The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-10-23
WRECKED ON THE INCLINE
FATAL ACCIDENT IN CINCINNATI.
A Cable on the Mt. Auburn Inclined Plane
Railway Breaks With Frlghtful Re-
sults-A Number of Persons Killed
and Several Injured.

and Several Injured.
CINCINNATI, Oct. 15.-The most appalling
accident ever known on the inclined plane
railways of this city happened to-day between
u and l O'clock. 1t was OF the Mt Auburn
inclined plane which lies at the head Of Main
ST., and reaches to hight of between $50 and
800 feet in a space of perhaps 1000 feet or
less. Two cars are employed-one on each
track. They are drawn by two steel-wire
cables that are wound upon a drum at
the top of the hill by an engine
located there. Nine passengers had entered
the car at the foot of the plane, and number
were in the other car at the top. The passage
of the ascending car all right until il had
reached the top when, to his unspeakable
horror, the faithful engineer found that the
machinery would not respond, and that he
could not stop the engine Only one result
was possible. The car was arrested by the
strong bumper which stops its progress, and as
the engine continued ell its force was expended
on the two cables, and they snapped like
wrapping thread under its enormous power
Then the car, with its nine inmates locked
within, began the descent of that frightful
slope.
The crash at the foot of the plane was fright
full. A cloud of dust arose that hid the wreck
from view for moment but when it was dis
PEELED the scene was horrible. The iron gate
that formed the lower end of the truck on
which the car rested was thrown sixty feet
down the street. The top of the car was lying
almost as far in the gutter. The truck
itself and the floor and seats of the car formed
a shapeless wreck, mingled with the bleed
ing and mangled bodies Of the nine pas
sengers. AS soon as il could be done, the
dead were taken to the morgue to await full
identification while the wounded were carried
to the nearest places where examination could
be made.
Perhaps the most horrible condition of any.
except the nine in the descending car, was that
of the passengers in the other car at the foot Of
the plane. They were locked in, as Is always
the case, and were compelled to await the COM
ing. of the other car and its inevitable crash
beside them at the foot of the track.
Besides those in the car several persons stand
ing on Mulberry-st were badly hurt George
Miller, who was standing on the corner of Null
berry and Main-sts., was struck by the roof and
is believed to be fatally injured. He is still un-
conscious. Joe Huette, a fOurteen-year-old boy
was badly cut about the legs by flying frag-
ments of the car.
At II 80 tonight it is known that there were
eight persons in the wrecked car The follow
ing is a correct list of the dead and wounded,
all OF whom are now certainly known. The
FIVE dead are:
JUDGE WILLIAM NJ. DICKSON.
MICHAEL KNEISS.
MRS. CALEB IVES.
MRS. MARY G.. ERRETT.
JOSEPH MFADDEN, SR.
The three wounded are:
Mrs. AGNES HOSTETTRR.
Miss LILLIAN OSKAMP.
JOSEPH MCFADDEN, JR.
Outside of these. it is believed that several
others beside the two bystanders named above
were more or less hurt by the flying debris.
Mr.. Kneiss was teacher in the third inter
mediate school and lived at IA Euclid-ave.
Mt. Auburn, with his family. He was on his
way home to dinner. His body was badly dis
figured and was removed to the morgue.
Mrs. Ives was the wife of Caleb Ives
treasurer of the Globe soap works at No. 30
Water-st., and lived at Riverside. She was on
her way to visit her son Franklin Ives and his
bride, nee Belle Duhme, who were married a
few weeks ago. Mrs. Ives was about sixty
years old and her neck was broken. The body
was removed to the morgue.
Joseph McFadden, aged sixty, a stone-cutter
of No. 10 Saunders-st.. Mt Auburn, was found
to be fatally injured. His right leg was crushed,
his scalp cut and he was suffering severe in
ternal pain. He died at 2:20 o'clock this after
noon. His son, Joseph McFadden, a young
man, was taken from the wreck with his foot
crushed and he was removed TO his home.
The right leg of Judge Dickson, aged sixty
five, OF No. 196 Auburn-ave., was crushed and
his scalp and face were wounded. He was
conscious but highty. and not able to tell any
thing about the accident. He died soon after
being taken out.
Mrs Hochstetter, wife of William Hochstet-
ter OF Laist d HOchstetter, was barely con-
scious. She was severely injured about the
head She lives at Oak and Bellevue-sts.
al ,rbo h 81
the lever, says that he complained that
the ''cut-off" was not working properly, Il
told the engineer about il this morning." he
said, "aGd the engineer told me he had repaired
it. But it was evidently still out of order, and
this must have been the cause of the scci-
dent"
There are several theories aioat tonight as to
who is responsible for the accident and just
how it came about. One thing is certain, and
that is that either the pilot, Charles Goebel,
lost his head, or the engineer, Horace Won
dendieck, neglected his duty. Pilot Goebel,
who has served in that capacity ever since the
incline was constructed, says that the engine
all forenoon responded tardiy to his lever, and
that he spoke to the engineer about IL. lie
maintains that he did not lose his head, but
that the machinery of the engine was ont of
order The engineer, so the general rumor
goes, does not admit that the fault was his,
whereby he virtually throws all the blame on
the pilot.
Ii is also a matter of gossip tonight that
the car. when il reached the top of the incline,
remained there nearly a minute while the
gate-keeper was trying TO open the iron gates
10 let the passengers out, but which were so
battered that he could not open them. All
this time the machinery was pulling the cable
from its attachment to the car. Experts who
have been sent by the coroner TO the scene say
they know just how the accident happened,
and will tell ii at the coroner's inquest
No wreck could be more complete than that
of the car and the incline running gear. Much
of il is broken up into splinters too small for
good kindling wood, and, except the roof of the
car, there is not a fragment of the woodwork
of the ruined vehicle LETT so large that three
year-old could not carry it with ease.
Great crowds surrounded the scene of the
wreck till midnight, and all through the city
the calamity is the solitary and exclusive theme
of conversation.
This inclined plane is the Oldest one in the
city. 1t was built twenty-one years ago and
this is the first accident attended with loss of
life at any of the four inclined planes that are in
constant use. Ii is too early for an examina-
tion into the trouble with the engine, but
there have been only two similar cases in the
history of inclined planes here. In both the
others the engine was gotten under control
before the cables were broken.
james G., Jr.,- Confesses Judgment.
NEW YORK, Oct. 16.-James G.. Blaine, jr.,
E a 4. 4