Trolley Car Runs Wild for Eight Blocks on Main Street at Milltown; Collides with Another
MILLTOWN, Feb. 26 – What might have resulted in a very disastrous accident yesterday morning turned out exceedingly fortunate considering the circumstances. A Public Service trolley car, unguarded, ran over eight blocks through the busy section of the borough, and then crashed into a standing car at the car barn here. The smash-up occurred a little after 9 o’clock, when Motorman Andrew Coxey, after hitting the automobile of Earl Seaman at Booream Avenue, alighted to see what damage had been done and neglected, it is said, to properly turn off the air lever. The trolley car, being on a downgrade at the time, started off and did not stop until it came in contact with the standing car at the barns.
Motorman Coxey was towing another car out from New Brunswick at the time. When he found his vehicle running away from him, he immediately made an attempt to overrun the car, but due to the downgrade at this particular spot, the car gathered speed, even taking the switch at Richter Avenue. The slope from John Street down is such that the car was running at an estimated speed of twenty miles an hour. It crossed the Raritan River tracks leading into the Michelin plant and over the bridge, but in front of the car barns, was a car which only a few minutes before had been placed there. This stopped the leaderless car. When the cars came together, the force was so violent that both front platforms were raised fully fifteen feet off the ground. The damage to the cars was considerable.
The 9 o’clock passenger trolley going west had just made the Richter Avenue switch before the runaway car arrived, and it showed good judgment on the part of Motorman Jacob Van Deursen, who saw the “no man car” coming and he sped his trolley and the passengers to safety. He had no chance to leave his car and make an attempt to stop the other. Luckily no passengers were in either car at the time of the mishap, and fortunately, no one was in the car’s path from the starting point to the finish.
Bus Question
The matter of adequate service being secured from the buses now running through the borough came up for consideration at the council meeting. It was pointed out by Councilman John Lins that the buses do not follow out their plans, that of running to the borough limits and completing their route on schedule time. He advised the council that the bus drivers seem to have a habit of waiting along the line until it is time for the trolley cars to come along, and thus delay traffic. This the council could not deem as fair treatment from the bus owners and upon motion of Councilman Ochs, it was decided to bring the bus owners here at the next regular meeting and have a thorough understanding of the regulations to be followed.
Fire Fees
At a recent meeting of the council, it was decided to impose a fee of $50 for a trip to a fire on the outskirts of Milltown and $25 for every additional hour of service after the first hour that the fire engine and the men were out of town. It was later found that the fee was likely to be changed, and no official announcement was made as to the exact fee to be charged, although the neighborhoods to be affected by this ruling were notified of the change.
Mayor Herbert stated that representatives from the ships nearby would be present at the next regular meeting, at which time this matter would be thoroughly gone into. As the rule now stands, a fee of $50 is charged for service out of town for the first hour of work, or for a trip, and $25 for every hour after that. The new ruling of the council is that the Dodge car is the only one to be allowed to make these trips and the La France car will be available for local emergencies.
