The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-12
STREET CAR AFIRE
FLAMES APPEARED ON LONG TRES
 TILE, PASSENGERS sTAMrEDED.
The Heroic Conduct of BHot0rman Strickland Saved GsatrOna 0f N Street Railway From se-
 we're Accident.

With the entire front ablaze. and carrying sixty-six human lives, a Park yesterday dashed across the trestle over the Central of GeorGta Railroad tracks near Oakwood Cenne- tery Beneath was A drop Of thirty five feet to the tracks below. Terror stricken and breathless the passengers scrambled over the backs of seats Tn a mad rush to reach the end Of the car. Men and, women, fearful of the flre fought to get as far away from the danger as possible.
 TO the coolness of head and the prompt and decisive action/of Motor man 1T. C. Strickland is due the fact were not seriously injured. With the flames licking his clothing, cireling around his head and almost entirely surrounding his body. he threw on the current and stood manfully to his post until the car had crossed the bridge and reached ground on the other slde'
 When the brakes were finally put on. the men on the car tumbled off as de- scribed by one of them. like fright sned cattle Che man had his chin badly cut In the rush. and several wo- seriously hurt. The man with inc ins jured chin disappeared soon after aIghting. and his name could not be
 The trouble which placed more than sixty lives in peril, was due to d crossing of wires in the front motor which set the motor boxes afiame, and also burned the under side of the car So hot was the blaze that the wooden portion of the front was charred, and the paint on the metal guard was scorched
 The car to which the accident occur red was No, so. which was returning from the baseball game at Athletic Park. According to the fare register, lt carried sixty-four passengers. H. c. Strickland was the motorman in charge while the conductor was H. c.
 It was shortly after o'clock when the car reached the trestle. over the Central of Georgia tracks. just north west of the Cemetery, A long grade leads up from the ground to the height are about thirty-fivs feet % above sov '''t the he ground. The trestle Is narrow, with scant room on either side for a pas senger to alight and anyone attempt ing such feat while the car was in motion, would have been thrown to the ground beneath to probable. if not certain, death.
 When the car was about one-third of the way across the bridge. a sharp explosion was heard, and instantly flames leaped out of the motor boxes in front almost enveloping the form of Motorman Strickland The sight of the blaze was the si~nal for a rush and scramble among the passengers, in which men trod indiscriminately upon the other passengers. Everyone scrambled for the rear end of the ear. Notwithstanding the danger of the position in which he was placed, | Strickland kept his head Quickly he threw on the current, putting the car at top speed and holding it there until | the end of the trestle had been | reached. Here the current was re- versed, the brakes applied, and the car was brought to a stop.
 After the passengers had aHghted 1t was found that, aside from num- l ber of bruises and minor cuts received | in the efforts of the passengers 70 place themselves in safety. no one had been l injured.