Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-11-22

The Mistake of One Man Brought the
Car Through the Gates Of an
Open Draw.

electric motor car, containing between
20 and 80 passengers, went through the
draw of the central viaduct at TAB
o'clock this evening, and dropped lO0
feet to the river below. 1t Is horror,
the like of which never occurred here
before.
The central viaduct is huge silt
bridge, 5000 feet long, made of iron. 1t
connects the heights and the prosperous
residence sections on both sides at the
business center of the city. Directly
over the river is drawbridge on piv-
OF swinging plan, and this is 1O1 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 a handle, will send car into the
gully instead of allowing it to go on
the draw.
First reports from the scene of the
disaster seem to place the blame on the
conductor. They were to the effect
that the Inflated motor car approached
the draw just as a vessel was nearing
it, and the bridge attendants closed the
big iron gates and were preparing to
swing the draw. AS is the rule, the
car stopped and the conductor went for
ward 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 in
motion, the conductor raised the switch
handle.
The motorman applied the current
and tha shot forward or
the gates with crash. There was only
moments pause, and then the heavy
car ground it's way through the wreck
age and plunged over the brink into the
black abyss, amid the screams and
frantic struggles of the passengers, who
at the first intimation of danger rushed
for the rear door.
The car struck the water with
great splash, and then there was 81
lence
Soon men began to rush about shout
ing wildly, and the police patrol wag-
ons and ambulances were flying to the
spot in response to telephone calls. In
an incredibly short space of time the
work of rescue begun.
All the occupants of the car, with the
exception of those who had managed
~ jump do IL lOppleu over, went QOWn
to certain death. The car disappeared
from sight as soon as 1t struck the wa
ter, and every one of the passengers
was drowned.
LIST OF THE DEAD.
The dead as identified are as fol-
lows:
Mrs. Minnie Brown.
- Hoffman, conductor of car.
Henry w. Mecklemburg.
Burt Lephne.
Mrs. A. w. Hoffman.
Harvey Hoffman, aged Is.
Bessie Davis.
James Mclaughlin.
Harry W. Foster.
Matthew Callahan.
Mrs. Saurhermer.
MOTORMAN'S STORY.
Rogers, the motorman of the car, was
arrested late tonight at his home, and
was held in $4,000 bail to await the result
OF the coroner's inquest. He said:
The conductor went ahead and turn
ed the switch, giving me the signal to
come ahead. 1 supposed that every
thing was all right, and did not notice
that the draw was open. 1 suppose
was deceived by the fact that the cleo
trio lights in the car did not go out
when we passed the cutoff. When l
discovered that the gates to the draw
were closed l jumped from my car
railing on the edge of the bridge and
barely escaping rolling over. When I
saw what had happened and realized
the extent of the accident, / ran back
across the. bridge until found a police
man, and told him to get help. Then
went down below the bridge, where
they were at work on the wreck. and
afterwards went home"
Cleveland, Ohio, Nov. 1.-THE people
OF this city stood appalled, today when
they realized the full horror of the ter
rlble accident which occurred last even
ing on the big Central viaduct. It was
the worst accident that had ever han
pened in this city, and the story of how
the motor car, loaded with men, women
ana children, had plunged through the
open draw straight down a hundred
Ieet INTO the river was told over and
over again. Thousands of people re-
NAMED by the river bank all last night
anu thousands more were there early
thls morning. Great crowds are still
Standing on the bridge above the
wrecked car and about the place where
the wreck is buried in the river eagerly
discussing every detail of the accident.
FIRST reports of the disaster have
been verified in every particular. with
the possible exception of the number
Oh victims, which is somewhat smaller
tnan was at first supposed. The work
Oh rescuing the bodies of the victims
mas gone on steadily since 9 o'clock last
nlght' and 1t is now believed nothing
more can be done until the last hit of
the Wreckage of the car has been re-
moved from the river.
scenes about the river late last night
While the work of rescue was being
prosecuted, were pathetic in the ex-
IRENE. The thousands of people who
hau assembled and waited for the dis
coVery OF the bodies was a sad crowd
ana out OF respect for the unfortunate
oead but very little noise was made
occasionally the wild scream of some
frantic woman who believed some one
GEAR to her was among the unfortu-
nate ones would echo over the fats
only to be taken up at a distance NV
some other woman whose heart was
breaking over her loss.
cincinnati Brey e'y Rurued
cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 17.-EarIv this
n h. D.