Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-05
SCORE ARE
INJURED IN
CAR WRECK
Collision Occurs on
Long Beach
Line
San Pedro Car Runs Into
Rear End of
Flyer
Pacific Electric Officials Try to Keep
Information of Disaster from
Friends of Injured and
Newspapers

A rear end collision on the Pacific
Electric railroad at 6:15 o'clock last
night wrecked two cars and injured
twenty-one persons. The Long Beach
flyer, checking speed when trolley left
the wire, was overtaken by San Pedro
car No. 264 at Forty-seventh street and
Long Beach avenue. The Long Beach
car was running nearly twenty miles
and hour and it's pursuer almost twice
that speed. Both cars were thrown
from the track and the $50 passengers
were taken from the splintered ruins
the windows. The wreck is said to
have been caused by the failure of
Conductor G. H. Herndon of the Long
Beach to display tail lights, or to sig
nal with his lantern when his car be-
gan to slow down, after the trolley
left the wire. -
The names of the injured were gath
cred with great dificulty many of the
victims having left the wreck without
any of the representatives of the COM
pony ilquiA lib lilcii hdlhSos
Wait Long for Relief
According to several who were in
jured, more than half an hour passed
before relief or medical aid arrived.
Most of the injured persons were in
the rear car, the San Pedro car being
more heavily crowded than the flyer.
Motorman O'Shea of the San Pedro
car saw the car ahead checking speed
when fifty yards behind it and whistled
several times.
Herndon was trying to connect the
trolley and apparently did not see the
approaching San Pedro car. O'Shea set
the brakes, but the rails were slippery
with the rain and the uncontrolled car,
lurching with renewed speed down a
slight grade, hurled itself against the
other. The rear platform was torn
off. The heavy frame work of the car
driven with frightful impact, tore
through the rear of the Long Beach
car. Although both cars were derailed
neither was overturned, which prob
ably accounts for the lack of ia
talities.
Tears Shirt for Bandages
In the rear car every seat was torn
loose. as we'll as the cash register and
all the inner panels of the walls. After
the uninjured passengers had recovered
from the benumbing effect of the shock
the work of taking out the cut and
bleeding victims was begun. r. j.
Friedman of San Pedro led the rescue
work, tearing his shirt in shreds to help
stay the flow of blood of those most
severely injured.
Conductor Packard, who was the least
dangerously injured of the train crew,
telephoned Immediately to the Pacific
Electric hospital for help. Messages
were sent for nearby physicians, but
there was long delay before any ar
rived, said by the passengers to have
been half an hour. Those of the in
jured who had not already left or had
been taken home by friends were placed
on a relief car and taken to the Pacific
Electric hospital in the station.
At the scene of the wreck, at the COM
panys hospital and at the emergency
hospital, where a number of the in
jured were taken, every possible effort
was made to suppress information re-
garding the wreck. AT the station en-
ployes were stationed to Withstand iu-
quirers. When a mans injuries had
been attended to he was taken from the
place in charge of an attendant and no
one was allowed to speak to him. 1t
required the time of two men nearly
two hours to keep inquiring reporters
from ]. p Spaulding OF San Pedro, but
when Spaulding was hidden away on a
car and spirited away a reporter was
by his side and got his story.
c Agent is Silent
Inquire of whom were seek
ing fris ved to have been in