The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-07
Trolley Car Jumps
Trestle and Falls
Forty Feet, Killing
Thirty-si1 Passen-
gers.

Bridgeport, Conn, Aug. 6.-The most
frightful catastrophe recorded in Con-
necticut for nearly half a century oc-
CURED shortly before 4 o'clock this af-
ternoon on the Stratford extension of
the Shelton Street Railway Company,
when loaded car went off the trestle
over Peck's mill pond, at Oronoque,
about six miles north of Bridgeport,
and sunk i'll the flats 40 feet below.
Thus far Sc people are known to be
dead and several more injured Only
two persons are known to have escaped
unframed It is believed that there
were 40 passengers on the car, but the
indicator was removed by the conduct
or OF another car and spirited away SO
that at present it is impossible to state
accurately the number aboard. The
scene of the accident is midway be-
tween Shelton and Bridgeport
The identified are:
JOHN CALVIN. %, Ansonia
MARGARET FARRELL, New York.
JOSEPH HOTCHKISS, Bridgeport.
engineer fire department.
HENRY c. COGSWELL, Bridgeport,
/ aged 60, employee of New York. New
Haven q Hartford railroad, member of
board of education.
ORLANDO B. WELLS, aged SO, shoe
maker.
SELECTMAN ELIAS E. BRADLEY
AND WIFE, Milford
WILLIAM OSBORNE, Stratford.
ARTHUR HOLMES. Stratford.
DANIEL CALVIN, Ansonia.
S. BANKS, Shelton.
MRS. MCDONALD, Bridgeport.
CONDUCTOR JOHN CARROLL,
Bridgeport.
4, N,..I u-Nrr-rJ Apr
Bridgeport Traction Co
BESSIE TOOMEY, %. Bridgeport.
WILLIAM H. HARVEY, 81, Bridge
port
MRS. j. H. RUGG, stratford.
MRS. FRANK BLEW, two children,
boy aged 3, girl aged 5, Stratford.
ford.
MRS. ARTHUR HOLMES, Bridge
port
MARGARET BRENNAN, Bridgeport
identification not positive).
THOMAS McNALLY, 80. Bridgeport
Identification not positive).
PETER RING, %, Bridgeport.
PATRICK McDERMOTT. so. Bridge
port.
FRANK KRAFT, 25, Bridgeport.
MRS. PATRICK BRENNAN, so.
Bridgeport
ALFRED PITT. %, Bridgeport.
WILLIAM COTTER, rs, Bridgeport
Identification not positivel
IRVING DORUSE, %, bridgeport.
MRS. WILLIAM H HARy. lY.
Bridgeport
Among the seriously injured at the
Bridgeport hospital are:
MARGARET BRENNAN, scalp
wound
MRS. SIDNEY A. PITT, Bridgeport.
right leg fractured twice
MARGARET FARRELL, right leg
amputated above knee; will probably
die.
GEORGE HAMILTON, scalp wound.
injury to leg.
FRANK KRAFT, Bridgeport, injur-
ed about head and back.
ARTHUR HOLMES, Bridgeport, con-
tusions about body, left leg crushed
FRED HILLERUS, scalp wound,
bruised about body.
MATTHEW OLBIN, scalp wound.
cut and bruised generally.
WILLIAM KELLY, Bridgeport,
sprained arm
MABEL RUGG, aged 5, arm broken.
CHARLES DELANEY, New York.
stock broker, injured internally.
The car was north-bound, running
toward Shelton. 1t was in charge az
Conductor John Carroll of Bridgeport
(who was among the killed. and Motor
man Hamilton Of Bridgeport. He es-
capped by jumping.
The trestle Is 440 feet long, made of
iron with stone foundations, and was
not protected by any guard rails South
of the trestle is quite an incline, on
which the car ran down at a very fast
rate of speed After it ran onto the
trestle for about 10 feet the trucks left
the rails, and then the car continued
on the ties for about rs feet, when it
went off the trestle and dropped into
the pond below, overturning complete
~ and upsetting. When the car
struck. the motor, which weighed four
tons, and the heavy trucks crashed into
1t. instantly killing many of the pas
sengers.
Drs. J. C. Lynch. r w. Ivers and j.
M. johnson of Bridgeport, who were
on car a short distance
behind, We're quickly on the scene, and
rendered all possible assistance to the
injured. Word was quickly sent to
Bridgeport and three ambulances and
a police wagon We're hurried to the
scene, and the injured were taken to
the Bridgeport general hospital
A number of other conveyances We're
also pressed into service to convey per-
sons to the hospital. Medical Exam-
liner Coggsweu of Stratford improvisea
a morgue in the main room of the
town hall at the Stratford, and in a
very short time 20 bodies We're laid out.
awaiting Identification.
The accident was witnessed by Miss
Frances Peck. who resides about 400
feet from the bridge She was upstairs
at her home as the car was passing.
oh. oil