Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-28
Lou Meumann and Edward
Anderson Near Death
on Fifth Avenue.
GOING SO MILE HOUR z
Accident at $40 a. m. in
Front of Bethany Home
Both in Hospital.

Racing east on Fifth avenue at
rate of speed estimated by eyewit-
nesses to have been so miles an hour.
a seven-passenger automobile crashed
head-On into a Fourth avenue car of
the large pay-as-you-enter type. of
steel construction throughout, with
terrific force at 500 this morning. The
machine is a complete wreck. The in
jured are:
LOU MEUMANN. proprietor of the
New Diamond bar. 1915 Second ave
nue.. Right thigh badly fractured. six
inches above knee. Bruises about
body
EDWARD ANDERSON. bartender at
the New Diamond bar, who resides at
1903 Third avenue Moline. Skull frac-
tured, scalp laid open for six inchs on
forehead, hand lacerated, with bruises
about body. Condition serious. May
die
The accident occurred directly in
front of Bethany home. Early every
morning the street cars are run from
the barn and parked on the main
tracks to the east. There was a string
of cars parked from Bethany home
east to Thirty-elghth street. The troll
ley poles of all the cars were on the
trolley and each was lighted and the
headlights burning The car hit by
the auto was the last of the string to
the west.
The Meumann car attracted atten-
ton all the way up Fifth avenue be
cause of the excessive rate of speed
at which it was moving. At Thirty
first street employees in restaurants
ran out to see the car pass, being at
tracted by the noise of the whirring
motor. AS Meumann passed the car
barn three eyewitnesses claim he was
driving on the north side of the street,
which is the wrong side.
Crash Heard for Blocks.
AS he neared the string of cars he
swerved the machine as if to turn over
to the south side of the avenue. The
car either skidded or the machine was
going at such a rate of speed that the
driver was unable to clear the string,
as the auto crashed head-on into the
first car. The street was deserted at
this time Of the morning and the
crash could be heard for several
blocks. Street car employees rushed
to the spot. Meumann was piniOned
under the steering gear and Anderson
was found beneath the wreckage to
the side of him. Anderson was I'M
conscious and bleeding profusely.
Both injured men were hurried to st.
Anthony's hospital. DR.. Joseph De
Silva and DR.. A. y. Mueller treated
the men to the hospital.
An X-ray picture was taken of the
fracture in Meumann's leg. Anderson's
scalp was laid open for space of six
inches and many stitches were re-
quired to close the wound The skull
at this place was also fractured. Con-
cussion of the brain has not yet set in,
and if combinations do not devotion
Anderson has a chance for recovery
His right hand was also lacerated. An
derson was hurled violently against
the windshield.
Those who viewed the wreckage of
the automobile wondered how the two
men escaped alive. The machine is
a total wreck and fit only for scrap. I
The entire front end of the big ma
chine was collapsed onto the body in
the rear, the radiator, tenders, en-
CINE and all accessories being driven
into the body. In fact the entire ma
chine is twisted out of all semblance
of an automobile.
The street car was not badly dam, |
aged. The heavy steel bumper bar. /
which constitutes the frame of the /
platform, was twisted and the fender
wrecked and several glass panes in /
front broken.
Claims Lights Out
Meumann claimed that the lights on /
the street car were not on, but officials /.
of the Tri-City Railway company /
maintain that the trolley of each of /
the cars was on and that the head !
lights on each car were burning !
brightly. Meumann explained that lie I
was taking Anderson to his home in !
Moline