The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-11-21
TERRIBLE PLUNGE.
An Electric Gar Drops Through q
Draw Bridge Into the River
Fifteen Dead Bodies Of the Catastrophe
Have Been Rscovsred-Four Other Pas.
ssngers are still Missing-Ths Motor.
man Bound Over to Grand Jury.

sengers are still Missing-Ths Motor.
man Bound Over to Grand Jury.
CLEVELAND, O., Nov. 1s.-Fifteen
lives were swallowed up in the cruel
waters Of the Cuyahoga river Saturday
night, and IL was all due to the unex-
plainable carelessness Of street car
conductor. Some of those who were
eye-witnesses of that plunge into that
dark abyss of twelve feet, assert that
the motorman and conductor were re.
sponsible.
The accident occurred at 7:35 o'clock
at the draw Of the Central viaduct, o
long stone and iron structure which
crosses valley and the Cuyahoga
river and connects Jennings avenue on
the south side and Central avenue on
the east. The bridge is 1O6 feet above
the river, and draw is immediately
above it to admit the passage of tall
masted vessels.
The draw was open for tug drawing
a schooner, which was about to pass
beneath the bridge. AS usual the
gates were closed on both sides of the
draw and danger lights of red were
displayed to guard against just such
accidents as occurred Saturday night
Up to six o'clock Sunday evening the
bodies of fifteen victims of the catas-
trophe had been recovered. This &C.
counts for all but four of the passen-
gers known to have been on the car at
the time it made it's dreadful plunge
from the open central viaduct draw
into the Cuyahoga river, LOG feet be-
low.
The verified list of the dead and
missing is as follows: James McLaugh-
lin, baseball player, n Trowbridge
avenue; Henry w. Mecklenburg, mer-
chant tailor, SO Mary street; Edward
Hoffman, conductor, 121 East End
avenue; Mrs. John A. Saurnheimer, of
rs Professor street; Miss Bessie Davis,
school teacher in Sacket school, lived
at 107 Noyes street; Harry w. Foster,
clerk for Root & Mcbride Co., 81
Mentor avenue; Mrs. Minnie C. Brown,
10 Thurman street; Curt Lepehene Tor
Clemens), pianist GO Jennings avenue;
Mrs. A. w. Hoffman, 80 years old, 1908
Pearl street; Harvey Hoffman, years
old, 1903 Pearl street; Mrs. Martha
Palmer, "A Grant street; Marie Nett
gen, 21 years old, domestic, 10 Joseph
street; Augusta Sarinski, 2O7 Central
avenue; Gertie Hoffman, 3 years old,
1903 Pearl street; Louis F. Huletz, mail
carrier, 3s years old. The missing
Lottie Voth, Branch avenue; Miss
Martha Sauernheimer, 1874 Merchant
avenue; B. G. Page, residence un-
known; Matthew Gallagher, Hamilton
street.
At an early hour Sunday morning
Augustus Rogers, the motorman in
charge of the car was arrested and
brought to the central station, where
he was questioned by the coroner and
police officials. He stated that Con-
ductor Hoffman gave him the signal to
ductor could have given the all right
signal in the face of the fact that the
red light signals showing that the
draw was open, were hung on the
closed bridge gates, Rodgers replied
that Hoffman probably Thought the
draw was just closing instead of open
ing. Rodgers was released after Civ
ing bond for $1,000.
A crowd of fully So 900 spectators
gathered at the scene of the accident
Sunday morning when the search for
the missing bodies was resumed.
Diver Joseph Eberhart was employed
by the street car companies to assist
| in the seach and after he had been at
work two hours on the river bottom
he gave the pull up signal for the
graphing hooks and the body of Mail
Carrier Louis Huletz was brought to
the surface.
Huletzs brother had stood on the
dock all night peering anxiously
through the darkness and inquiring
time and again if his brother had been
| found. When the mutilated body OF
Louis was brought up the brother be-
came wild with grief and could hardly
be restrained. The top of the head
was almost torn off and the face was
battered in a fearful manner. The
body was taken to Black & Wright's
| morgue This was the last body that
had been found.
The work of searching for the foul
undiscovered bodies will be resumed
again Monday.
of the ill-fated car, who was taken
| from tue WdIer alive, Is sIlAA dt Gus
hospital in a critical condition.
The most plausible theory as to the
cause of the disaster is the removal ol
the circuit breaker which was replaced
by derailing switch about two weeks
ago. Formerly the circuit was broker
several hundred feet from the swinging
portion of the viaduct, whenever the
swing was open.
According to the new contrivance
which was constantly set. to detain {
car, it was necessary for the car t.
stop. The conductor set the derailer
and signaled the motorman to e
ahead. This procedure was enacted
Saturday night, and as the misty rai1
had SO covered the glass in the vesti
bule the motorman claims to hav'
been unable to see the danger lights
depending solely upon the conductor
signals. AS the conductor went dowl
to death with his car it will never b.
known what caused him to fail to Sc,