Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-11-23
THE RIVER SWALLOWED THEM
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 7:45
o'clock this evening, and dropped 100
feet to the river below. 1t is horror
the like of which never occurred here
before.
The central viaduct is a 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 a drawbridge on a piv-
OF swinging plan, 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 a handle, will send a 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
OWLS LllC d1 d W. 40 10 HAAS CtA~b ~At~
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
notion the conductor raised the switch
handle.
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 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
to jump as it toppled over, went down
to certain death. The car disappeared
from sight as soon as it 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 10.
Bessie Davis.
James Mclaughlin.
Harry w. Foster.
Matthew Callahan.
Mrs. Saurhermer.
MOTORMAN' 5 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 coroners inquest. He said:
1.-THE conductor went ahead ana 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. suppose L
was deceived by the fact that the cleo
trio lights in the car did not go out
when we passed the cutoff. When 1
| discovered that the gates to the draw
were closed I jumped from my car,
| falling on the edge or the prldge and
barely escaping rolling over. When l
saw what had happened and realized
tbe extent of the accident, 1 ran back
across the bridge until found police
man, and told him to get help. Then