The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1899-08-11
Of Over Forty People on Board
Thirty-Six Are Known to
Have PeriShed.
MANY INSTANTLY KILLED
Car Struck on Its End and a
Four-Ton Motor Crashed
on Top of 1t.
Oh arged the Accident Was
Caused by Too High
Rate of Speed.

BR1DGEPORT, conn.,, aug. IN arly
40 persons were killed by an accident
on the Stratford extension of the Shell
ton Street Railway company at p. M,
when loaded trolley car went off the
trestle over Feck's mill pond at Oron-
oque, about six miles north of Bridge
port, and sank in the flats 40 feet below.
Thus far SO people are known to be
dead aud several more injured. The
known dead are:
Joseph Hotchkiss, Bridgeport, en-
gineer fire department.; Henry G. Cogs-
well, Bridgeport, member of board of
education; Orlando Wells; Selectman
Elias w. Bradley and wife, Bridgeport;
William F. Osborne, Stratford Arthur
Holmes, Stratford; Daniel Calvin, An
sonia; Conductor John Carroll, Bridge
port; S. Banks, Shelton: Mrs. Melon
aid, Bridgeport; Winton Lanthear, mo-
torman, Bridgeport; Bessie Toomey,
Bridgeport; William H. Harvey, Bridge
port; Mrs. J. II. Rugg, Stratford; Mrs.
Frank Blew and two children, STRAIT
ford; William Mccullough, Stratford;
Mrs. Arthur Holmes, Thomas Morally,
Peter Ring, Patrick McDermott, Frank
Knaft, Mrs. Patrick Brennan, Alfred
Pitt, William Cotter, Irving Doresus,
Mrs. William H. Harvey, all of Bridge
port.
Only Two Escaped Unframed.
Only two persons are known to have
escaped unframed. 1t is believed that
there were AZ passengers on the car,
but the Indicator was removed by a
conductor of another car and spirited
away so that at present it is impossible
to state accurately the number on
board. The scene of the accident is
midway between Shelton and Bridge
port The car was northbound, run
ming toward Shelton. 1t was in charge
of Conductor John Carroll of Bridge
port, who was among the killed, and
Motorman Hamilton of Bridgeport,
who escaped by jumping.
The trestle is 440 feet long, made of
iron, with stone foundations, and was
not protected by guard rails. South of
the trestle is an incline down which the
car ran at high rate of speed. 1t ran
on to the trestle for about 10 feet when
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, overturn-
ing completely and Impending.
Many Instantly Killed.
When the car struck the 4-ton motor
and the heavy trucks crushed into it,
instantly killing many of the passen-
gers Three physicians who were pas
sengers on car short distance behind
arrived quickly on the scene and rem
dered all possible assistance to the in
Jureu. word was sent to Bridgeport
and three ambulances and police
wagon were hurried to the scene and
the injured were taken to the Bridge
port general hospital A morgue was
improvised in the main room of the
town hall at Stratford and in very
short time % bodies were 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 and
she says it was running at an unusually
fast rate.
Frank Cramer, who was bathing near
the bridge, states that the passengers
were all singing and in the most joyful
mood as they passed him. The road,
which is practically controlled by the
Bridgeport Traction company, was
opened for traffic last Thursday.