Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-11-23
TELEGRApHIC.

through OTa" Ci Ihe ceGtTSl viGduct
 at '. .45 yesterday evening uud dropped l0l feet to the river below. It IS Il horror the like Of which never occurred here before.
 The central viaduct is huge stilt bridge 3,0OO feet long, made cf iroa. It connects the heights and pro porous residence section on both sldes with the business center of tne city. Directly over the river IS draw bri6ge on pivot swinging pattern and tbis is l01 feet above the surface of the water. The South Side Rtreet railway passes over the bridge and on either side of tee draw there is safety switch which, un- less the conductor alights and holds up the handle, will send the car into 3 gully instead of allowing it to go On the draw.
 The first reports from the scene O. he disaster seem to place the blame | on tie conductor. They were 10 the
 effect that the ill-fated motor car, con
 taining between twenty or thirty people, approached the draw just as the vessel
 was nearing it and the bridge attend
 ants had closed the big iron gates abd 1 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 eye witness declares that although the gates were closed and the draw was in motion, the conductor raised the switch handle. The motor man applied the current and the car shot forward and struck the gates with crash. There was only mon ent's pause and then the heavy car ground its way through the wreckage and plung- ed over the brink into the black abyss amid the screams and frantic struggles If the passengers, who, at the first inti- nation of danger, rushed for the rear door. The car struck the water with 8 great splash and then there was silence. Soon men begun to rush about shout ing wildly and police patrol wagons and 4mbulances were flying to the spot iu response to telephone calls. In an in- credibly short space of time the work of
 rescue had begun.
 All occupants of the car, with the ex- ception of few who managed to jun
 as it toppled over, went down to certain
 death. The car disappeared from sight
 as soon as it reached the water and
 every oRe of its passengers were drown-
 ed.
 An alarm brought to the scene half
 a dozen ambulsnces, fire boats and mem-
 bers of the life saving crew with grsp
 bling irons. Within five minutes after
 the accident the surface of the river
 revealed nothing of the terrible tragedy. The work of resculng the bodies in the
 uncertain light was slow indeed.
 At 9 o'clock half dozen bodies had
 hoated out o' the car, end were taBer
 from the river and carried to various
 morgues.
 News of the terrible accident spread
 ike wildfre through the city and n large
 crowd soon collected on the bridge anC
 along the banks of the river. They could do nothing but watch the slow
 work of grapplipg for the bodies.
 The captain of the brigade guards says: "I SAW the car coming rapidly to-
 ward the draw, just as 1 had given the signal to swing It to admit of the pas sage of vessel. I waved my hands and
 halloed to the motor man to stop, but
 he paid no attention to me. The car came on. Just before it went over the
 brink the motorman jumped and rar
 away"
 This statement doss not agree with those eye witnesses who declare the con ductor went ahead to open the 5witci
 :1I ,o eoo Il. and motioned for the car to come ahead. Certain it is the con 1uctor mounted the car again and went down with the pas sengers to death.
 Railway officials say they are unable io give the names of the conductor R-d motor man in charge of the car. Tht police are looking for the motor man.
 The exact number of passengers in tho car will not be known until all the bodies are recovered. There may have been other pass sengers with tEans'ers, which had not been rurg on the regs- ter. Probably many of those whose fares were registered had left the car before the bridge was reached. As near as can be learned, at least 15 and possi ply 20 persons were in the car when ii made the plunge.
 Seven unidentified bodies are at the morgues now, and one man, name not yet learned, is at the hospital uncon scious. The bodies recovered up to mid night numbered thirteen.
 The man taken to the hospital in ar unconscious condition Is Patrick Looney of Lyman street. He recovered con ciousness shortly before midnight, but is in critical condition. He has a bsd | wound on the head. His recollection of | the accident is not very clear. His i'm | pression is that the car was full of pas SenRers.
 The dead so far identified are: Mrs. | Minnie Brown, aged 45: Hoffman, con 1uctor of the car; Henry w. Lecklen burg. aged 8; Curt Lephne, aged 19; Bessie Davis, aged 20; James McLsugh- m, aged 35; Harry W. Foster, aged 2I; Callahan, aged 9; Ms. Saur ,elmer, aged 8; Mrs. Martha s UT leluer. aged 30; Mrs. A. w. Hoffman, Harvey Hoffman, 15 years old, son of Mrs. Hoffman.
 Rogers, Dotormsn of the car, was ar ested late tonight at his home, 149 Ce- lar avenue, and held in S5,000 bail to wait the result of the corouer's inquest. When taken into custody he saIG:
 "The conductor went ahead and turn d the switch, giving me the signal to ome ahead. I suppose 1 was deceived l y the fact that the electric lights in the { ar did not go out when We passed the ut off. When I discovered the gates 10 he draw closed jumped from the car, alling on the edge of the bridge and arely escaped rolling over. When I saw | hat had happened and realized the ex- , snt of the accident, ran back across be bridge until found a policeman and old him to get help. Then I went down i elow the bridge where they were at i ork on the wreck and afterwards went q ome." Rogers was closely questioned by de- ectives and the chief Of police, but in- a sted the conductor had given him the il roner signal to po ahead