Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-13
ONE KILLED AND
TEN INJURED IN
CAR ACCIDENTS
CRUSHED TO DEATH BENEATH
B0LSTERS OF TRUCK
SEVEN HURT BY COLLISION WITH
EXPRESS WAGON
Driver and Three Passengers Thrown
HeadIong to Pavement, Two Being
Pinned Under Wreckage
of Vehicle
THE DEAD
G. NJ. FOWLER, 719 Ganahl street.
THE INJURED

Paul Smelling, 10 years of age, 1447 East
FOrty-seventh street, fracture of left thigh,
lacerated scalp, concussion of brain; serious
Leslie Smelling, IL years of age, 1447 East
Forty-seventh street. severe cOncussiOn of
brain, decorations of head and face; condi-
tiOn serious.
Henry DeNorght, 40 years of age, 1913
San Julian street, contusiOns of chest, back
and left shoulder.
willard Keyes, aged IL, 1907 Vermont
avenue Iaceration and confusion of head,
cOntuslons of legs, left ankle sprained.
Frank j. Wiebelt, 5SS South Flower, left
leg fractured above knee.
Mrs. Mary scaaf, 223 South Main street,
bruised about head and shoulders.
4 Mrs. S. A. Haverield, 7e1 East Sixteenth
street. contusiOns of hips and body.
John Garrett, 492 East Twenty ninth
street, Iacerations of tongue and lips, teeth
knocked out.
Brice Cowan, II years of age, severe
concussion of brain and decorations.
Nicholas Nieralkos, II years of age, bad
fracture of skull
This is the record of street car casu-
alties which occurred between 6 and
11:15 o'clock p. m. yesterday.
The accident in which G. NJ Fowler
was so badly hurt that he died of his
injuries in the receiving hospital oc-
Cured at the plaza shortly after
! o'clock.
Fowler, who was a carpenter fore
man employed by the Pacific Electric
company, was a passenger on north
bound Brooklyn avenue car 1l3, IN
charge of Motorman l.. A. Hartman
| and Conductor L. Denkerman. Fowler,
| because of the crowded condition of
the car, was seated on the steps of the
rear end, at the left side of the car.
At the Plaza, where the car turns,
| there is a mechanical switch, which is
changed. by the conductor pulling it
over with a chain. Whether Conductor
Denkerman dropped the chain too soon,
closing the switch before the rear
trucks struck it, or whether the spring
failed to close the switch entirely and
the blade struck the fiange of the wheel
and diverted it to the straight track,
probably will never be known, but
while the front trucks took the curve,
| the srear trucks kept the Main street
track and swung the body of the car
far out over the south-bound track.
At that moment south bound Holly
wood car No. 1872, in charge of Motor
man G.. Stock and Conductor d. L.
Settle, was taking the switch on the
| opposite track, and the rear end of the
Brooklyn avenue car was thrown into
the front end of the Hollywood car.
To keep from being crushed between
the cars Fowler jumped from his posi-
ton. He was caught by the step OF
the car and whirled in front of the
sliding rear trucks.
Power on both cars was shut off al
most instantly and the emergency
brakes applied, bringing them to
| stop. Fowler was found wedged be-
meath the holsters of the truck. He
4,Ir ,, Tod tfN hn
ceiving hospital, where 1t was found
he had suffered fractures of both legs
and internal injuries. He died at 500
p. m. The body was taken to the
Pierce Brothers morgue.
Car in Collision
Seven of the victims in the above
list were injured shortly before
O'Clock in a collision between street
car and a wagon at Eleventh street
and Maple avenue.
Henry De Norght, an expressman,
was driving east on Eleventh street,
with his nephew, Willard Keyes, beside
him on the seat. In the rear of the
wagon were Paul and Leslie Smelling,
brothers, on their way home, having
jumped into the wagon for ride.
Car 395 of the Maple avenue line of
the Los Angeles railway was north
bound and had stopped at Twelfth
| street TO take on d ptSSSllSeI' az 1-ASf
enth street the car was moving about
nine miles an hour, and before the
crossing was reached Motorman Z. =.
Conway sounded his warning bell Just
as he did so De Norght drove. on the
track. his horses going at trot.
| ,Motorman Conway turned OF ms
| power, reversed his lever and applied
the emergency brakes, but could not
avoid the collision. The wagon was
| struck thrown from the track and
turned on it's side thirty feet away:
De Norght was thrown from the
seat and his nephew, Willard, fell be-
meath the seat of the wagon and was
pinned down. The Smelling boys We're
| thrown heavily to the pavement, Paul
being caught beneath the body of the
| wagon.
Mrs. Mary Scaaf was passenger on
the car as were Mrs. S. A. Havertield
and John Garrett. Their injuries were
caused by being thrown from their
seats when the car was brought to the
emergency stop.
| Given Instant Care
/ The crash of the collision attracted
a great crowd from the nearby houses
and stores and the injured man and
boys who were in the wagon were
picked up and carried into the house
| of Mrs. Mary Fitzgerald, 1O4S Maple
avenue where they received such aid
as could be given them until the po-
lice ambulance arrived and took them
to the receiving hospital. There Drs.
Quint, Garrett, Wiley and Cook at
tended them. Willard Keyes and
Henry De Norght were able to go to
their homes and the Smelling boys
were sent to the Childrens hospital
Frank j. Wiebelt, a machinist en-
ployed at the Santa Fe shops, living
at 5SS South Flower street. alighted
from a depot line car at Second and
Spring streets at $3.50 o'clock and ran
to catch a southbound Washington
street car He stepped on lump of
asphaltum which track repairers had
torn up from the street and was
thrown heavily to the pavement His
left leg was twisted beneath him and
fractured above the knee. He was