Foggy Morning Collision in South Tacoma
A head-on crash between two streetcars occurs after a crew misses a signal in heavy fog.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Two street cars came together in a head-on collision at the junction near South Tacoma at 8:20 o'clock this morning. The front vestibules of both cars were smashed. The open car which leaves this city at 6 o'clock ran to the junction. The crew, being unable to see the signals on account of the heavy fog, ran past the switch. Before coming to a stop the 6:15 car from South Tacoma came down upon it. Just before the cars came together the motormen saw the danger and shut off the current. The cars, however, had considerable momentum and came together with a crash. One of the motormen was slightly cut about the face with broken glass. So far as can be learned no one else was injured.
“The crew, being unable to see the signals on account of the heavy fog, ran past the switch.”
Transit accidents in the early 20th century were often caused by the sheer complexity of managing single-track lines with rudimentary signaling. Today's light rail systems in Tacoma utilize advanced automated tracking, but the story reflects the persistent challenge of balancing rapid transit expansion with safety in dense urban corridors.
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