The morning call., 1893-11-02
THROUGH A BRIDGE
Street - Car Passengers
Drowned.
THE ICE ON THE RAILS.
Could Not Be Penetrated by the
Electric Current.
HE FELT THE WHEELS SLIPPING
And Yet the Motorman Could Not
Prevent the Plunge Into
the willamette.

most frighttul accidents ever recorded in
the history of Portland occurred this
morning at 6 80 o'clock. when the electric
car "Inez" of the Eastside Railroad Com
| pary plunged through the open draw of
the Madison-street bridge into the Will
lamette River, thirty feet below, carrying
a number of persons to death without
moments warning. Five bodies have
been recovered, and there is reason to be-
leve that two more are still at the bot
tom of the river. The bodies recovered
are those Of Charles Beckman of Sellwood,
John p. Anderson of Milwaukee, Joseph
Startler of Oak Grove, Alexander Camp
bell of Milwaukee and t. Bennick, deaf
mute, Of Milwaukee. All were married
men. Those missing and supposed to be
drowned are Paul Oder and boy named
Albert.
The draw of the bridge had been opened
to allow the steamer Elwood to pass
through and the wooden gates at both ends
of the draw had been closed. but the car
crashed through the frail gate and
plunged into the river. The morning was
extremely toggy and it was impossible for
the motorman to see the danger lights on
the bridge until he was short distance
from the draw. The track was very Slip
perry. owing to frost. and the brakes re-
fused to work effectively.
Motormau E. T. Terry says the power
was thrown off shortly after the car
reached the east end of the bridge, and he
claims that the car was running at a low
rate of speed. The brakes were put on,
he says, when the car was fully four spans
! of the bridge from the draw, but they slid
on the track. and when about one span
| from the draw the motorman applied the
reverse brakes, but it had no perceptible
influence on the speed.
Conductor w. c. Powers had gone for
ward to the front of the car and was max
ing up his report from the register when
he noticed the impending danger. The car
was then but few feet from the gate.
] Powers shouted to the passengers TO jump
| for their lives, and a general riot and
bic to get out of the car followed.
| The next instant the car made the fatal
plunge. 1t will never be ascertained how
many people were in the err at the time,
but it Is thought that there was about ff-
| teen, out of which number all but seven
succeeded in getting out of the car.
| Motorman Terry remained on the car
until after it had passed through the gate.
when he jumped, catching the railing of
the bridge as he alighted. with his feet and
| the lower part Of his limbs hanging over
| the bridge. He pulled himself up so that
| his feet were on the bridge. He received
] no serious hurt.
| Immediately boats put out from the
shore. Two bodies were seen floating on
the surface of the water, but before the
/ hoot &c l.
other, which proved to be that of Beck
man, was recovered. The wheel of the
steamer Elwood. which was just passing
through the draw, had evidently struck
Beckman on the head, killing him.
Soon after the bodies of Anderson and
Campbell were caught by the draggers,
and this was followed shortly after by the
recovery of Starters body. A diver was
then sent down and preparations were
made to raise the sunken car, which was
lying on its side in thirty feet of water.
At late hour this afternoon the car was
raised and the body of Bennick found in
it. The car itself was complete wreck.
While the search for the bodies was in
progress the conductor and the motorman
both surrendered themselves, but were re-
leased on their own recognizance.
G. w. Hoover. who was on the car at the
time. gives graphic description of the
fateful scene. "The track was frosty and
very slippery" he says. land to make
time the motorman was compelled to run
as fast as possible. [ think about fifteen
passengers were on the car. After passing
on the bridge the car kept up its rapid rate
of speed. 1t went just as fast as when it
was coming down the track from Mil
waukee. There was pretty heavy cloud
of fog hanging over the river, and one
could not see far ahead of the rapidly NOV
ing car The first thing l noticed was a
red light. Conductor Powers was stand
ing near the front end of the car with the
motorman. / heard Powers shout to the
passengers to jump. for he saw that the
car would inevitably 60 over the brink
At the same moment Powers and the
motorman sprang off. All was e scene OF
wild confusion and panic for an instant,
and every passenger made rush to save
his life. Those on the rear platform
jumped off and those in the car crawled
out. 1t all happened in an instant, and I,