NARROWLY ESCAPE DEATH

Urbana Courier-Herald January 20, 1904

Passengers on Street Car Have Close Call

Motorman Turns on Full Power and Breaks Though Gates Just in Front of Train

Passengers on an east bound streetcar that left Champaign for Urbana at 9:20 Monday night narrowly escaped death at the crossing of the Illinois Central with University avenue. Their lives were only saved by nervy action of the motorman who drove his car headlong through the gates that protect this crossing, much to of the damage of the gates, but to the relief of the passengers.

The car was conveying the usual load of late homeward bound passengers from Champaign, and had just passed the first gate of the crossing when the gates on both sides were lowered. The gates are supposed to be lowered when tram is approaching and as one was at that time coming onward rapidly, they should have been in position before the car attempted to cross the tracks. When the east gate was reached the engine was but a few feet away and coming on with unslackened speed. The car was lying across the track that train was on and every second increased the danger. There would have been no time to either lift the gate or back-up and, with all power turned on, the motorman. drove straight through it. The gate snapped like glass and fell clear Of the car track leaving the, car free to proceed on its journey with its load of precious human freight, that had come so near being sacrificed.