The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-11-02
SEVEN PASSENGERS KILLED.
A Car Dashes Through an Open Draw
Into the Willamette.
Nest Of the Occupants sunp In Tfms ana
Escape Unhars-Twe ef These Car
riea Down Fieas untfi straek Dead
by ths Paddles OF . Passing stsamer.

Of the East Side Railroad Company,
plunged through the open drag Of the
Madison street bridge into the Wihamette
river, thirty feet below. carrying a num-
Der OF persons 20 death without mo-
ment's warning. Five bodies have been
recovered. and there In reason TO believe
that two more sra still ~ the bottom Of
the river. The bodies recovered are
those OF:
CnARHgs BEcKxAs. of SsIlwood.
JoHN Z. AxnERsos, OF Milwaukee.
JosxPH STARrLER. Of Oak Grove.
AlEx CAMPRKtI., Of Milwaukee.
I. BESSIcK = deaf mute. OF MIiwaukis.
All were married men. Those missing
and supposed 90 be drowned are Paul odor
and boy named Aiber.
The draw Of the bridge had been opened
20 allow the steamer Elwood to pass
through. and the wooden gatas ut both
ends Of the draw had been closed. but the
car crashed through the frail gate and
plunged into tbs river. The morning was
extremely foggy, and it was impossible for
the motorman TO see the danger light on
the bridge until = short distance from tho
draw. The track was very slippery, owing
to frost. and the brakes refused 20 work
effectively. Motorman E T. Terry says
the power was thrown of shortly after the
car reached the east end of the bridge, and
he claims the car was running st 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 IL. had no perceptihIs
influence on the speed Of the car.
Conductor w. G. Powers had gone for
ward to the front Of the car and was MAX
ing mp 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. A general riot and scramble
TO get out of the car followed. The next
instant the car made . fatal plunge. IL
may never be ascertained how many peo-
pie were in the car at the time. bat IL 10
thought there were about fifteen, out of
which number all but seven succeeded in
getting out Motorman Terry remained
on the car until after it had passed through
the gate. when he jumped, catching the
railing of the bridge a. he aiighted, with
his feet and the lower part Of his limbs
hanging over the bridge. He pulled him.
self up 30 that his feet were on the bridge.
He received no serious injuries. Imme-
deately boats put out from Shore
Two bodies were seen floating ON the
surface OF the water. Before . boat could
reach them one sank, but the other, which
proved to be that of Beckman. was recov-~
cred. The wheel Of the steamer Elwood.
which was just passing through the draw,
| had evidently struck Beckman on the
head, killing him. The president of the
company, George A Steel. who arrived on
| the scene at this juncture. immediately
set about doing everything possible TO Ia
| cilitate the work of recovering the bodies.
| Soon after the bodies Of anderson and
! Campbell were caught by draggers. fol-
| lowed shortly after by the recovery Of
Starters body.
| A diver was then sent down and prep
| arations were made TO raise the sunksn
| car, which was lying on It's side in thirty
/ feet OF water. at q late hour this after-
| noon the car was raised and the body OF
| Bennick found in IL. The car itself was q
| complete wreck.
/ While the search for bodies was in
/ progress the conductor and motorman
| both surrendered themselves, but we're rs-
| leased on their own recognIxance.
/ q. w. Hoover, who was on the car at
| tho time, gives this graphic description OF
| the fatefui scene:
THE track was frosty and very sllppsry.
| and TO make time the notorman was COM
peIied 10 run as fast IS possible. think
| about fifteen passengers we're on she ear.
| After passing on tbs bridge the car kept
| np its rapid rate of speed. liz went Just 80
fast as when coming down the track from
| Milwaukee. There Was pretty heavy
| cloud OF fog hanging over the T1vee. and
| one coul q not see FAR ahead Of the RAPIDLY
| moving car. The first thing noticed Was
4 - .~he przu ~. -
ing near she front end OF the car with the
moiorman. | heard Powers shout 90 the
passengers 10 lump, for be saw that the
car would inevitably 20 over the brink.
At the same moment Powers and the
| motorman sprang OF. There was q scene
OF Wild confusion and panic for an instant,
and every passenger made . rush 10 save
| his life. Those on the rear platform
jumped of and those in the car erawlsd
out. II al happened in an instant. and 1.
Like the rest. can scarcely remember what
| transpircd. There was on board only one
woman, Miss Alice Thsyer. When the
conductor shouted, Jump for your ltvss.'
| fright and the confusion seemed TO
have paralyzsd the girl, for she stood right
ia the rear doorway and Sas incapable Of
action. / was right behind her. and 9th
ers were pressing violently against my
back In frantic efforts 20 escape from the
doomed car. l grssped the woman and
| pitched her cut 20 one side Of the plat
form. / had no alternative but 10 sse
force. and even yielenee. She struck
against the heavy bridge timbers on one
| side with much force and must have been
severely bruised. Just then the ear went
over the edge and made the Dreadful
| plunge into the river. / reIasmber seeing
two persons swimming q moment after fhs
car sAnk from sight. Ia ths fog and con-
fusion | could not tell who they were. !
| saw the steamer passing through the drag
| Just at this moment There was no attsEnpt
| made TO check the speed Of the steamex.
| aud she psowed straight ahead ard rau
| down the two persons I saw struggling IN
| the water. I saw the bow Of tha bo2t
strike one mani think IL was Chariis
Beckman-a blow on the head wf1icA
| would have been enough TO xiii him."
Coroner Hughes impansled Jury this
evening and began taxing testimony. bus
nothing new Eas elected As 10 o'clock
the inquest vas sdiourned NATL somorrow.
Motorman c. ". Terry giycs the follow
ing versioa Of the accident:
when ths car came on the bridge the
! pogex was thrown OF and the car ap-
| reached the draw ~ . siow rate of speed.
| The fog was so heavy that was unAlle 10
| see the lights ~ the drsw. When about
| four spans from the drau 1 pus On kae