The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-10-27


bankment nearest the rails.
Car Is Demolished.
The car body itself was ruined. 1t
was torn apart, cracked and spiintered
fore and aft. Big iron braces and sup
ports were twisted into an unrecog-
nizable mass as if they were ribbons
Hardly a square foot of 1t was LETT
intact. Tenders were torn from both
ends and both vestibules were torn par
TALLY from the car body. They were
simply reduced to a mass of debris.
Traffic over the North Temple street
rails was blocked all night. The
wrecking car and crew arrived on the
scene half an hour after the accident
and labored industriously on the wreck.
They succeeded at a late hour in pull
ing the trucks out of the ditch and
righting both sets on the rails, but
found the overturned car a pOnderous
proposition.
Heroic work was done in freeing the
passengers from the wreckage. Con-
ductor Hansen, whose right leg was in
jured, was buried under five men who
were standing in the rear yestbule
when the car tipped. He freed him.
self from the squirming bunch, yanked
open one of the car doors and aided
the struggling mass of humanity in
getting out. Women were brushed aside
and trampled upon by men in the rush
for doors. 1-
/ Two men passengers fell out of the
car into the bottom of the creek as
it was poised in the air.. They both es-
capped uninjured, landing IN the soft
mud and water below. One tiny baby,
apparently about seven months of age,
made itself heard above the noise and
the din by its pathetic cries. The
mother-love of it's guardian shielded the
child from injury, though the mother
was bruised.
Assisting the Injured.
Two soldiers from Fort Douglas and
nearby citizens who were attracted by
the noise of the wreck, the screams of
the suffering humanity, the sharp
cracking of the car as ii bounded over
the rocks and ties and the climaxing
roar when il dashed itself into a heap
of wreckage, aided Conductor Hansen
in untang1ing several people from the
wreckage in which they had become en-
tangled.
AS fast as the people were pulled out
or limped out of the car, they We're
taken care of by willing hands and
rushed to nearby residences. The
homes of W. H. Blood, No. 1O3 North
Second West street; r. ]. Dinwoodey,
No. SO North Second West street. and
William Trip and Joseph Foden were
converted into temporary hospitals,
where the injured and frightened peo-
pie were cared for until ambulances
and carriages could be summoned 10
convey them to the hospital or their
homes.
Lieutenant Shannon and Sergeant
Roberts from police headquarters were
early on the scene and assisted in re-
lieving the injured and in driving back
the mob of curious people who had coll
lected. Telephone calls summoned the
police patrol. the L. D. 5. and St.
Marks ambulances and these, in addi-
ton to automobiles and hacks, con-
veyed the injured to their homes.
One thousand people were soon on
the scene as news of the wreck spread
through the city. Tales of horrible ac
cidents accompanied the news, and it
seemed as if each. person made the
story more grueSome.- People Hooked
there in big numbers up TO midnight,
and when they found that the accident
had not resulted very seriously TO the
passengers, they gave tfeir time to-
watching the wrecking crew and try
ing to figure out how the passengers
escaped so lightly.
Conductors Statement.
Conductor c. P. Hansen. despite the
pain from his injured right leg, was
able to give the following interview:
'Our car left the Salt Palace at $50
and picked up a fair cargo OF people
along Main street II was 6;42 when
we were crossing Second West on North
Temple, and the car commenced to
bounce, shake and tremble from the
rocks on the rails. one OF them
weighed about five pounds, as L after
wards found out, and that threw US
from the rails.
I'VE bumped along about twenty
yards and then the car seemed to swing
around as If il was on a pivot. 1t was
all done in a twinkling as we nad Deen
humming along at big speed. Inc car
turned half a circle and then rolled
over, making a bridge across the creek.
The fact that the gates on the SIDE OF
the car that landed underneath were
shut was all that prevented everybody
on the front and rear platforms from
being hurled below
Il was buried under five men ana my
right leg was trapped in the ruins. l
managed to struggle and squirm out.
Inside the car it was mass OF indie
scribable confusion. Everybody was
panicstricken. All were trying 70 get
out amid cries of pain and other yells
of fright. 1 managed to pull open the |
door and those who were not hurt piled !
ont