The Washington herald., 1912-07-23
Collision at Seventh Street and
Florida Avenue Creates
Hsar-panic.
BASEBALL FANS JARRED
Wsst-bound Gar Jumps Track and
Hits Another Both Vehicles
Crowded to Doors.

Following hard on the heels of the
street car collision on last Friday when
one baseball fan was killed and two were
seriously injured. crash between two
cars of the Capital Traction Company
loaded with fans homeward bound from
the American League Baseball Park yes
terday afternoon created a short-lived
panic, produced a scene of wild excite
ment and gave birth to severe censure
of the traction company officials.
Just few minutes after o'clock,
when the streets leading from the ball
park were black with thousands of fans
who had witnessed the trouncing of the
Tigers by the Nationals. a west-bound
car running in Florida Avenue jumped
the track at the switch at Seventh
Street and crashed head-on into an east
bound car. the accident occurring just
two blocks from the fatal mishap OF
Friday.
Motormen Apply Breaks.
That no fatalities or serious injuries
to passengers resulted was most proba-
bly, due to the presence of mind of the
two motormen. who swung all their
weight on the brakes and slowed the
speed OF the cars so that the collision
ly damaging each car. A second after
the crash, the cars were surrounded by
hundreds OF persons eager to learn
whether any passengers had been hurt.
Police of the Eighth precinct drove
back the crowd and the west-bound car
was pulled back on the tracks by an
other car Traffic was blocked for
about ten minutes. but in that time pub
lic opinion OF the traffic officials was
freely expressed. The burden of the crit
icism seemed to be that the Capital
Traction Company. as well as the Wash
ington Railway and Electric Company,
should take immediate and effective
steps toward safeguarding homeward
bound baseball fans
After an investigation Of the collision
police of the Eighth precinct reported II
was unavoidable, basing this report on
the fact that the car crews can not be
held responsible when a car jumps the
tracks. Just what caused the car 10
jump the track, the police did not under
take to learn, leaving such an investiga-
ton to an expert. No further inquiry
into this accident will be made, although
it might have been attended with the
loss of human life. Street car accidents
in the District are investigated officially
only after life has been lost Then. OF
course, the coroner takes action.
Cars at High Speed.
Both cars were travelling at high speed
in orde. TO gather momentum to carry
them across the Seventh Street switches.
westbound car No. IA going to Rock
Creek Bridge. in charge Of Motorman
Eppa Kerns and Conductor Taylor
Thompson. loaded with passengers, start
ed across the switch just as eastbound
car No. 7O6. going to the Navy Yard. in
charge of Motorman L. r. Miller and
Conductor J. W. Clauss, also crowded
with passengers. started to move.
When the westbound car jumped the
track 1t was but a few yards from the
eastbound car, and a bad smash-up
seemed inevitable. But both motormen
used the brakes with good effect. so that
little damage was done when the cars
came together.
Herbert Williams. manager Of the
Ninth Street grocery, who was seriously
hurt Friday when John Michael Caspar
was crushed to death by cars at Ninth
and u Streets, is expected 10 recover.
Dr. Virgil Jackson yesterday stated that
Williams fractured rib did not puncture
his lung.
No changes has been noted in the con-
dition of George X. Herbert, the farmer
of Hickey's Land Northeast. who was
seriously hurt last Saturday night when
his wagon was struck by Capital Trac-
tion car at Seventh and Q streets North