Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1899-08-12

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 5
mill pond at Oronoque, about six miles
north of Bridgeport and sank in the flats
40 feet below. Thus far SO 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 feur-ton motor
and the heavy trucks crushed into it, in
stantly killing many of the passengers.
Three physicians who were passengers on
a car a 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 in iured were ta-
ken to the Bridgeport general hospital. A
morgue was improvised in the main room
of the town hall at Stratford, and in very
short time 90 b dies 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 scene
he made a thorough inspection of the
tracks and trestle and could see nothing
wrong, and cars were running over the
trestle as usual soon afterwards. He de-
MED that the cars were run at high rate
of speed, and claimed every possible pre-
caution had been taken to prevent acct
dents.
One theory advanced is that faulty con-
nection was responsible for the accident.
At the point where the cars leave the road
for the trestle it is alleged that the rails
had sunk little, and though the forward
trucks took the rails all right, the rear
trucks did not connect and jumped the
track, which caused the forward trucks to
also leave the iron. 1t is believed that if
the proper guard rails had been placed
alongside the track the car would not have
toppled over
Escaped by Jumping.
William Kelly of Bridgeport, in COM
pany with Miss Farrell, escaped death by
jumping from the car as it swayed to the
flats below. Soon afterwards the car top
pied over. He sustained a severe shock,
but was otherwise uninjured. He stated
that the cars were not running unusually
fast but the car was swaying considerably
when it struck the trestle and he realized
the danger and knew his only safety was
IN jumping
All the bodies of the Bridgeport dead
and the unidentified were taken to the
morgue at Bridgeport. 1t has been ascer-
tanned that 40 fares were registered and
these, with the young children that did not
have to pay, the motorman and conductor
h. hot,,
taught, make the probable number on the