Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1908-02-21
AT FABER SWITCH
Trolley Car Nearly Dashed Over
EmbankmeDt To-Day.

l. a NSiy SNllous ttSihShI oiiiooh w
Cured this morning on the Water
vile line when an up bound car
came within a foot of dashing down
the embankment near Faber's switch
| The car contained about fifteen pas.
sengers, the majority of whom were
women. They were thoroughly
frightened when the car left the rails
and when it seemed a foregone con-
clusion that the car would go sliding
down the big hill into the stream be-
low few of the young women al
most went into Mysteries. When at
length the car was halted and the
women realized that the rolling stock
was standing still, they proceeded tc
eXtricate themselves from the en-
tangled mass in which they were in
Almost all were scared badly, but
none were hurt.
The car is said to have been in
charge of Motorman John Moore and
Albert Chicione. 1t was proceeding
along at a moderate speed as it ap-
preached the Faber switch. Just as
the front wheels were about to take
the siding they jumped the rails
Moore, so it is thought, reversed the
lever quickly in an effort to keep tho
car from going into the gulley on the
right of the track, never thinking
that it would not take much to send
the car crashing down the hill on
the left. At any rate whether the
car was plugged" the next moment
the passengers felt an awful jar and
were hurled violently from their
seats. The car was turning around
and instead of going down the hill
backwards it was going to make the
downward ascent head on. The Wo-
men who by this time were in one
corner of the car, became terrified
when they imagined that nothing
now could prevent them from the ter
rible catastrophe. Even If they
should reach the bottom of the hill
they would be drowned in the icy
waters No wonder they screamed
and shouted for help. The fender of
the car was just over the narrow strir
of dirt on the side of the rail when
the car was brought to standstlll.
What a picture for the camera man
had he been on hand, Books and
papers were strewn on the fioor OF
the car, several school teachers were
huddled together as closely as it was
possible. A few other passengers
were hurrying from the car thinking
that at any moment it might, get
started again and go down. A couple
of the girls were on the verge OF hys-
terics and it took some minutes for
their friends to calm them. One
of the young women was also
bruised but there was
no broken bones; all were mighty
thankful they had escaped SO FORUM
ately. and when they alighted from
the car they breathed such signs of re-
lief. oh, such signs. The car from the
time that it first left the rails, had
been turned almost completely around.
One man said he could not see how it
was ever kept from going down the in
cline.
If it had once started there would
have been not Il chance in a thousand
of stopping the car before it reached (
the water ut the foot of the hill. 1t
is Il big slope and as there are several
large rocks the car would undoubtedly
have been badly shattered.
Among the passengers were several
teachers of the Sprague school. in
Gliding the principal, Mrs Jennie G.
Philips of West Main street: Miss
Emma !. Manville of North Willow
street; Miss Josephine NJ. Dillon of /
William street, Miss Norma \. Adams /
Of Grove street: Miss Helen Is. Heater !
of Grove street and Miss Jennie VI. I,
Lyons of East Liberty street.
One of the teachers. in speaking of 7
the accident said that it was the most
terrible sensation that she had ever
and said when sha look
ed out the window and thought of go
ing down the hill. she closed her
eyes. expecting that she would awaken /
in the never, never land. In addition /
to the exercises in honor of Washing .
toms birthday ut the Sprague school
this afternoon there was also thanks .
giving hymn. The teachers led the
singing.