The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-11-25
HIT WITH CRASH.
Street Car and Ladder Truck in
Collision.
Three Negro Firemen on Duty
Are Injured.
Gould NOT BE STOPPED
MOtOrman Failed to Control His
Car.
An Exciting Moment for the
Passengers.
COULD NOT BE STOPPED

a westbound Washburn car and hook
and ladder truck No. 1 from fire sta
ton No. 3, shortly after the noon hour
Thursday, Silas Brown, Frank E. Con-
nelly and John Rhodes, colored, of the
| fire department. were more or less
seriously injured but none fatally 1t
was apparently one of those accidents
which in the course of events will hap
pen. and in connection with which no
blame can be attached.
| The hook and ladder truck was dash
| ing at full speed south on Fillmore
| street bound for 1874 MulVane street
where an alarm of fire had been turn
| ed in. A Washburn car with Thomas
Price. who has been in the employ of
the street railway company for four
years as mOtOrman, was traVellrS
! westward at a moderate pace. Neither
| Price the motorman or Brown, the
| driver. saw the approaching danger I'M
| fill if was too late to avert the
| catastrophe Both were sounding their
! gongs.
scene of the accident after Price, who
! retained his presence of mind at all
times. had notified the officials at the
CO. barn Of what had happened Both
Brown and Connolly were taken 20
| Christ's hospital in an ambulance.
Brown, who was found pinned be
meath the heavy wagon. and who has
been driver of the hook and ladder
truck at No. for some time. was IN
an unconscious state Connolly, VINO
| was taking the neutenants place be-
! side him, was thrown violently to the
pavement with the result that his back
was injured. John Rhodes, on the rear
part of the truck. was operating the
tiller with which the rear wheels are
controlled. He attempted to jump ana
in so doing fell to the pavement, and
sustained a cut over the left eye and
severe bruises about the face and
shoulders.
As They Saw 1t.
Mrs Charles Joslin described the &C
| cident as follows: 81 was looking out
| of the window to see the fire depart
ment make the run. I saw the hook
| and ladder truck darling across the
tracks and almost simultaneously the
crash came. TIE car hit the rear end Of
, the truck. The big wagon swayed
, back and forth, with the men riding
at their posts; then it hit the curbing
, and turned over and one of the men
y went up in the air. Although the
victims of the accident were colored
7 they became really as white as a
: sheet"
"A house ON the corner of Twelfth
and Fillmore streets cuts off the view
, north on Fillmore street" stated Price
the mOtorman. Il was running along
going west at a moderate pace, and
; when I saw the rapidly approaching
c truck applied the reverse. The wheels
, began to slip, however, and the car
skidded into the truck. I did not leave
my post but stayed to do all L coulo
G do before the crash came"
. 81 think the motOrman was entirely
c in the Clear said w. NJ. Godsey, who
, lives on College avenue and was pas
senger on the car
when the truck approached at {
= rapid pace he applied his brakes, bu
{ the car did not respond. 1t looks a
e though the driver on the trucl
C thought he could beat the car ant
It was getting up extra speed. At on
C moment I thought that the trucl
, would clear the car.
. 81 was on the north side of the ca
and saw the truck coming when at
~ distance of about seVenty-fVe yards
?, and the driver of the truck made n
&c effort to stop. When the crash cam
&c the truck tilted, PASSED clear acros
&c the street, and then turned over. Tn
@ car was crowded, and there was in
tense excitement, two or three wome
being on the point of collapse.
=. Through Air Like Squirrel.
"I was on the front seat of the car,
Il said L. L. Adams of the Metropolita
Life Insurance company, land m
heart was in my mouth, so to Speal
when I realized that a collision wa
= unavoidable for I thought that m
IN small boy who was with me, and my
self would not have much show fc
life.
- ut looked to me as though the mo-
orman was watching two boys VIII
n were riding ahead of the car on bic!
Giles for the car began to slow up.
iii was just at this time that I realize
iii that the hook and ladder cart was III
iii | on us. 1 thought we were sure goner
iii THE motorman did all he could
Hi stop the car and stood right to h
iii post, and he was the first one to a.
iii the injured men. The man on II
III front seat was Knocked through IL
Ill air like a flying squirrel-he must ha7
iii gone up 10 feet"
III 81 don't think anyone was
iii blame said ]. K. Schiver of $50 We
iii Seventh street. who was also a passe
iii ger on the west bound car.
Ill IF the car had stopped two fe
III sooner, the accident would have be-
iii avoided I think the attention of Il
Hi motorman may have been on b
iii on a bicycle at the time of the acc
iii dent. I saw the truck the instant b
iii fore it struck
iii The horses got across the track
III right but the rear end of the tru
caught on the fender which was to
off. and then the truck turned turt
and lay by the curbing on Fillmo
street"
iii All Will Recover.
Albert T Patten. superintendent
the street railway company, places
blame upon any one, nor does the
iii jured man, Rhodes.
Reports from Christ's hospital
dictate that while the condition
III Fireman Silas Brown is still serio
iii he is resting more easily, and in
iii | probability he will recover. Fra
iii | Connolly is now resting easily. Rhod
injuries were painful, but not of a
iii | riOus nature.
Football Player Killed.
III Winsted. Conn.,, Nov. 25.-Harry L
iii II years old, was killed in foott
iii game between the Tierney cadets q
iii an Independent team composed prin
Iii pally of Gilbert preparatory sch