Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-17
WATER WAGON
SMASHES AUTO
TROLLEY CAR STARTS SERIES
OF ACCIDENTS
Sprinkler Makes slippery Rails on
First Street Hill and Motorman
Is Unable to Control
Electric


we're the cause of collision between
Interurban car, special 81, and a
sprinklins wagon on the First street
hill, between Hill and Broadway last
evening about o'clock. As a result
M. Johnson of 2OSO Sacramento street
was hurled from the cart and the team
he was driving ran away and smashed
into an automobile at First and Broad
way.
Johnson escaped without serious in
jury. The team and cart were much
the worse for the crash. The large
touring car was slightly marred and
several among the crowd of busy pc
destrians narrowly missed being tram
pied under the horses feet, but for
tunately there were no casualties
Water from the sprinkling cart,
which was being driven downhill in
the car tracks on the right side, wet
the track and made it slippery. The
special car rounded the corner from
Hill street onto First at a high rate
of speed. After the car passed few
yards down hill it began to slide Then
came the collision. The team attached
70 the sprinkler dashed wildly away
while the car followed, slowly sliding
down the hill
Many Persons Narrowly Escape
Men, women and children who were
crossing the streets in the vicinity of
Broadway and First fled in wild panic
for the sidewalk, frightened by the
din of the rattle-trap wagon and the
sight of the dashlng horses plunging
down First street at mad speed.
AS the team reached the intersection
OF Broadway and First street one
horse continued on it's mad course
DOWN First street while the other ami
NAL sought to turn on to Broadway.
Strained by the tension of contending
horses the harness broke and the
team was thrown against n touring
car badly battering the machine.
w. j. Thomas of 106 North Hope
street was standing on First street in
n position to see the collision. He said
that the car was running down the
hill at a rather high rate of speed
when the motorman attempted to set
his brakes harder and reverse his mo-
tors, the combined effort not being
sufficient to stop the car.
Say Slippery Rails Were the Cause
A stiff defense for the car men was
put up by Il. W. Griffin of Sherman,
who claimed that because the car
tracks We're wet the brakes, no mat
ter how effective, would not stop the
car Mr.. Griffin is employed by the
Pacific Electric railway.
Motorman o. l.. Rockhold of the car
said that he was running slowly and
when he saw that collision was in
evitable he made every effort to stop
the car. Wet tracks was his excuse for
not being able to prevent collision.
According to witnesses of the acct
dent the car was running down the
hill rapidly when the car man seemed
to realize that his coach would soon
run into the sprinkling wagon. He
applied the brakes, but they did not
seem to be effective, Johnson, who
was driving one of Charles AleXan-
der's sprinklers, did not realize the
danger, and not seeing that the car
was upon him, had but little time to
make any effort to drive off the track.
Better Brakes Demanded
Unprepared for the crash, Johnson
was thrown from his high seat and
fell on the pavement The horses
dashed down the hill at full speed,
breaking the line of patrolmen, who
We're just leaving the police station for
the night watch. Grasping the situ-
alton. the buecoats cried out in warn
ing to the crowds crossing the streets
and assisted in guiding them to safety
AutolnoDle 420 Cal. was standing
on the east side OF South Broadway
near First street. Blindly the horses
plunged toward it and as the team
came within twenty feet of the ma
chine one of the horses fell to the
pavement through the breaking of the
harness.
This accident may call the attention
of the heads of our department to our
reports and effect the passing of an
ordinance requiring all cars running
on this line to be equipped with better
brakes said police official last
evening.
II have continually heard complaints
of drivers of the patrols and police
ambulances regarding the equipment
of cars on this line. Several times the
patrol has nearly been demolished in
collisions, and once when we were
bringing n patient to the receiving
hospital the car narrowly missed up
setting the wagon.
1T is our belief that cars on this
line should be equipped with brakes
ike those on cars OH the Los Angeles
railways West Second street line"
0sS-
Charged With Stealing Motor
Detectives Davis and Roberts ar