The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-11-17
All the Others, Including the Con-
ductor, Drowned Killed by
the FriGhtful Plunge.
THIRTEEN BODIES FOUND
AND OTHERS SUPPOSED TO BE IN
THE WATER OR WRECKED CAR.
Motorman Arrested and Held to Await
Charged with Responsibility.

CLEVELAND, O., Nov. 1s.-A heavy cleo
trio motor car. containing between twenty
and thirty passengers. went through the
draw of the Central viaduct at 7:45 o'clock
this evening and dropped one hundred and
eight feet to the river below. 1t is hor-
ror the like of which has never occurred
here before. The Central viaduct is huge
silt bridge. three thousand feet long. made
of iron. 1t connects the Heights and the
prosperous residence section on the South
Side with the business center of the city.
Directly over the river IS draw bridge of
the pivot swinging pattern. and this is 1os
feet above the surface OF the water. The
South Side street-railroad passes over the
bridge, and on either side Of the draw there
is a safety switch, which, unless the con-
ductor alights and holds up handle, will
send car into the gutter instead Of allow
ing 1t to 60 on the draw. All who went down
with tho car were drowned or killed. ex-
cept one. who is in the hospital in criti-
cal condition. At midnight thirteen bodies
had been recovered. The identified dead are:
MRS. MINNIE BROWN, aged forty-flve.
residence unknown.
- HOFFMAN,. conductor of the car.
HENRY w. MECKLENBURG. aged thir-
ty-flve. of No. IS Mary street. tailor.
CURT LEPENNE. aged nineteen. resi-
dence unknown.
BESSIE DAVIS. aged twenty. Noyes
street. school teacher
JAMES MLAUGHLIN, aged thirty-five. of
No. u Trowbridge avenue. a printer.
HARRY w. FOSTER, aged twenty-one, of
No. III Feutou avenue, clerk.
MATTHEW CALLAHAN, aged twenty
five, of Hamilton street, steelworker.
MRS. SAUERHE1MER. aged thirty-five.
of Professor street.
MRS. MARTHA SAUERHENIER, aged
thirty, Of No. 15i Merchant avenue.
MRS. A. w. HOFFMAN, No. 1415 Pearl
street.
HARVEY HOFFMAN. fifteen years, son
OF Mrs. A. w. Hoffman.
HOW 1T HAPPENED.
First reports from the scene of the dis
aster seem to place the blame on the con-
ductor. They were to the effect that the
Inflated motor car, containing between
twenty and thirty people, approached tie
draw just as vessel was nearing it, and
the bridge attendants had closed the big
iron gates and were preparing to swing
the draw. AS is the rule, the car stopped
and the conductor went forward to release
the switch in case the way was
clear. He must have been blinded
by the electric lights, for an
eyewitness declares that although the
gates were closed and the draw was al
ready in motion. the conductor raised the
switch handle. The motorman applied the
current and the car shot forward and struck
the gates with a crash. There was only a
moments pause. and then the heavy car
ground its way through the wreckage and
plunged over the brink into the black
abyss, amid the screams and frantic strug-
giles of the passengers, who at the first inti-
nation of danger rushed for the rear door.
The car struck the water with great
splash, and then there was silence. Soon
men began to rush shouting about, and po-
lice patrol wagons and ambulances were
soon flying to the spot In response to tele-
phone calls.
The alarm which was sent out brought to
the scene half dozen ambulances. the fire
boats and the members of the life-saving
crew with graphing irons Within five min
utes after the accident the surface of the
river revealed nothing of the terrible trag-
edy that had just beer enacted. The waters
had closed over the car and its passengers,
and the work OF rescuing the bodies in the
uncertain light was slow indeed. At
o'clock half dozen bodies that had evident
ly loated out of the car and risen to the
surface were taken from the river and car
ried to the various morgues The news OF
the terrible accident spread like wildfre
through the city, and large crowd soon
collected on the bridge and along the banks
of the river. They could do nothing, how
for the bodies.
NUMBER OF VICTIMS UNKNOWN.
The exact number OF passengers in the
will not be known until all the bodies
are recovered. A few jumped off before the
car went over. The fare register in the car
some of those who escaped say. showed that
twenty-five fares had been collected. There
may have been other passengers with trans
fers. which would not have been rung up on
the register. AS near as can be learned there
were fifteen. at least, and possibly twenty,
persons In the car when u made the plunge
At 10 o'clock there were seven unidentified
bodies at the morgue and one man at a
hospital in an unconscious condition. So far
as can be learned. he is the only one who
escaped instant death.
The work OF rescuing the bodies went on
by the naring Light Of the lamps on the