The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1899-08-12
TH|RTYPERSONS WERE KILLED.
STREET CAR LEFT THE TRACK.
Passengers Were Crushed to Death
Plunged Forty Feet Into the Water
Car Was Going at High Speed-Four-
Ton Motor Crashed onto the Car.

Bridgeport. Conn, Aug. NEARLY 40
persons were killed by an accident on the
Stratford extension of the Shelton Street
Railway Company Sunday, when loaded
trolley car went off the trestle over Peck's
mill pond at Oronoque, about six miles
north of Bridgeport and sank in the flats
40 feet below. Thus far 36 persons are
known to be dead and several more in
jured.
Only two persons are known to have es-
capped unframed. 1t is believed there were
43 passengers ON the car, but the indicator
was removed by the conductor of another
car and spirited away, so that at present it
is impossible to state accurately the num-
Der aboard.
The scene of the accident is midway be-
tween Shelton and Bridgeport. The car
was northbound running toward Shelton.
1t was in charge of conductor John Car
roll of Bridgeport, who was among the
killed, and Motorman Hamilton of Bridge
port, who escaped by jumping
The trestle is 440 feet long, made of iron,
with stone foundations and was not pro-
tected by guard rails South of the trestle
for about 10 feet the trucks left the rails,
then the car confined on the ties about
rs feet, when it went off the trestle and
dropped into the pond below, overturning
completely and upending.
Crushed by the Motor.
When the car struck the four-ton motor
and the heavy trucks crushed into it, in
stantly killing many of the passengers.
Three physicians who were passengers on
car short distance behind, arrived
quickly on the scene and rendered all pos
sible assistance to the injured.
Word was sent to Bridgeport and three
ambulances and police wagon were hur-
ried to the scene and the injured were Ia.
ken to the Bridgeport general hospital. A
morgue was improvised in the main room
of the town hall at Stratford, and in a very
short time 23 bodies were laid out awaiting
Identification.
, President Andrew Randell of the rail
road company stated that it was impossi
BILE for him to account for the accident
Immediately after his arrival at the seen,
he made thorough inspection of tin
;, tracks and trestle and could see nothing
wrong, and cars were running over tn
trestle as usual soon afterwards. He de
. MED that the cars were run at high rat
of speed, and claimed every possible pre-
caution had been taken to prevent acci
: dents.
One theory advanced is that faulty con
s nection was responsible for the accident
At the point where the cars leave the roa
= for the trestle it is alleged that the rail
+ had sunk little, and though the forwar
y trucks took the rails all right, the rea
= trucks did not connect and jumped tn
}. track, which caused the forward trucks
t also leave the iron. 1t is believed that
r the proper guard rails had been place
n alongside the track the car would not hav
toppled over
=. Escaped by Jumping.
s. William Kelly of Bridgeport, in con
Il pany with Miss Farrell, escaped death b
v jumping from the car as it swayed to ii
a flats below. Soon afterwards the car tol
y pied over. He sustained a severe shocI
"a but was otherwise uninjured. He state
l. that the cars were not running unusual
fast but the car was swaying considerable
when it struck the trestle and he realize
- the danger and knew his only safety WI
70 in jumping.
- - All the bodies of the Bridgeport dea
10 and the unidentified were taken to Il
20 morgue at Bridgeport. 1t has been asce
- tanned that 40 fares were registered al
f. these, with the young children that did N
te have to pay, the motorman and conduct
and an extra motorman, who was beil
u taught, make the probable number on t
Te car AZ.