Telescoped at the Crossing: A Grant Street Horror

A FRIGHTFUL CATASTROPHE Grant Street Electric Car Is Telescoped By a Passenger Train AT GRANT ST. CROSSING One Passenger Killed and Many Others Wounded, Several Fatally—Accident Was Due to Carelessness.

The dead: Emanuel Broad, aged 35, laborer of South Seattle. Both legs broken, left foot mangled, crushed internally. Died in patrol wagon on the way to Providence hospital. Leaves a wife and one child.

The injured: E. E. Hope, of Georgetown. Left arm crushed. Clerk with Seattle Hardware Co. Duncan Brown, of Georgetown badly bruised about back and arms and cut over one eye. Partner in the Seattle Bridge Co. George Brown, of South Park, slightly injured. Partner in the Seattle Bridge Co. Frank Hoftiditz, of South Seattle. Broken leg and internal injuries. Driver for Frank Jobs. H. E. Bull, of Georgetown, proprietor of the Horsehoeing Printing Company, one arm broken, chest and internal injuries. S. McLean, of South Seattle, one of the members of the real estate firm of Sparkman McLean, wrist sprained, side injured, head and face cut. Braemer, of Georgetown, bruised about body. Harry F. Henry, aged 8, of South Seattle, bruised about body. Mrs. J. Peters, of South Seattle. Thrown in the bay and severely shocked. George Lindoff, of South Seattle. Head cut, internal injuries. W. Sumner, aged 40, of South Seattle, slightly bruised. Carl Fickeisen, of Georgetown. Head cut and internal injuries. Employed by Benninghausen, the jeweler. Charles Fickeisen, of Georgetown. Cut on head and bruised. Jake Newman, of Georgetown. Cut and bruised. Clerk of Seattle Trading Co. Daniel Van Dewater, laborer, aged 40, of South Seattle. Cut on head. Martin Middlestead, of Georgetown, lineman of Sunset Telephone Co. Thrown in bay and bruised. Mrs. Ella E. Morgan, South Seattle. Thrown in water and severely shocked.

A frightful accident occurred at 7:41 this morning, at the point where the Grant street electric cars cross the tracks of the Northern Pacific railroad. A Grant street car, bound down the city, was telescoped by the outbound Northern Pacific passenger train, on route to Olympia. One passenger on the electric car was fatally hurt and has since died. Ten other passengers were injured, some of them severely, and several deaths are expected. There were 15 passengers on the car.

The cause of the accident is believed to be due to carelessness on the part of the Northern Pacific employe and the employes of the street railway company. The Northern Pacific gate watchman, Robert Ward, was ten minutes late in getting to his duty, and arrived just a minute or two after the accident had occurred. He stated to a Star reporter that no watchman on duty at the same time on the other hand.

The motor-man, Harry Sharp, did not slacken speed until his car was to the Northern Pacific track. He then slowed up, but did not succeed in stopping until the car projected about 2 ft. on the track. A heavy mist had prevented the motorman from seeing the approaching train. A curve and hillside at that point also interrupts an extended view.

Just before the collision occurred Sharp saw the approaching train, and jumped for his life, landing in the water. He was not much hurt. The Northern Pacific train was running at a rate of 30 miles per hour, though only allowed to run in town through the city at the rate of 15 miles per hour. The locomotive struck the electric car near the front trucks, knocking it into a mass of splinters. The shock of impact was terrific. Nearly every passenger in the forward end of the car was injured.

Frank Hoftiditz suffered a broken leg and other injuries. E. E. Hope was caught in the debris and his left arm crushed.

Another man, supposed to be Emanuel Broad, was crushed internally, both legs broken and his left foot mangled. He died in the patrol wagon while being conveyed to Providence hospital.

Jim Grannis, an employe of the Washington Iron Works, said he was coming up Grant street to his work, when he saw the electric car coming, and as it revolved that the train would certainly collide with the car, he ran up the street waving his hand to the motorman to stop. After the train passed, his view of the accident shut off.

P. Hedburg, who had just crossed the track, and was going into the Washington Iron Works foundry yards, looked up just as the train was reaching into the street car. He said it looked to him as if the car was standing still at the time it was struck.

J. Harrison, William and David Cooper, who were also on their way to work, the former in one company and the other man jumped from the front platform and run across the Northern Pacific track. The motorman was seen in the water.

The direction of this city ordinance regarding the rate of speed at which cars of the Grant street railway company shall be run in the city is as follows: Section 1—That the cars used on said railway shall not be run in the business and settled portion of the city at a rate of speed exceeding 10 miles per hour, and that the City reserves the right at any and all times to limit by ordinance the rate of speed at which all cars shall be operated on any of its streets.

The motion of the ordinance regarding rates of speed at which the Northern Pacific railroad trains shall be run through the city is: That the said City council shall retain the same controlling power over all such trains and all other means and vehicles in the city, and shall have the right to regulate the speed of trains within such limits as hereinafter mentioned, and that no company or persons shall run trains over the tracks at a rate of speed exceeding 15 miles per hour, or as may hereafter be fixed by ordinance.

L. L. Lee, of the real estate firm of Sparkman & McLean, was one of the center of the crash in the wreck, and he said to a Star reporter: 'It was the worst thing I ever had at my lips, and I hope I may never have such another. It is a terrible thing to remain in a car with a train approaching knowing it will strike your car before you can get out of harm's way.'

Standing near the front of the car, sticking to Al Smith and near the railway company, the car slows down, apparently with the intention of stopping, as is customary. The track, however, was slippery, and the electric car did not seem to stop. As I looked out of the window I saw the train coming, and it seemed too late at rapid rate speed. It clashed against the front in a mass that there were going to be a collision, and I spoke to my fellow passenger, 'My God! Alex, one door for.' We at the same time making jump for the door. At that instant the rush and the pilot of the train struck the car by the front shields, cut off the car from lifting up, and the bottom fell out. I climbed out through the opening of the car on to the truck, and then in the bay after appearing to find that the conductor and the motorman had jumped at the last moment of the position and not injured. I want to state that the men from the Washington Iron Works were prompt in arriving on the scene and assisting those in the water and rescuing for the wounded.

H. E. Bull, manager of the Horsehoeing Printing Company, and one of the injured said: 'I was standing on the front of the car as the train seemed to make an accident. I rushed to the rear but before I could get there I was thrown through the window in the rear of the car, and can struggle in the water below. I am badly injured about the head and body. It is customary for the conductor to stop the car near the railroad crossing and go out and ascertain whether the track is clear. This not done this morning, and the car seems running full speed when it was struck by the train. This is a case of criminal carelessness.'

P. Desmoulins said: 'I was conductor on the electric car and was coming into town on the old run, but the Northern Pacific train came walking forward to the front platform of the car if everything was all right, but it did not get further than the free door when I saw the motorman trying to stop the car and the Northern Pacific train running. 'We can't stop the car!' and going to do out to the bay 'Jump for your life.' But there was no time. The passenger train was coming at the rate of fully 30 miles an hour while whistle blown at full run.'

Two damages suits will be immediately instituted as a result of the accident. H. L. Birk has been retained by H. E. Bull and Daniel Lee to bring these suits, and it is quite probable that Harry Henry, Daniel Van Dewater and W. Sumner will also join.