The Penn's Grove record., 1899-08-11

Was WI orle From
Bridgeport and Other owns Turned
Over In Its Descent and the Motto
Came Through the Floor and Crushed
the Passengers - Over Thirty KILLED
and Nearly a Dozen Injured.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (SpeciaD.-The great.
.st catastrophe recorded in Connection
or nearly half a century occurred on the
Stratford extension of the shelton street
Railway, when n loaded car went of the
restls over Peck's Mill Pond, at 0ronoque,
about six miles north of Bridgeport, and
sank in the flats forty feet below. Over
thirty persons were killed and nearly a
iozen were injured. Only two persons ex-
.aped unframed.
This is a partial list of the dead: s.
Banks, Shelton; Mrs. Frank Blew and two
children, Stratford; Elias E. Bradley, Sc
lectman, and wife, Milford; Mrs. Patrick
Brennan, Bridgeport; JOIN Carroll, con-
1uctor, Bridgeport; Henry G. Cogswell,
Bridgeport; William Cotter, Bridgeport;
Irving Doruse, Bridgeport; Daniel Gal
win, Ansonia; William Il. Harvey, Bridge
port; Mrs. William Harvey, Bridgeport;
Mrs. Arthur Holmes, Bridgeport; Joseph
Hotchkiss, engineer of the Fire Depart
nent, Bridgeport; Frank Kraft, Bridge
| port; William Mccullough, Stratford; Pat
lick McDermott, Bridgeport; Mrs. McDon-
aid, Bridgeport; Thomas McNally, Bridge
port; William Osborn, Stratford; Alfred
p tt, Bridgeport; Peter Ring, Bridgeport;
Mrs. J. II. Rugg, Stratford; Bessie Toomey,
Bridgeport, and Orlando b. Wells, shoe
maker.
The scene of the accident is midway be-
tween shelton and Bridgeport. The car
was northbound, running toward shelton.
rne trestle is 440 feet long, made of iron
with stone foundations, and was not pro-
tected by guard rails. South of the trestle
Is an incline, which the car ran down at a
rapid rate OF speed. After 1t had run on the
trestIe for about ten feet, the trucks left
the rails, and then the car continued on
the ties for about seventy-ive feet, when
1t went off the trestle and dropped into
the pond below, overturning completely
and turning up on end. When the car fell
thus, bottom upward, the heavy trucks
crashed down through the door upon the
Imprisoned passengers. Thus, had the fall
Of Atty feet not been sufficient to kill, the
trucks, weighing several tons, were enough
70 more than complete the work.
Carroll, the conductor, jumped ahead of
the ca-. which fell upon him. Women
were found dead, elasping their children
10 tUBlT DOsOLns. anu hb WcIO Jug buti
huddled together, and driven into the mud
up to their arms. The motorman, George
Franklin, escaped death. He was terribly
bruised.
The work OF rescue and recovery OF the
dead was not prompt in beginning ow-
ing to the difficulties presented by the
character of the ground. The rescuers
had to go down Il steep bank and pass on
planks to where the wrecked car lay nail
buried.
The living were first removed. Some OF
these afterward died. Those not dead
were taken to the main hospital at Bridge
port. Some of these died on the way. Those
who were dead were for the most part
taken to the Town Hall of Stratford, a
suburb OF Bridgeport. There they were
laid out in three row on piles of hay and
straw to avail Identification. The dead In
many Instances had been terribly manned.
Some had an expression on their faces as
II they had fallen asleep. A steady stream
OF persons passed through the pulldt q TO
seek to identify the dead.
The accident was witnessed by Miss
Frances Peck, who lives about four hun
dred feet from the bridge. She was up
stairs at her home as the car was passing,
and she says that 1t was running at an I'M
usually 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 near
him.
The road, which is practically controlled
by the Bridgeport Traction Company, was
opened only three days before for traffic.
President Andrew Radell was In Derby
when he received news of the catastrophe
and he Immediately drove to the scene. He
was Frustrated when he saw the extent OF
the disaster.
The cause of the accident will PROBABLY
not lie known until after Coroner Doten
conducts an investigation. President lIa-
dell stated that 1t was impossible for him
to account for the accident. He denied
that the cars were run at a high rate OF
speed, and asserted that every possible
precaution had been taken to prevent such
an occurrence.
A peculiar feature of the disaster is the
fact that for several days rumors had been
persistently circulated in Derby that clair
voyants had predicted a fearful accident
on the new trolley road. 1t is said that
these rumors kept hundreds of Derby,
Shelton and Ansonia residents of the cars
IN the day of the disaster.