The Washington times., 1921-01-22
; INJURED AS.
CAR RUNS WILD.
Gets Out Of Control, Dashes
Down Incline, Smashes
Into Car Ahead.

CONTINUED from First PaEe)
car what a narrow escape they had
from death.
Passing automobiles took the in
jured persons to hospitals.
POLICEMAN's VERSION.
Policeman Eslie williams. OF the
Eighth precinct. who was directing
the traffic at Connecticut and Florida
avenues, witnessed the accident He
gave this version:
Both the street car and Ford auto
mobile were coming down Connecticut
avenue. The machine was many yards
ahead OF the car and when n reached
Florida avenue. the driver attempted
to cross in front OF the car. Upon
discovering the car would not stop at
the crossing, the driver then attempt
ed to turn away from the tracks. but
was too late. The car struck his rear
left wheel, pushed the machine off the
tracks, and II slid TO the curb. The
car then continued and hit another
car waiting at Connecticut avenue
and street northwest"
Colburn. one of the injured. said he
was standing on the front platform Of
the runaway car at the time of the
accident but was not watching In
front of the car and had no intima-
tion of the accident until the collision
with the rear of the automobile. He
looked up just in time to see another
street car looming up In front and to
throw up his arms.
"The front platform of the car was
crushed in," he said. "and
1 was hurled back into the body OF
the car. Both my arms were badly
hurt when 1 threw them up to pro-
test myself. ! felt blood streaming
from cuts on my head and face. I
couldn't tell at first how badly I was
hurt. 1t Is a marvel the motorman
wasn't killed"
An investigation was set under way
today to determine the real cause OF
the accident Efforts will be made
to determine whether the brakes on
the car would not work or whether
the car slid after the motorman put
on the brakes.
DESCRIBES CRASH.
A vivid description of the crash
was given by J. S. Reinhart. Of 1903
Monroe street northwest, a passenger
on the first car.
1.-THE car was pretty crowded, the
aisle being filed" said Reinhart.
ne car Udu TtdCueu lHe DotloHi VI
the Connecticut avenue hill and was
stopping. or had stopped, ! am not
certain which, at Florida avenue.
Il glanced out the window and
saw a man on the sidewalk staring
with a Mortified expression at the
rear of our car. l braced myself.
There was a light crash. immedi-
ately followed by a heavier one, and
our car was smashed forward full
length.
''People in the aisle were thrown
to the floor violently. Women
shrieked. Though / had braced my
self, l was thrown hard against the
back of the seat. the force of the
collision knocking my hat off.
II saw an army officer with blood
streaming from a cash in his wrist
and a woman with badly scraped
arm Nobody seemed to be badly
hurt, however. It's mighty fortunate
the cars didn't telescope
HELPS QUIET PASSENGERS.
]. s. Reinhart, 1903 Monroe street
northwest, q passenger on the car
that was struck, was one OF the men
who helped quiet the passengers after
the accident and assisted in helping
women from the car.
He was sitting IN acout the center
Of the car, he said, and the car was
moving at a moderate rate of speed.
Suddenly he was almost thrown from
his seat and his hat fell from his
head. Thinking that the car had
struck an automobile, he got up and
helped some Of the women who had
fallen in the aisle.
The woman In the seat In front OF
him, he said, tainted, and several
others screamed.
The car that struck the one in
which Mr.. Reinhart was riding must
have been coming down the hill at a
high speed. he said, because the i'm
pact was terrific.
BLAMES MOTORMAN.
c. d. Ratcliffe, of the Munsey Trust
who was on the scene at
the time of the accident, helped sew
eral of the injured women into a
nearby drugstore. 1t was his opinion
that both the motorman and the
driver of the automobile were to
blame for the smash-up.
"It's a shame to permit cars to go
down Connecticut avenue hill at an
excessive speed and it happens every
day." Mr.. Ratcliffe remarked "As far
as I could make out, the motorman
evidently lost control of his car after
it struck the automobile. Autoists
are altogether too careless how they
cross the track in front of approach
ing street cars at the bottom OF Con-