Los Angeles herald., 1905-02-03
FOUR INJURED
BY COLLISION
RUNAWAY CAR CRASHES INTO
STATIONARY COACH
Passengers Hurled From Their Seats
and Thrown Beneath Wreckase.
Motorman Stays at
His Post

With the air brake out Of order and
the motorman unable to control his
car on a slippery grade, an east
bound coach of the Westlake Park line
jumped the track at the corner of West
First and Olive streets early yester-
day morning and crashed into the
front end of west-bound Seventh and
Rampant street car, demolishing both
cars and painfully injurlng four pas
sengers None is dangerously hurt.
The accident is said to have been
caused through the slime and mud
forming a slippery coating on the
tracks at the Olive street corner, and
added to this, the air brake failed to
work at the critical moment, and had
the guard rail not intervened the car
would have plunged down the incline
toward Hill street.
The injured were all treated at near
by hotels or at the receiving hospital,
two blocks away.
Woman Severely Hurt
A woman, who refused to give her
name and who was cared for at the
Hotel Cecil. was probably injured most
severely. She attempted to leave the
runaway car when she saw that an
accident could not be avoided and was
thrown to the ground. She sustained
several cuts on her head and hands
from flying glass and bruised side,
with probable internal injuries
L. T. Johnson, "a years old, living at
1871 West Fourth street, was pinned be-
tween the cars and his foot crushed.
Johnson is an employe of the Los An
geles Railway company and was on
his way to work at the time of the
accident. He was treated at the re-
ceiving hospital by DIR. Bonynge.
Henry Kloss, track foreman of the
Los Angeles Railway company, was
also painfully injured from the shock
of the collision and broken glass. Kloss
was in the front seat of the station
ary car and received the full force of
the collision. He was thrown beneath
the wreckage.
F. H. Horn, state organizer for the
Ancient Order of Pyramids, with Of
fees in the Copp building, sustained a
broken wrist and several lacerations.
Dangerous Curve
According to the statements of pas
sengers the west-bound car, in charge
of Motorman Weber and Conductor
Gallagher, slowed, down and came to
a stop at the corner of West First and
Olive streets. Several accidents have
occurred at that corner because of the
steep grade and the quick turn, and
the order to stop cars before making
the turn has been posted at the
corner.
The east bound car gained headway
on the grade and was under the con-
troll of Motorman Baker and Conductor
r. A. Carpenter. Baker applied brakes
when he saw that the car was moving
too rapidly, but the air did not work
and the car, gaining momentum, fairly
dashed toward the curve. The motor
man stayed at his post and made des-
perate efforts to stop the car.
Weber, of the stationary car, was un-
able to see the rate of speed of the
runaway car anu was uOlulHS his car
until the other had passed, when the
runaway swung at the corner, leaping
the tracks and struck the guard rail,
swinging fairly into the front end of
Webers car, humping it from the
trucks and crushing the front plat
form. Both cars were almost totally
wrecked.
Following the collision, Motorman
Weber, although painfully injured, as
sisted in removing the injured from
under the wreckage and sending them
to hospitals.
wrecking crew spent the morning
removing the wrecked cars from the
tracks and traffic over the line was al
most entirely discontinued until yes
terday afternoon.
CAR MAKES Fl WING ZAP