The Washington herald., 1911-09-10

bring his charge to q full stop In time
to avert the accident I
Paul E. Barden, an employe of the
Springman farm at Benning, D. c., who
was standing on the rear platform Of the
disabled car, when he saw the second
car come in sight around the curve, gave
a version of the accident which is cor
roborated by the crews of both cars.
Il realized that an accident was in
evitable," said Mr.. Barden, and started
to jump. 1 saw the motorman of the
oncoming car applying the brakes and
heard the creaking of the fast-moving
car as it slackened under the restraint
of the brakes. AS l stepped of the
platform, every one in the car seemed
to apprehend the danger, and made for
the front door, with the exception
of one old man. He sat in seat in the
rear end of the first car, and was par
TALLY thrown through a window. 1
thought he was killed, but later dis
covered that he escaped without a
scratch.
Conductor LomaX ran from where he
was standing in the front part of the
standing car and grabbed a red lantern.
This he swung to and fro in an effort to
give a signal of danger to the motorman
of the oncoming car. He was still wav-
ing the lantern when I leaped from the
train"
DR.. Jones, the first person on the scene
after the accident, practically corrobo-
rates the story told by those in the cars,
as does young Dupont, one of the injured.
Operate on Victim.
When the ambulance reached Caualty
Hospital with the injured men, the en-
tire staff at the institution was called to
the operating room. Perkins, who was
the worst injured, was Immediately
placed upon the operating table. DR.. H.
w. Jaeger performed the operation, with
the assistance of a large staff. DR.. c. c..
Craft. resident physician, and Drs. Will
lam c. Reeves and Albert Tibbets, visit
ing physicians, attended to the other pa
tients.
Dupont and Rogers, after having their
wounds dressed and resting from the
shock, left the hospital While Posey,
the conductor, was not seriously injured,
it was decided that he should remain at
the institution for the night.
Schafer seemed TO be painfully injured.
although no wounds or broken bones
could be discovered He lay on a cot
during the evening groaning and appar-
emily suffering great pain. Although his
injuries are painful, it is not believed by
the physicians that they will prove fatal.
Perkins was on the operating table for
more than an hour. He was suffering
great pain from his back, which brought
forth continuous groans. After being re-
moved to a private room, he became
quiet and said that the pain was greatly
alleviated. Because of Perkins age, it
is probable his injuries will prove fatal.
Il was on the back platform of the
rear car, looking backward, when the
accident OccTrred," said young Dupont,
who is a member of the Dupont pow
der works family, and the son of a
prominent and wealthy Wilmington man.
at the hospital last night. Il failed to
see the car ahead of US, and cOnSe-
quently, the crash came very suddenly.
l was momentarily dazed, and when
l came to my senses, 1 felt a sharp pain
in my right eye. 1 boarded a special
car with several other of the injured
persons, and was taken to Fifteenth
and H streets northeast, where we were
met by a doctor, who took us to the
hospital in his automobile. The scene
was terrible just after the cars had
met. Women were screaming, and chill
dren were crying for their parents. from
whom they had become separated.
Il had been at Cookies Point, across
from Chesapeake Beach, for several
days with my fathers speed boat. We
had some trouble with our engines, so
Rogers was sent from the Emerson En-
gine Company to make the necessary
repairs. Yesterday we intended racing
another power boat near Chesapeake
Beach, but we were unable to enter
because of the engine trouble"
Il was on the back car with Dupont
when the crash came" said Rogers.
Il was unaware that the car was in
front of us. I suddenly was thrown to
the platform of the car, and for a mo- !
ment was dazed. There was glass fly
ing in all directions, and nearly every
one in the rear car was thrown to the
floor. Several of the women became
hysterical, and all were screaming and
crying"
Il was about midway in the aisle Of
the car going forward collecting fares
when the crash came" narrated Posey,
the conductor of the rear car, in the
hospital. Il had no warning of the acci-
dent AS the cars came together, I was
thrown forward through the glass of the
front window. The motorman of our
car, after reversing the current, leaned
backward to escape the full force of the
contact, and was thrown through the
window"
Several reporters went last night to the
side of the cot on which Schafer was
lying, surrounded by a group of physi-
clans and nurses and friends, and asked
him to tell how the accident occurred.
Clasps for Breath.
"Uh! Uh. I-uh-was in the-uh-front
car" started the young man in a low
voice between his gasps for breath; but
the exertion was too much for him, and
he could not finish the story. Schafer
was suffering great pain. and breathing
seemed difficult.
E. c. Jones, who was returning with
Schafer and Rose from an excursion to
Beach, was sitting in the
same seat with the injured young man
when the crash came.
"Schafer and 1 were in the front OF
the car on the same seat" said Jones'
Our trolley wheel came off the wire
when between Fifty-eighth and Sixty
first streets, and we were compelled to
stop. Suddenly we heard a rumbling
behind US, and, looking back, saw
,ar coming down the grade at a rapid
rate. Several persons tried to leap
rom the windows. Schafer was sitting
next TO the window and tried to leap
'ut. His body was about half way out |
when the rear car struck our car. |
;chafer was thrown against the win |
low frame, and then tumbled out to |
he ground. AS he started to Jump |
rom the window, I grabbed for him, |
)ut he was out of my reach. We |
brought Schafer to Fifteenth and H |
streets northeast on a special car, |
where he was transferred to an am
,ulance."
View of Accident.
w. o. Cornelius, who was on the rear
ar and who SfranpeIy escanad inir,,,