The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-06
CHAPTER OF MANY
FIRE ACCIDENTS
ENGINE AND STREET CAR IN A
CRASH. DRIVER AvERTs
CASUALTY.
SWERVES HIS TEAM
HORSES ARE INJURED, BUT ONLY
INJURY TO PERSON IS
sPRAINED ANKLE-CAR
CUTS HOSE.
CUTS HOSE.

An alarm Of fire from william
Gratznowskrs upholstering establish
ment. South Adams street last night.
caused much damage to his and TO
property of others. which he had on
hand, but the many incidents which
quickly followed the ringing OF the
alarm at 1880 o'clock last night, were
enough to ill Il melodrama with
! plenty of thrills.
Two minutes after the alarm was
sounded Engine Company No. .. To-
Gated at Brook avenue and Marshall
streets. wes in full Roadway for the
! scene. Driver II, l.. Cardwe1i, had
mounted the seat and Assistant En-
! gineer q. w Faker had taken flying
| leap for the rear Of the engine.
| Three of the best horses in the de
| partment had rushed to their places.
and had been harnessed up and were
speeding down Brook avenue towards
/ the scene of the fire.
/ Broad street was alive with PEG
pie. going home from the theaters and
| churches. and the cars were loaded
! down with home goers. AS Engine
No. was being hurried toward Broad
street. the crowd at Broad street TOOK
to places OF safety and observation.
| But motorman l.. o. Crowder, or
| Broad and Twenty fifth street car, did
Inot see the fast flying engine, and did
| not stop at the corner of Brook avenue
and Broad street, Neither, according
To passengers and bystanders, did Con
ductor It. w. Loffin see the engine.
The car, which was going east as
fast as the law allows. according TO
Lawyer Albert Boshen, who was an
eye witness, sped on. and the fire en-
CINE WAS coming as fast as possible
across HFoad street.
Driver Cardwel saw an impending
catastrophe. lie saw car with a
number of passengers coming directly
in front of his line of lrogFess. There
was no chance on earth TO stop the
horses The car men did not seem to
see the engine coming.
Sweryes His Team.
In order to prevent the loss OF life.
which seemed to be imminent, the
driver Of the engine swerved his team.
struck the electric light pole in the
middle of the street, the front of the
street car. and as a result threw him
self off his seat, Jared the nFstoF~
man, broke the front door OF the car,
smashed the portion of the car ad-
joining the front seats, caused many
passengers to jump for what they
thought their lives. and blocked traf-
&c for half an hour.
In the impact the horses of the
engine company were injured. big
Tom" one of the pets of the depart
ment, was badly cut across the back.
The other two were not so badly in
tured. The middle horse was knock
ed off his feet. the third horse wa'
cut about the legs, and all three Of
them were taken to DR.. James Nc
Donough's hospital. one OF them In
the ambulance.
The shafts of the engine were pu
out of commission.
Chief Raffo, who arrived upon tbs
scene within n few minutes, arranged
for other horses to take the place O
the three, which will be out of com
mission for month
No One Hurt.
Fortunately, no one was hurt
Driver Cardweii limped little aftel
his perilous jump, but he declared
that he was not hurt
Engine company No. 8, from head
quarters, went to the fire to relieve
No. 3.
Mr.. Gratznowski said that he wal
at work on the second floor of hi
place when he smelt smoke. He rar
downstairs and found the rear of thu
lower floor in flames. He rushed t.
a neighboring box and turned in th'
alarm. His loss Will probably ne COY
cred by $1,000 insurance.
After the hose had been placed
across Cary street, a street car bount
east ran over the hose, cutting then
and putting them out of commission
Shortly after the hose had been re
placed the company was further han
dicapped by the bursting of a Joint
. which put that particular hose ou
OF commission.
1t was nearly IL o'clock before thu
| excitement was over.