The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-11-20
AWFUL DISASTER.
Motor Gar Plunges Down Through
an Open Draw
Assistance OF 100 Feet Into the Cuyahoga
River-Fifteen Dead Bodies Taken
Out-One Badly Injured and
Four Missing.

disaster which sent chill OF horror
throughout the entire city occurred
Saturday evening, A motor car, loaded
with passengers, plunged through the
open draw of the Central viaduct and
fell 1O1 feet to the piling beneath, and
thence dropped into the river.
The verified list of dead and missing
is as follows:
Dead-James Mclaughlin, ball player, n
Trowbridge avenue
Henry w. Mecklenburg, tailor, aged 49,
Edward Hoffman. conductor.
Mrs John A. Sauernheimer, 10 Professor
street
Miss Bessie Davis, school teacher, lO7 Noyes
street i
Henry w. Foster. clerk, Root s Mcbride
Bros
Mrs. Minnie c. Brown, 10 Thurman street
Curt Lepehne Tor Clemens) pianist SO Jen-
aings avenue.
Mrs. A. w. Hoffman, 30 years old, 1903 Pearl
street
Harvey Hoffman, years, 1903 Pearl street
Mrs Martha Palmer A Grant street.
Marie Mettgen, 81 years, domestic
August Sarinsli, 2O7 Central avenue
Gertie Hoffman, years, 1908 Pearl strset
Louis f. Huletz, mail carrier,
Lottie Voth.
b. c. Page, residence unknown.
Matthew Gallagher.
At 7:2O o'clock car No. 642 on the Ce-
,dar and Jennings Avenue line was
speeding across the Central viaduct TO-
wards the South Side. There were
from eighteen to twenty passengers on
the car. 1t was dark and without
special watchfulness it was difficult to
see whether the draw was open or not.
The conductor got off the car, 1T is SAID,
threw the lever which allows the car
10 PASS the safety switch, and boarding
the car, signaled the motorman to go
ahead. The powe" was turned on. The
Gar sped on. Soon there was cry
from the bridge captain: stop! Stop
But it was too late.
The passengers on the rear PLATFORM
realizing that something was wrong,
Jumped. The motorman jumped also.
The next instant the car crashed into
the iron gates which are extended
across the bridge when the draw is
open and went headlong, with its
shrieking, imprisoned cargo OF human
Eouls. into the black chasm below. The
ear struck row of piles at the foot OF
the abutment and bounded OFF into the
waters of the river. The car bed was
shiyered into thousand pieces, but il
sank slowly with the rest.
Only one person remained at1oat Al
the car fell tug, under the command
of Capt. Edward Dahlke, was passing
under the bridge with barge in tow
With only the smallest margin to spare
the car missed both tug and tow, bu
Glove the towline.
II was all over in an instant, but th'
railing of the bridge was soon hne'
with a gaping, shuddering throng VIII
had either seen the car go over tn
bridge, or heard of it a moment after
A shout went down to the tug crew be
low, but it was not needed The GREY
were already at work, and endeavorin
TO rescue the only man who seemed I
have survived the fearful descen
through space. The car with all it
passengers but this one man had bee
swallowed up by the dark waters.
Those who saw the fearful plunge a
ence notified the police and the propr
etors of ambulances and relief wa
soon at hand. The freboat and tn
members of it's crew, with the assis
ance of Others who happened at han'
worked with graphing hooks an
small boats to recover bodies. Atabol
$3.50 o'clock the life-saving crew arrive
and assisted in the work of rescue.
The crew of the fire boat worSt
with such effectiveness with their lor
mixes that several bodies were soon
their way to the morgues Nine bodi
were taken from the water in less tn;
an hour.
No more ghastly sight can be IL
agined than that presented on the raj
On one end the polemen were feelil
for bodies the weird light OF lanter
showing the determined faces of t
fre,nen, who, though no strangers
scenes of horror, were affected visib
with the fearfulness of the calamit
On the other end of the raft were Ia
m row the dripping, bloody bodies
,thev were taken from the water.
The blame for the frightful calami
was laid at the door of Motorman Roc
ers and Conductor Holman. Neal
all the blame, however, was plao
with Rodgers, who has been in
employ of the Big Consolidated Str
Railroad Company for several yea
Rodgers, the motorman, was arres
late at night at his residence by
tectiyes Sprosty and Corner. He
taken to the Central police station
there he told his story: The condr
orr he said, Jumped off the car,
ahead, pulled the switch and told
to go ahead. pulled the handle
notch and ran on till | struck the ga
What fooled me most was that
lights did not go out in the car as t
should have done after passing
cutoff. After striking through
rates had only time to jump and L
directly on the edge of the bridge,
ing myself by few inches,
The man who was taken to the u.
land General hospital in a badly
tered physical condition gave his ms
as Patrick Looney, of No. IA Lyr
street. He is 25 years of age, and
gle, and is employed at the Otis S
works. His condition is critical.
Accidentally Shot Himself.
New ORLEANS, Nov. 1s.-Rober
Dav. one of the best known and n