St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-11-17
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT TO AN
ELECTRIC CAR AT CLEVE-
LAND.
SCORE OF PEOPLE ABOARD.
ONLY ONE OR TWO PASSENGERS
ARE KNOWN TO HAVE ES-
CAPPED.
FELL ONE HUNDRED FEET.
CORPSES FLOAT TO THE SUR
FACE OF THE RIVER ONE
BY ONE.
OVER A DOZEN RECOVERED.
Identification of Victims Is Slew,
and the List Is Far From
Complete.

CLEVELAND, o., Nov. ia
heavy electric motor car containing
twenty or more passengers went
through the draw of the central via
duct at 7:45 o'clock this evening, and
dropped 101 feet to the river below.
1t is horror the like of which has
never occurred here before The
central viaduct is a huge stilt bridge
5000 feet long, made of iron. 1t con-
meets the Heights and the prosperous
residence section on the South side
with the business center of the city.
Directly over the river is a draw
bridge of the pivot swinging pat
tern, and this is 101 feet above the
surface of the water. The South
side street railway passes over the
bridge, and on either side of the
draw there is a safety SWITCH which,
unless the conductor alights and
holds up the handle, will send car
into the gutter instead of allowing
it to go on the draw. First reports
from the scene of the disaster seemed
to place the blame on the conductor.
They were to the effect that the. ill
fated motor car approached the draw
just as a 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, al
though the gates were closed and the
draw was already in motion, the
conductor raised the switch handle.
THROUGH THE DRAW.
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 it's way through
the wreckage and plunged over the
brink into the black abyss, amidst
the screams and frantic struggles OF
the passengers, who, at the first IN
timation of danger, rushed for the
rear door. The car struck the water
with a great splash, and then there
was silence. Soon men began to rush
shouting about and police patrol
wagons and ambulances were soon
flying to the spot in response to tele-
phone calls. In an incredibly short
space of time the work of rescue had
begun. All the occupants of the
car, with the exception of few who
managed to jump as it toppled over,
went down to certain death. The
car disappeared from sight as soon
as it struck the water, and every
one of the passengers was drowned.
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
minutes after the accident the sur
face of the river revealed nothing of
the terrible tragedy that had just
been 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 9 o'clock half dozen bodies
that had evidently fioated 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 wildfire through the city, and
bridge and along the banks of the
river. They could do nothing, how
ever, but watch the slow work of
graphing for the bodies.
CAME WITH A RUSH.
The captain of the bridge guard
says: 81 saw this car coming rapidly
toward the draw just as I had given
the signal to swing it to admit of
the passage of a vessel. l waved my
hands and hallowed to the motorman
to stop, but apparently he paid no
attention to me- The car came on.
Just before it went over the brink |
the motorman jumped and ran
away"
This statement does not agree with
those of eye-witnesses, who declare
that the conductor went ahead to
open the switch, which is about 200
feet from the draw, and motioned
for the car to come ahead. Certain
it is that the conductor mounted the
car again and went down with the
passengers to death, and it will never
be possible to tell exactly what he
did before the accident occurred. The
railway officials say they are at pres
ent unable to give the names of the
conductor and motorman who were
in charge of the car. The police are
looking for the motorman. The ex-
act number of passengers in the ear
will not be known until all the bodies
are recovered. 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 possengers with transfers
which would not have been rung up
on the register. AS near as can be
learned there were fifteen ct least
and possibly twenty persons in the