The San Francisco call., 1908-08-14
WRECK LEAVES MEN
MANNED AND DYING
Automobile Is Tossed Like a
ShuttIecOck and Occupants
Skulls Broken
MOtOrman Throws on Brakes,
but Suffers From Glass
Broken by Collision

Two men were hurled to almost in
slant death-one friend crushed beside
the other without a chance to say
goodby-in the fourth of cycle of IA
tai automobile accidents yesterday aft
ernoon, when the light runabout in
which were riding Sergeant Major A
Il. Belyea and Electrician Charles II.
Jones. both stationed at the Preside.
was caught and smashed between two
heavy United Railroads cars at Van
Ness avenue and Market street.
With an impact heard for blocks. and
in full view of hundreds, Valencia car
1915 struck the automobile full on the
side and threw it in front of Haight
street car 1871, speeding in the oppo-
site direction. The Haight street car
tossed it back in front of the Valencia
again in a grim game of shuttlecock,
and then it was thrown between them
Belyea and Jones had not the merest
chance. In an instant the little auto
mobile was crushed as though it had
never been. At the first shock the
men were thrown free Of the wreck
but they were struck again and knocked
here and there till the life left them
With crushed skulls and bleeding bodies
mercifully half concealed in the dread
ful confusion of twisted and broken
metal. they sank dying and unconscious.
Perhaps they never realized what hit
denness.
GIVES WAY TO CAR
The time was few minutes after 5
o'clock-the watch taken later from
Belyea's pocket had stopped exactly
at 5:02-and in their automobile they
were driving east along the south side
Of Market street on their way TO the
barracks. Jones, an expert chauffeur
and mechanic, was at the wheel. Keep
ing pace with them was a Valencia
car.
AS he reached the intersection of Van
Ness avenue, Jones slowed down TO let
the Valencia car pass. 1t hid the view
OF an outbound Valencia car on the
other track Directly behind him
there was also a Haight street car.
but Jones saw that he had time TO
cross in front of it and turned up Van
Ness. He seemed not to reckon with
the second Valencia car, which, appar-
emily, he had not seen
The automobile cleared the track in
front of the Haight car, but the next
instant the Valencia car, coming at a
good 20 miles an hour. in charge of Mo
torman Howard Hilliard. hit it fairly
in the middle. Down on the other side
came the Haight street car with Mo-
torman Charles L. Tischbern at the con-
troller.
MOTORMAN USES BRAKES
On the front platform beside Hill
lard was Policeman Harry Higgins, of
the property clerks Office at the po-
lice station. He shouted to Hilliard
to throw on his brakes. The motor
man did SO Just as the shock of the
collision threw a dozen men on the
platform of their feet into a heap,
while glass from the broken windows
was thrown all over them.
Several were cVf and F4iITiard's faca
was gashed in two places. The pas
sengers broke from the car in panic.
Higgins and Patroiman Julius Hiett
were the first to reach Belyea and
Jones.
Belyea was lying with crushed skull.
his brains spattered over the pavement.
Jones was a little distance of beside
portion of what had been the auto
mobile. His skull. too, was fractured.
Though they seemed dead, Hiett hailed
the automobile driven by Juan Villa,
and in 1t Higgins hurried with Belyea's
body 10 the central emergencN hos
pitaL A few minutes later Hiett took
Jones there in an ambulance. Neither
man made a conscious move after the
accident, and their hearts stopped at
almost the same time within 10 min
Ntes.
ADMINISTERS LAST RITES
Patrolman Percy Smith telephoned
for Father Sullivan at st. Mary's cathe-
dral and the priest jumped in an auto
mobile and hurried to the hospital just
in time to administer last rites to the
dying.
Charles H Jones was an electrician
connected with the signal corps, and
lived with his wife at Ga Tennessee
hollow. When she was notified of her
husbands death by Chaplain Jones of
the military post, she fell into a deep.
faint. Jones was a skillful mechanic
and was known as a careful driver.
Sergeant Major A. H. Belyea served
In the Office of Captain D. w. Ketcham.
Rdjutant general under Colonel John
". Lundeen.
Until a thorough investigation is
made at the coroner's inquest, the
blame for the accident can be fixed
upon no one. Each motorman did his
best TO avert the collision. Both were
arrested later for manslaughter.