Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-11-23
FRIGHTFUL PLUNGE.
Trolley Oar in Cleveland Coos
Through an Open Draw.
1t Drops 100 Feet Into the Cuyahogn
River-Fifteen Bodies Have Been
Recovered-Four Persons
Arc Missing.

bound Jennings avenue trolley car,
packed with men, women and children,
plunged through the open draw of the
Central viaduct at o'clock Saturday
night. 1t shot into space with the rap
idity of q bullet from gun. For one
brief moment it remained poised in the
air. Then it turned over on it's forward
end and plunged headlong 100 feet
down into the dark waters of the Cuya-
hoga river. One wild shrek came from
the interior of the car, which was cut
off as the car struck the upright piling
below. There came q crash of splinter
ing wood and shivering glass and then
oil was still as the shattered car,with
its load of human freight, disappeared
beneath the waters of the river.
UP to 6 o'clock Sunday evening Is
bodies had been recovered. This ac-
counts for all but four of the passengers
known to have been on the car at the
time it made its dreadful plunge. The
verified list of the dead and missing is
rs follows:
THE DEAD-James Mclaughlin, baseball
player. n Trow bridge avenue; Henry w.
Mecklenburg, merchant tailor, IS Mary
speel, EuWaru norman, conductor, III
East End avenue; Mrs John A. Sauern-
heimer, 76 Professor street; Miss Bessie
Davis, school-teacher in Sackett school,
lived at 107 Noyes street; Harry w. Foster
clerk for Root & Mcbride Co., 81 Mentor
avenue; Mrs. Minnie c. Brown, 10 Thurman
street; Curt Clemens, pianist, &C Jennings
avenue; Mrs. A. w. Hoffman, 30 years DID,
1908 Pearl street; Mrs. Martha Palmer, A
Grant street; Marie Mettgen, q years old
domestic, 10 Joseph street; Augusta Sarin-
ski, 207 Central avenue; Gertie Hoffman.
three years old, 1908 Pearl street; Louis +.
Huletz, mail carrier SS years old.
THE MIssING-Lottie Voth, Branch av-
enue; Miss Martha Sauernheimer, 15i Mer-
chants avenue; b. C. Page, residence un-
known; Matthew Gallagher, Hamilton
street.
Augustus Rodgers, the motorman in
charge of the car, was arrested at his
home and brought to the central sta
ton, where he was questioned by the
coroner and police officials. He stated
that Conductor Hoffman gave him the
signal to go ahead. Asked as to how the
conductor could have given him the "all
right" signal, in the face of the fact
that the red light signals, showing
hung on the closed bridge gates,
Rodgers replied that Hoffman prob
ably thought that the draw was
just closing instead of opening.
Rodgers was released after giving bond
for $1,000.
The bridge was open to allow the pas
sage of the tug Ben Campbell and her
tow, the lumber barge Abram Smith,
through the draw. Danger signals were
hn la
bridge had swung partly open when the
car approached. There was no slack
ening of the speed until foot passengers
on the bridge shouted a warning to the
motorman. Then he seemed to make
some slight effort to shut off the cur
rent, but there was no diminution of
speed.
Capt. Charles F. Brenner, in charge of
the bridge, saw the peril of the car. He
also yelled to the motorman to stop,
and at the same time interposed his
feeble strength to check it's flight by
grasping the handrail. He was thrown
violently to the bridge railing, and then,
before he could realize what had hap
pened, the car had disappeared down
into the dark abyss.
The alarm was quickly spread. Bat
talon Chief Rebbect, of the fire depart
ment, was crossing the bridge at the
time of the accident. He sent out call
for ambulances, ordered out the fire
boat, and notified the police. Assist
ance was soon at hand, and the work of
rescue begun.
Meanwhile the report of the accident
went through the city like wildfire.
hundreds rushed to the scene of disas-
ter, and as the report gained wider cir
culation the hundreds swelled to thou
sands. until great mass of humanity
stood on the brink of the river gazing
into the awful scene of chaos and con-
fusion. AS the dead were taken out
and hurriedly conveyed to the morgue
the ambulances and wagons were fol-
lowed by crowds of persons, some Curl
Gus, others with anxious faces, fearful
lest they should identify some loving
relative or friend.
I