The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-07
A4R|GHTFuL ACCIDENT
Loaded Trolley Car Runs Off
a TreStIe Just North
of Stratford.
THIR7Y-sIz KNOWN DEAD
ONLY TWO PERSONS ESCiPE WITH-
OUT SERIOUS INJURY.

OUT SERIOUS INJURY.
Forty-Seven Passengers In the Car-Is
Was Running Toward Shelton and
Jumped the Tracks, Falling Forty
Feet-Cause of the Accident Not Defi-
nttely Known-The List of the Dead
and Injured.
Bridgeport, Aug. 6.-The most fright
full catastrophe recorded in Connecticut
for nearly half a century occurred
shortly before o'clock this afternoon
on the new Stratford extension of the
Shelton Street Railway company,
loaded car went off the trestle over
Pecks mill pond at Orronoque, about
six miles north Of Bridgeport, and sunk
in the flats forty feet below. Thus far
and several more injured. Only two
persons are known to have escaped un-
harmed. 1t is believed that there were
forty-three passengers on the car, but
the Indicator was removed by con-
ductor of another car and spirited away
80 that at present it is impossible to
state accurately the number aboard
The scene of the accident is midway
of Shelton and Bridgeport, or about two
miles north of Stratford The car was
north-bound. running toward Shelton.
1T was in charge of Conductor John
Carroll of Bridgeport (who was among
the killed. and Motorneer Hamilton of
Bridgeport. He escaped by jumping.
The trestle is four hundred and forty
feet long, made of iron with stone foun-
dations and was not protected by 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 ten feet the
trucks left the rails and then the car
continued on the ties for about seventy
five feet, when it went off the trestle
and dropped into the pond below, over
turning completely and upending.
When the car struck, the motor, which
weighed four tons, and the heavy trucks
crushed into it, instantly killing nearly
all of the passengers.
Doctors J. C. Lynch, r. w. Ivers
and ]. M Johnson of Bridgeport, who
were passengers on car a short dis
tance behind, were quickly on the |
scene and rendered all possible assist
ance to the injured Word was quickly |
sent to Bridgeport, and three ambu-
lances and a police wagon were hurried |
to the scene and the injured were taken
to the Bridgeport general hospital. A
number of other conveyanuces also were
pressed into service to convey persons
to the hospital. Medical Examiner
Coggswell of Stratford improvised a
morgue in the main room of the town
hall of Stratford, and in very short
time twenty-three bodies were laid out,
awaiting Identification.
The accident was witnessed by Miss
Frances Peck, who resides about 400
feet from the bridge She was up stairs
at her home as the car was passing,
and she claims that 1t was running at
an unusually high rate of speed. Frank
Cramer, who was bathing near the
bridge, states that the passengers were
all singing and in the most joyful mood
as they passed his vicinity.
The road which is practically con-
trolled by the Bridgeport Traction COM
MANY. was opened for traffic last Thurs
day. President Andrew Radell was in
Derby when he received news of the
catastrophe and he Immediately drove
to the scene. He was completely pros
trated when he saw the extent of the
disaster
Undertaken F. L. Curtis of Stratford
was notified almost Immediately after
the accident and he utilized all sorts
of conveyances to convey the dead bod
les to the improvised morgue. Nearly
the entire medical force of Bridgeport
responded to telephone calls sent in, but
when the doctors arrived they were un-
able TO render but little assistance, as
SO few escaped instant death. The car
after ending UP soon settled over on its
side and there was little difficulty in re-
the bodies Of the dead as well {
as rendering assistance to the wounded.
The cause of the accident will prob t
ablv not be known until after Coroner !
Doten conducts the investigation MO
tornan Hamilton, who ESCAPED death,
Is SuHeTl1S lIOllP SueiI q oS'NAS Sii'NtN
that it is impossible TO learn anything
from him tonight. President Radel stat '
ed that it was impossible for him to ac-
count for the accident. Immediately at L
Ter his arrival at the scene he made a
thorough inspection Of the tracks on O
the trestla and he could sec nothing
wrong and the cars were running over
the trestle as usual soon afterwards. He Il
denied that the cars were being run at
, high rate of speed and claimed that I
every possible precaution had been TAX
IN to prevent such an occurrence. Sew
IN inspectors were put on to watch the V
.unning of the cars and time allow
,nce of half an hour was allowed and V
Extra cars put on to provide for this.
one theory advanced IL that faulty b
construction was responsible for the ac-
dent At the point where the cars IL
cave the road for the trestle it is alleg-
ID that the rails had sunk little and G