Evening star., 1921-01-22
CARCRASHESDOWN
HILL L|NT0ANOTHER::
FOUR BADLY HURT
Dozen Others Cut by Glass
and $50 Shaken Up on
Connecticut Avenue.
FAILING BRAKES BLAMED;
AUTO HAS LUCKY ESCAPE
Motorman Sticks to Post When He
Sees Collision Is Certain-Face
Cut in Accident.


Cut in Accident.
Four persons were seriously in.
jured. a dozen cut by splintered glasv
and over $50 others shaken up when
the brakes failed to hold a heavily
loaded Washington Railway and
Electric car on the Connecticut ave-
nue. hill between California street and
Florida avenue. at $50 am. today,
allowing it to strike the rear of an
automobile, brush it aside and then
| crash into another crowded car at
the Florida avenue stop.
Those seriously injured are:
c. l. Colburn. 32os 18th street:
right arm broken and two fingers
on the left hand crushed, nessitating
amputation. Treated at Emergency
Hospital.
Bert W. Pierce, 2so7 18th street:
wrist broken. Treated at Army dis
! Icnsary at Connecticut avenue and l.
street.
MIS-. Frank Smith. 2s1l Adams Mill
road; sprained ankle and shock.
Treated at Emergency Hospital.
Mrs G. N. Perry. 1916 Calvert
street; contusions on the right hand
disu CdlS anu DEulSSS. 1IcdkS0n
at Emergency Hospital.
E. w. Johnson. 1922 H street north.
cast; motorman; face cut by glass
Mrs J. Z. Mulford. Northbrook
Courts. face and hands cut. Taken
home
Miss Florence Fe,tman. s4o2. 18th
street, face and hands cut. Taken
home.
Samuel l. Cochran. sos H street;
bruised about the hips and face and
hands cut. Taken home.
/ Miss Leah Cohen, 1896 Columbia
road; bruised about the body and
shocked. Taken home.
Others who were cut and bruised
were picked up by passing automo-
biles and taken home. SO that the
police were unable to obtain a COM
plete list of the injured. Although
the accident caused much excitemene
! Witnesses said there was no panic
and that all of the passengers left
the cars in an orderly manner after
tire crash.
| Motorman Stays at Pest.
johnson was on the rear car, and
was the first to see that a collision
! was inevitable, but, he remained at
treated at the diepensary he returned
to assist in clearing away the wreck
age. =
Passengers in The two cars as well
las those who witnessed the double
accident from the, street marveled
that the collision did not result in
loss of life. frT - To-
Opinion differed as to why the car
could not be stopped on the grade.
and an investigation will be necessary
to determine whether the brakes fall
ed to hold or whether "sweaty' rails
; allowed the wheels to slide down
the tracks.
The second car was in charge of
Motorman Johnson and Conductor
J. e. Grissett It was bound for
ing f1fty-nine persons had boarded IL.
The front car. Into which 1t crashed,
was manned by Motorman Harry
Waymire and Conductor c. A. Ashton.
and was routed to 1st and e streets
northeast. Its register showed seven
persons on each car than the fare
registers showed. however. as the
hack platforms were crowded with
persons who had not yet paid.
Impact Breaks Open Doors.
Most of those injured were on the
front platform of the rear car which
was SO badly damaged that 1t was
necessary to cut 1t away entirely be-
fore the wrecked car could be moved
Fortunately. the force Of the impact
broke the doors of the car SO that
they fell into the street and allowed
the injured an easy means of egress.
a sedan. driven by Col. J. p Bar
ney, 1852 Mintwood place. and carry
ing Maj. Gen. William J. Snow and
progress Of the speeding street car
as it plunged down the hill.
I'VE were coming along at q fair
rate when l felt the car hit the rear
Of my machine" said Col Barney. ''It
showed US along for several feet. but
almost turned us over. Fortunately.
the mechanism was not injured and
I managed to speed up and get off
the track. and the street car rushed
on past us and did not stop until it
hit the car ahead" .
Col. Barney's automobile had the
tire torn from the left rear wheel and
the back of the machine was badly
dented.
The forward street car was stand
ing still when the rear car struck it.
and it was showed almost its own
length by the impact. although the
brakes were stif1 on. 1t was so crowd
ed that those on the rear platform did
not have an opportunity to get out of
the way when 1t became apparent that
the car coming down the hill would
strike it.
Motorman Warns Passengers.
II applied the brakes as we started
down the hill from California street"
said Motorman johnson, but the car
continued to gain speed I rang the
gong to clear the street ahead and told
those on the platform near me to get
hack. as it looked like we would bump
into the car ahead. and continued to
try to hold the car with the brakes as
we went on down the grade.
When the cars struck Johnson was
still at his controller and the crash
pitched him forward with such force
that his head was tammed through the
window in front Of him, the glass cutting
his face in several places.
Police Officer Eslie Williams nf No
precinct, who was standing at the cor
ner of Connecticut avenue and Florida
avenue, first noticed the oncoming street
car was not under control. The car
was not going more than eighteen or
twenty miles an hour. he said.
Williams was under the impression
that the motornan of the runaway car
had had the brakes OF the car well on
for two blocks and the wheels seemed
to be locked. hut. due to its weight. the
street car skidded on down over the
slippery tracks.
Hundreds of persons en- route to work
in the government offices and elsewhere
were delayed by the wreck. which
blocked the southbound track for almost