Accidents (was West Penn "Orange")

[Kenneth Josephson]

Jim Holland wrote:

> Greetings!
>
> John Swindler wrote:
>
> > CONNELLSVILLE COURIER, Feb 26, 1918
>
> > TROLLEY CAR CHASES AUTOMOBILE UP HILL AND THEM RAMS IT
>
>         From the sounds of the headlines, I had visions of the trolleycar
> chasing the automobile for a whole block before it was *finally* able to
> catch and purposely ram it.  Snoozepaper sensationalism under
> development, I guess.  Hardly the case once the article is read:. . .
>
> > Mr. Dunn saw the
> > street car just as he reached the crossing and he turned the machine up the
> > tracks, running ahead of he car to avoid a collision.  The street car was
> > not stopped quickly enough and overtook the automobile about 80 feet up the
> > tracks.
>
>         Reminds me of a story that appeared in *Traction & Models* where a
> motorman was not able to stop his trolleycar in time to avoid a
> collision and a witness on the sidewalk claimed the motorman didn't even
> try.
>         This witness then became a motorman and had a similar accident while in
> training.  The trainee said:  "I witnessed an accident several years ago
> and claimed the motorman didn't try to stop; now I see he couldn't."
> The trainee never learned that his instructor on the car was the
> motorman of the accident he had witnessed.

I remember reading that. We all know the story of what happened to the motorman who
rammed Teddy Roosevelt's carriage.

Ken J.