The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-08-08
FATAL PLUNGE
OF TROLLEY CAR
Fell Forty Feet from TrestIe With Its
Passengers,
NEARLY FORTY WERE KILLED
Loaded With Sunday EXcursionis's
and Left the Rails - No Sa''siac
tory Explanation Has Yet Been
Made Of the Accident.

pprncEPORT. CONN, August -
s.a-factory explanation is yet ior'n'o'n-
,,, as IN the trolley car accident y's''-
,,.hich twenty.nine people were
,,',a and twelve seriously injured
rho coroner has not yet impane'ieo .
,,r, Tho railway officials for lack 90
' 1lto- ovnlsnation. place the blame on 'h'
asa,orran Hamilton. saying he e''ne'
, '''9' ~. head ar disobeycd orders in run
MIN, tao fast over the treste.
Hamilton. during the day was 'n '"9
pr,drcoort Hospital suffering from '.'
sh,ck Later he recovered suiiie'en''' ~
~. .rrsigned I'm the s'ra0ord Justice
conn, charged with manslaushter. lie
pleaded not guilty. and the ease was
continued for one week The prisoner D
hail was nxed at $3.50. which be fur
nished ,,+
Am examination to-day showed that
the track bridge structure, and fohhi"B
gear Of the trolley car were all intact al
t,c time of the accident The brakes
we're set and the current shut OF "nen
the car left the bridge. 1t is thought
.he accident was due to the swaylns mo-
uon acquired by the car running at high
speed over the new earthwork at the app
proach of the bridge.
FELL FORTY FEET
Tho accident occurred ON the STRAIT
ford Extension Of the Sh'lton-sireet
Railway Company al four oc.ck
vesterdav afternoon. when loaded
trolley car went off the tresue over
peers MN Pond at Oronoque. about SIX
miles north of Bridgeport. and sank DO
the fats. forty feet below. Thus iar
thirty-six people are known 10 be dead
and several more injured. The following
IS Hst Of the Identified dead.
Joseph Hotchkiss Bridgeport, engineer
are department
Henry G.. Coeswel. Bridgeport,~ aged
sixty. cmDloye OF New York. New Haven
and Hartford Railroad; member of Roard
of Education.
Orlando b. Wells. aged sixty-three;
shoemaker.
selectman Elias +. Bradley and wife
Milford.
William Osborn. STAFFORD.
Daniel Calvin. Ansonia.
Conductor John Carroll Bridgeport.
$ Banks. Shelton.
Mrs. Mcdonald Bridgeport
Wnton Lanthear motorman Bridge
port Traction Company.
Bessie Toomey. twenty-five Bflase-
port
William IT, Harvey tbirty-seVen.
Bridgeport
Mrs. j. n. Riggs Stratfor3.
Mrs. Frank Blew and two chiidren-boy
aged three and girl aged fye-stratiord.
Mrs. Arthur Mccullough. Strauord.
Mrs. Arthur Holmes Bridgeport.
Thomas McNaly thirty. bridgeport
Identification not positive.
Peter Ring twon.y-cieht Bridgeport
Patrick McDermott. fifty Bridgeport
Frank Kraft twenty-five Bridgeport
Mrs Patrick Brennan, hfty-uine
Bridgeport
Alfred PITT twenty-five Brdgeport
William Cotter twenty-five. bridgeport;
Identification not positive.
Irving Roruse. twenty-three. Bridge
port.
AIRS william II. Harvey Bridgeport
John Calvin twenty-five. Ansonia.
Among the seriously injured at the
Bridgeport Hospital are.
Margaret Brennan scalp wound
AIRS. Sidney a. Pitt Bridgeport; visht
lee fractured twice.
Margaret Farrell. right leg ampuiated
above knee, viii probably die.
George Hamilton. scalp wound; INJURY
90 leg
Frank Kraft Bridgeport; injured about
head and back.
Arthur Holmes. bridgeport; confusion
about body. left leg crushed.
Fred Hiilercus, scalp wound; piulsea
Matthew Obm. scalp wound. cut and
bruised generally.
Margaret Farrell. New York
VILLAIN Kelley. Bridgeport sprained
arm.
Mabel Ruee aged five arm broken.
Chnr'o~ Delaney. New York. stock brok-
er. injured internally
TWO UNHURT OF FORI4-1l1REE.
only TWO persons are known To have
escaped unframed. 1t Us believed tnat
there were forty-three passengers on inc
car but the Indicator was removed by a
conductor OF another car aad spirited
away. so that at present 1t is Impossible
10 state accurately the number aboard.
The scene of the accident Is midway be-
was northbound. running toward shelton
ID was in charge of Conductor John Car
roll. of Bridgeport. who was among tire
killed. and MOtOrman Hamilton. Of
Bridgeport. who escaped by jumping.
The trostle is 4i0 feet long made or
iron. with stone foundations. and was not
protected by guard rails. South of the
trestie Is am incline. down which the car
Fan "A. @ high tate Of speed. After II 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 IL went on the trestle and
dropped into the pond below, overturnins
completely and Impending When the car
struck the fOur-tOn motor me heavy
trucks crashed into IL. instantly inning
many of the passengers
BODIES SENT TO THE MORGUE.
Three physicians who were passengers
on a car short distance behind arrived
quickly on the scene and rendered all
possible assistance 10 the injured. Word
was sent TO Bridgeport and three am
hulances and g police wagon were Eur-
ricd 10 the scene, and the Injured were
taken 10 Bridgeport General Hospital. a
morgue was improvised in the main
room OF the Town Hall at Stratford. and
In a very short time twenty-thrce bodies
wer 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, aud she
says that II was running at an unusually
fast rate. Frank Cramer who was bath
ing near the bridge. states that the pas
sengers were an singing and i'm the most
iovful mood as they passed him.
The road. which is practically controlled
bv the Bridgeport Traction Company, was
opened for traffic last Thursday.
Nearly the entire medical force OF
Bridgeport responded 20 telephone calls
sent in huf when the doctors arrived they