The daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1889-1890, 1889-10-16
DOWN AN INCLINE.
A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT IN
CINCINNATI.
Five Persons Crushed to Death
and Four Others WOundedl-The
Engine Could Not be stopped
and the Cable Broke.


Engine Could Not be stopped
and the Cable Broke.
CINCINNATI, Ohio, October 15.-A
frightiul catastrophe occurred between
twelve and one O'Clock to-day, on one
OF the Mt. Auburn iuclned planes, which
lies at the head of Main street and reaches
to the height of between $50 and 300
feet i'll space of perhaps 1000 feet or
less. Two cars are employed on each
track. They are drawn by two steel
wire cables that are wound upon drum
1T the top of the hill by an engine located
there.
Nine passengers had entered the car at
the foot of tic plane and a number were
on the other car at The top. The passage
of the ascending car was all right until it
had reached the top, when the machinery
refused to work, and the engineer could
not stop it. The car was drawn against
| the bumper, the cables snapped i'll two,
and the car ran backwards down the in
cline at lightning speed. The crash at
the foot of the plane was fearful. a
cloud of dust arose that Ind the wreck
from view for a moment. But when ii
was dispelled. the scene was horrible.
The iron gate that formed the lower end OF
( ne truck on which the car rested. was
thrown sixty feet down the street, and
the top of the car was lying almost a.
far in the gutter The truck, floor, and
seats of the car formed shapeless wreck,
| mingled with bleeding and manglcd bod
les. Two were taken ont dead. One
middle aged lady with gray hair recog-
niIcG rs Mrs. Ives; another Young lady
OF twenty, Miss. Lillian Oscomp, daugh-
ter Of Henry OScomp; another Mr.. n.
kneiss, teacher living at IA Euclid
avenue, died soon afterwards. Five
others were injured perhaps fatally, and
one man escaped miracuOusly with but
slight injuries.
This inclined plane is the oldest in the
city. 1t was built 81 years ago, and
this is the first accident attended with
loss of life at any of the four inclined
planes that are in almost constant use
1t is too early for an examination
into the trouble with the engine, but
there have been only two similar cases
in the history of inclined planes here. In
both of the others the engine was got
under control before the cables were bro
ken.
Perhaps the most horrible condition Of
any, except the nine OF the descending
car, was that of the passengers on the
other car at the foot of the plane. They
were locked in as is always the case, and
were compelled to await the coming o.
the other car and its inevitable crash be
side them at the foot of the track.
The list of dead now stands: Judge W.
NJ. Dickson, Mrs. Caleb Ives. Miss Lillian
Oscomp, Michael KneiSS, Joseph Hoch-
Steter
The wounded are: Chas. McFadden,
both legs broken; Joseph McFadden, cut
on the side and various portions of the
body and Internal injuries; Miss Hoch-
stetler, cuts and injuries; Mrs. Joseph
McFaddcn. The wounded were taken to
the Cincinnati hospital
Chas. Gebel, who was the man at the
lever who had the unspeakable horror to
find himself unable to stop the engine
says that he complained that the cutoff
was not working properly. 81 told the
engineer about it this morning." he said
and the engineer told me he had reported
it, but it was evidently still out of order
and this must have been the cause of the
accident"
The engineer, Howard Worden, could
not be found, though this is not cOnsid-
cred as evidence that he is hiding. The
confusion about the place was very great
for considerable time. The coroner will
make a thorough investigation of the
rouSp Of the accident