A Landis Peerless Traction Breaks its Guide Chain and Plays
Havoc on North Queen Street This article, nearly a century old,
tells of an occurrence on the main business street of Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, in which a Peerless went ‘wild.’ We have
picked it up intact, just as it was printed in the Lancaster New
Era of December 5,1884. It was made available by Mrs. Herbert B.
A large crowd of men and boys assembled on South Queen Street,
in the vicinity of the Fountain Inn, a few minutes before 7
o’clock on Thursday evening, to witness the working of Ezra
Landis’ Peerless traction engine, which was on its way home
from Quarryville, having left that place at about 9 o’clock in
the morning. After it had been attached to a cart it started up
South Queen Street to the square, crossed the latter, and then
started up North Queen Street. South of the post-office the guiding
chain broke, and the driver immediately lost all control of the
engine, which began zig-zagging back and forward on the street. The
driver of the Grape Hotel baggage wagon, Edward Clark, saw the
engine coming, and started with his team on a dead run up the
street, his promptness probably saving his team from a serious
wreck.
At the post office the unmanageable engine encountered the
United States mail team, which it struck with great force. The
horse was knocked down and the wagon thrown over to the post office
pavement, where it fell partly on the horse. The vehicle was only
slightly injured, but the horse was badly hurt, having a hole
knocked in its side, its hind legs badly cut and the hair of the
tail taken off as with a clipping machine. Christian Fate’s
sewing machine agency building had its front knocked out of plumb,
the French plate broken, and a sewing machine which was standing in
front of the building was broken to pieces. Several persons
narrowly escaped being struck by the machine before it was brought
to a standstill on Mr. Fate’s pavement. Considering the manner
in which the machine whistled, and the tremendous noise it made, in
going along the streets, the only wonder is that serious runaways
did not take place. An immense crowd of people assembled about and
in the vicinity of the engine as soon as the accident occurred, and
it required the utmost efforts of the police to keep the pavements
partly free for pedestrians.
Mr. Fate, as soon as he had recovered from his shock, having
been seated just inside his office door when the crash occurred,
proceeded to the office of Alderman McConomy, where he entered
complaint against John Landis and Elam Herr, who were on the engine
when the accident occurred, charging them with malicious mischief.
The men were arrested, but were at once admitted to bail for a
hearing, and shortly after 9 o’clock the engine was put in
proper condition for running and was taken to the works of Mr.
Landis, on Cherry alley.
A Thrilling Scene
The scene is described as quite a thrilling one. The mail wagon
was thrown on top of the news stand in front of the post office,
and the horse under the wagon, the boy in charge Davy Maynard
holding on to the lines until the horse fell. A post at the extreme
northern edge of the post office pavement was cut off as smoothly
as though done with a sharp instrument, and the heavy flags used
for paving in front of Mr. Fate’s place were broken into
hundreds of pieces. The iron pillar being a part of Mr. Fate’s
front was moved from its place by the collision, and the heavy
engine crushed the woodwork into splinters. Rumors prevailed on the
street that the engine had frightened a team on the Willow Street
turnpike, resulting in the serious injury of a lady; but we have
failed to trace this to a reliable source, and the nearest approach
to a runaway was that of a four-mule team, on the turnpike, which a
couple gentlemen from this city saw. The mules trembled with fright
and tried to get away, but were controlled by the driver and others
who went to his assistance.
