone dragging his broken leg after
him, and Ruboekes was rising TO his
feet with a stream of blood dripping
! from his wounded arm. He staggered
toward the grocery at the corner where
4 he fell. He was picked up by bystand-
/ ers and hurried to the office of DR.. c.
j w. Card, at 502 Devisadero street. DR..
1 Card took several stitches in the cut
/ before he could stop the flow of blood.
Miss Davis was also brought into DIR.
| Cards office, where she received care
! full attention from both the doctor and
J his wife. WertZ was sent to the Park
Hospital. where his injuries were treat
/ ed by DIR. Stevens He was afterward
! removed to the French Hospital The
! injured man is chef at the Palace
Hotel.
! Manager George F. Chapman gave
! his personal attention to the case There
was little to explain. The blowing out
/ of fuses is not unusual The fuse is a
safeguard against the dangers of a sud
! den addition to the customary voltage
used to operate the line, and when one
blows out it's effect is startling, but not
/ fraught with any danger to crew or
! passengers. Had the panic been avert
] ed no one would have been injured.
MISS DAVIS STORY.
| from the car, told the story of the ac-
cident as follows:
1 was returning from trip to the park.
The car stopped at Hayes street Suddenly
! of the car Immediately followed by a burst
of flames which reached to the roof. I thought
those inside the car stampeded to set out
in the general excitement. some showed
great force and people who followed jumped
! on me tainted and the next thing I knew
! | was being carried by some men to the side
walk Later I removed to the office OF
I Dr. c. w Card. who bandaged my foot and
did everything in his power to relieve my
Adeline street. Oakland MY home is in
Needles, Cal. where my father owns large
farm. expect it will be long time before
! 1 shall be able TO walk.
Miss Mary Richards, who also lives
at 1101 Adeline street and was with
Miss Davis at the time of the accident.
added that the moment the flames
burst out the people IN the car seemed
to go crazy. Pandemonium reigned
for the time and the crowd jumped off
the car right and left. She was hurled
off the car in the excitement, but
escaped without injury.
WERTZ'S INJURIES.
F. E. Wertz was very severely in
jured. He suffered a compound frac-
ture of the tibia, besides a smashed
ankle and several deep cuts and
wounds above the leg. He was re-
moved to the Park Emergency Hos
pital. where his bones were set and
his wounds dressed. He suffered in
tense pain. Later in the evening he
was removed to the French Hospital.
He said that when the explosion took
place he was standing on the back
platform In the panic that followed
he was knocked off the car by the
crowd and jumped upon.
Denetreus Rubockes, after being
treated at the Park Emergency Hos
u pital was taken to his home. 9251z
Howard street