Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-10
SCORE HURT IN
CRASH OF CARS
ON P. {. LINE
Rear End Collision I'M
perils Lives of PaSSen-
gers from Beach
TOURS TS INJURED
MOtorman Is Blinded By
Headlight; Fails to See
Warning Flagman

TIVE persons were seriously injured
two others suffered severe bruises .
- and others were slightly hurt as
the result of rear-end collision near
Florence station on the Long Beach
line of the Pacific Electric railroad at
6:25 o'clock last evening, when Long
Beach car No. $50 crashed into the
rear end of a four-car train bringing
visitors to Catalina back to Los An
geles. -
H. A. Bate of Battineau, N. D., leg
broken below knee and other injuries;
taken to Crocker street hospital.
Charles F. Drewry of Bowdle, 5. D..
left leg broken below knee; taken 10
Crocker street hospital.
Mrs. w H Doyle of Telluride, Colo,
back injured and perhaps ribs broken;
taken to Crocker street hospital.
S. Z. Seamans, S12 Frisco street. sur
ferng from severe decorations on legs;
taken to Crocker street hospital.
Elias A. Smith of Long Beach, left
kidney injured; taken to Crocker street
Slightly Injured
Mrs. P. Robertson of Medicine Hat,
Alberta, Canada, hip injured; went
home to hotel on Hope street near
Ninth street.
e. Griewank, conductor of the Long
Beach car left knee bruised; taken to
| the Pacific Electric hospital and later
taken to his home.
The accident occurred only few
yards from the Florence avenue sta
tion and, according to an official or
the Pacific Electric railroad, the only
person who can possibly be blamed IN
any way for the accident is the motor
man of the Long Beach car.
A four-car train, consisting of cars
414 1856, 1913 and 391, had met the boat
from Catalina at San Pedro and was
| inbound to the city The train was In
charge of Motorman Elliott and Con-
| ductor Smitherman. Nearly all of the
passengers were tourist visitors to Los
| Angeles and had been passing holi-
day season at the island resort.
AS the heavy train passed Nadeau
station the motorman noticed that
there was something wrong with the
air connections, and stopped the train
few yards south of Florence station
to make an investigation. According
to statements made last night by both
Elliott and Smitherman, the tail lights
on the Catalina train were burning
brightly and as soon as a stop was
made a f1agman was sent out on the
run to flag any car that might be
hurrying in from the south or east.
l the 1ldSIldll WAS LOO ldtEs Oh
account of the cars running on too
| short headway, or the headlight of a
southbound car blinded the eyes of the
motorman of the oncoming car.
Crashes Into Train
The crew of Long Beach car No. $50,
inbound, in charge of Conductor E.
Griewank and Motorman r. S. Rankin,
failed to see the flagmans signal and
the Long Beach car crashed into the
rear of the Catalina train. Fortunately
the open part of the rear car of the
Catalina train was in front and the
open part of the Long Beach car was
in the rear, otherwise there is little
doubt that the cars would have tele-
scoped and there would have been q
heavy death list.
When the cars crashed together the
rear platform of the Catalina rear car
| and the front platform of the Long
Beach car were smashed in, but the
heavy steel bumpers prevented the
Long Beach car from plowirg through
| and over the Aseats of the coach with
| which it had collided
For few moments all was confusion.
Passengers were hurled from their
seats glass was shattered, and tho
means and cries of those who had been
seriously injured could be heard in the
darkness. A hurry call was sent in for
help, and as soon as the injured could
be gathered up and made as comfort
able as possible clear right of way
was given, and they were rushed to
the Pacific Electric hospital in the
Huntington building, Sixth and Main
| streets, where first aid to the injured
was given by DR.. H. G. Gates, the COM
pany physician
That many were slightly injured who
did not demand surgical treatment and
! whose names were not given out by the
companys claim agent or the COM
pany's surgeon was made evident from
| statements made by persons who were
in the wreck. The total number of in
| jured is estimated at twenty.
All but one of the seriously injured
were later taken to the Crocker street
hospital, where at a late hour last
night it was stated that none of the
injuries would prove fatal.
Surgeon Noncommittal
DIR. H. G. Gates, the Pacific Electric
surgeon, was non -committal as to the
number of injured last midnight
"It is reported that twenty-five or
| thirty persons were more or less in
jured in the wreck. Is that true?' he
was asked.
Il didn't see them," was the reply.
| "But you were in the p r. hospital
when the injured We're brought in.
How many were attended to there?"
was the next question.
II don't know-three, or four, or five
Il don't know" was the reply.
"Sure it wasn't twenty or twenty
five?"
''I didn't see as many as that" and
the surgeon hung up the receiver.
One of the officials in the Pacific
Electric claim agents office had q
theory as to the cause of the wreck last
night after interviewing the men in
charge of the trains and some Of the
passengers. He said:
"A flagman was sent out by the crew
of the inbound Catalina train when the
train was stopped. But the headlights
of the cars are very strong and the
Long Beach car was running under
short headway. 1 have no strong
doubt that the headlight of a south
bound car that happened to be passing
on the main line just at that time
blinded the motorman of the Long
Beach car and he failed to see the
! CoufInued an Pare rtVu.