The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-17

shortly before midnight, but is in
critical condition.
Looney has a bad wound on the
head. He said when he recovered con-
sciousness, that his recollection of the
accident was not very clear. The
first intimation he had that an acct
dent was to occur, was when he felt
the ear falling. Before he knew what
had happened he became unconscious
and remembered nothing more until
he came to at the hospital Looney's
impression was that the car was full
OF passengers.
Three more bodies have been identi-
fed. One of them is Bessie Davis.
aged q, of Kohoes street. Miss Davis
Laughlin, aged IS. of II Trowbridge
avenue. had his back broken, and
Harry W. Foster. aged d. of 81 Mentor
avenue, a clerk, was drowned.
Battalion Chief Rebbeck, Of the fire
department, was crossing the bridge
at the time of the accident He was on
the opposite side Of the draw He does
not know what caused the accident.
When he first saw the car he thought
it was standing on the east side of the
draw. All of sudden it plunged over
into the river Chief Rebbeck was the
first 10 give the alarm by telephoning
TO the police and fire departments
Thousands of people remained at the
scene until long after midnight and
hundreds of anxious searcher5 have
moved in procession from one morgue
to another looking for friends Or rela-
tives who are supposed to be missing.
The scenes about the morgues when
the dead were identified were touching
in the extreme.
One of the unidentified bodies is that
of a boy about 10. In the pocket was
a handkerchief with the name of Curt
Dephne. Newspaper clippings in the
pocket indicated that the young man
had recently arrived with his mother
from Europe and that they had stayed
at the Queens hotel in Halifax.
A woman named Sadie Logan, aged
20, is missing. She started from her
home on Muirson street at o'clock
to so to the south side and at midnight
she had not returned. 1t is believed
she was in the wrecked car.
MctOrman Arrested.
Rogers, the motorman of the car,
was arrested late tonight at his home,
149 Cedar avenue. and was held in
So, 900 bail to await the result of the
coroner's inquest. When taken into
custody he said:
1.-THE conductor went ahead and
turned the switch giving me the signal
to come ahead. / supposed that every
thing was all right and did not notice
that the draw was open. / suppose l
was deceived by the fact that the cleo
trio lights in the car did not go out
when we passed the cut off. When I
discovered that the gates to the draw
We're closed / jumped from my car,
falling on the edge of the bridge and
barely escaping rolling over. When l
say what had happened and realized
the extent of the accident | ran back
across the bridge until [ found a po-
hceman and told him to get help. Then
went down below the bridge where
they were at work on the wreck and
afterwards went home"
Rogers was closely questioned by the
detectives and chief of police, but he
insisted that the conductor had given
him the proper signal to go ahead.
Among the people who gathered at
the viaduet, the blameffor the fright
full calamity was laid at the door of
Motorman Rogers and Conductor Huff
man. Nearly all the blame, however,
was placed with Rogers. who has been
in the employ of the big consolidated
street railway company for years.
Charles Bremen, the bridge captain,
says:
Another story.
81 was on duty at the tine 1t was
about 1920 when boat coming up the
river whistled for the draw-bridge.
then gave the signals to Engineer Pat
terson and the gate Guards. [ shut
both gates at the north approach my
SELF run up the red light on. the pole,
and hung the red lanterns on the gates.
These red lights, as is we'll known sig
nifty danger-that the draw is open.
Then 1 gave the engineer the signal to
draw the wedge and also gave the Sig
nal of one bell. which was the order
to swing the bridge. The bridge had
swung clear and the boat had APP
preached almost under it, when l was
dumbfounded to see large combina-
ton street car with at least twenty
passengers inside, slowly but surely
approaching and only about forty-five
feet away. / cried out with all my
might stop! Stop. For Gods sake
stop that car!
1.-THE motorman was endeavoring to
stop the car, but it seemed that his
efforts were of no avail, the car COM
ing on and crashing into the gates.
which gave way, and in a second the
car had gone over the precipice. AS the
car struck the gates the frightened
motornan Jumped and fell on the
bridge. AS soon as the coach went
over leaned over the bridge and cried
to the men on the tug and vessel pass
ing through under the bridge to notify
the police and ambulances of the awful
accident when they went up the river.
7 saw the motorrnan about ten minutes
after the accident, but he disappeared
shortly afterward. No blame can be
attached to those in charge of the
bridge. The accident is entirely the
fault of the crew of the car
The work of rescuing the bodies went
on by the faring lights of the lamps
on fire boats BY 1880 five more bodies
in addition to those already taken to
the morgue, making twelve in all, had
been taken from the river. Among
them was young woman with blonde
hair and fairly we'll dressed, being the
body apparently of shop girl going
home from work. By her side in the
dead wagon lay the body of woman
about so years of age, and near her was
another of a woman about 40 years
old
Scores of people living on the South
Side who had relatives or friends
working or visiting in the East side,
hurried to the scene of the accident,
and the morkes, to make inquiries
about friends In the confusion, how
ever. but little could be learned from
them. Perhaps the persons for whom
they were looking were in the throngs
about the bridge. for up to II o'clock
tonight not a single body had been
identified.
Word just comes from the scene of
the wreck that a dredge has been Sc
cured and the whole car will Zoe raised
hod;1xr from tho hOttOm of the river