Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1912-12-27


them, perhaps, fatally, in a head-on
collision between freight and pas
senger car on the Washington. Balti-
more and Annapolis Electric Line,
near Annapolis, at s 80 o'clock this
morning.
The injured, all of whom, are being
cared for in the Emergency Hospital,
are:
Fred Aiken, motto rman of the out
bound passenger car, one leg cut off
Just above the ankle; head cut and
body bruises. probably fatal.
K. Lee Duval, conductor, broken
leg, bruised hip and cuts and bruises
about the body.
f. l.. Christopher, motorman of
the freight car stunned and suffering
Of shock.
Harry Green, brakeman of the
freight car; foot badly crushed.
Both cars were running at a rats of
about 20 or 20 miles an hour when
they came together, and the force of
tbs impact was so great that the
heavily loaded freight car plcughed
half way through the lighter passen-
ger car. The cause of the collision
will not be determined until after
officials Of the road have completed a
thorough investigation, but it is un-
derstood that the heavy fog of the
early morning hours, is ascribed as
the cause.
The crew cf neither car could
see the block signal, nor could they
see the other approaching, until
they were only few yards apart,
and while the motormen quickly
applied the brakes,it was too late to
prevent the crash. The passenger
car is known as the "local" that COW
ers the circuit of the Annapolis
streets at intervals of three times an
nour, aud runs as far as Camp Parole
Station, two and a-half miles from
the city, while the inbound freight
was the regular ear from Baltimore
in the morning. 1t was heavily
laden.
Fortunately the local car had no
passengers for the trip to Parole
which she had started just prior to
the crash, otherwise the collision
would have been attended by more
serious results. The crash came so
quickly that neither of the motormen
had time to get out of his eompart-
ment, nor were the conductors able
to Jump to safety. Fred Aiken, mo-
torman of the passenger car, the
most seriously injured of all, suffer
ed terrible agoly, but through it all
ne bore up calmly, and directed the
rescuers in their work. His body
was jammed into the top of his car
by the impact.
Suffering greatly from the loss
OF blood. as one leg had been severed
above the ankle, and was. hanging
by a mere shred of fiesh besides
painful contusiOns of the head,
Aiken pitifully cried for help,
though he was jammed so tightly
against the roof of the fcar that he
was prevented from seeing any of the
rescue party by the wreckage. 1t
was necessary to use axe, saw snc
pick to dig away the top of the car in
order to pet at the injured motorman.
Meantime, corps of doctors had
FASTENED to the scene and litters
were sent from the Emergency Hos
pital. to care for the injured. When
Aiken was finally released, he was
placed on a stretcher and hurried to
the hospital. Prior to this r. Lee
Duvall, conductor of the passenger
car was picked up in the car. He
has broken leg, badly bruised hip,
besides other cuts ana bruises.
Mosorman Christopher, of the freight,
was hurled through the window of
the door out into the slush and snow
on an embankment near the side OF
the track.
Aside from slight cuts and bruises.
he is not seriously hurt, but was so
badly stunned that for time he
could not walk. Harry Green, So
years old, brakeman of the freight,
escaped with slightly crushed foot,
while Nicholas Basil, who also was
on the freight. escaped without a
scratch. Though the impact Of the
collision was great, the trucks of the
passenger car did not leave the
tracks at all. The front trucks Of the
freight were torn apart while the
rear trucks jumped the tracks Oy a
few inches. That is probably the
reason that the passenger car was
more brady damaged by the freight.
Half of 1t was torn and spli. asdnder,
while the freight was damaged only
about half that extent.
Among the first persons at the
scene Of the wreck were Messrs. 0s-
car Lloyd, John Weaver and Charles
Herold. They did heroic work in
caring for the injured When the IN
jured of the train crews had been
cared for a quick search of the pas
senger car was made to see If any
passengers We're aboard. Conductor
/ Duvall was the first to be taken to
the hospital. then Brakeman Green