The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-11-10

hC WINS "
from a Heavy Fog. and the brakes
Gould Not Check the Momentum of the
Car.
PORTLAND. Ore, Nov. 2.-Portland's
second street railway catastrophe
within a year occurred early yesterday
morning. when an electric car from
Milwaukee,. an East side suburb. 70
this place, plunged through the open
draw of the Madison-street bridge and
sank in the Willamette river. There
were eighteen or twenty passengers
aboard when III c car started to cross
the bridge. and all but seven Of them
saved their lives by leaping from the
car on the brink of death. Five corpses
have been recovered from the river,
and a man and a boy are yet missing.
\ Dense Fog Enveioped the River.
II wSs about So, when the car ar.
rived at the bridge. a dense fog en-
velop-d the river. and a sharp frost
covered the rails with a coating of ice
The draw had just been opened to al
low the passage of d river steamer, and
the usual precautions of closing tho
gates and displaying red signal lights
had been taken. Owing to the frost
however. the car conld not he stopped
In the usual distance. and dashed
through the frau gate and int the
river. The motorman. when he saw
he could not stop the car. CAV the
alarm to the passengers. and as many
as had time saved themselves by jump
ing.
RIua.A A.. XuHs a.. E--rs - 49, n~a
The steame- was wi hin a fe yards
of the draw when the car crashed
through the frail barrie- and plunged
into the river jnst in frous of the bow
o. the boat
Details of the awful affair can be
best learned frcm statem.nts of Wit
nesses- Those 81 MotorIaan c. W..
Terry and Conductor w. G. Powers
we're sworn to before Mayyr Mason
and Chief of Police Hunt. whD released
the men on their own recogniEanceaI
Mocornan Terry 50 Z:
The Motto mans Story.
The track was somewhat slippery
All the way. but il was worse on tho
bridge than anywhere else. On reach
ing the bridge ! threw off the power
and on entering the heavy fog 1 tried
the brake. The car was then about
three spans east of the draw The
brake worked all right and hcBa the
wheels. bat the wheels slid along ON
the track. by this time | was within
one span Of the draw. and far the
frst time saw the red light I then
reversed the motor and put or fall
power. Ii seemed to have no effect.
and the wheels continued 10 slia and
the power was on 10 reverse when the
car went down into the river. I stayed
with tho ear until il broke tbroughthe
gate; then. seeing | had lone all n my
power, jumped. landing on the side
walk. / grasped the outside railing
and pulled myself up. for my fee were
the car had sunk nut OF sight,
Called to the Pass~ngers to Save TAem-
selves.
Conductor Powers tells what mean
while was taking place within the
car. lie saw the red light at the same
moment aS the motorman, ard then
discovered TO his horror thas the
brakes woald not aold the car.
II called 30 the passengers 10 save
themselves and jumped of at TIM 'front.'.
just as thu a struck the gate say
a number IF people jump befoe the car
left the bridge. and heard a lAdy cry
ing for help. II was Miss ThByer, who
was more frightened than hurA for she
got up and afterwards wallsa across
the bridge 10 her work"