Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-08-07

Bridgeport responded to telephone
calls sent in, but when the doctors ar
rived they were unable TO render much
assistance, as so few passengers
ESCAPED INSTANT DEATH.
The car after Impending soon settled
over on its side and there was little
difficulty in removing the bodies of
the dead, as we'll as assisting the
wounded.
Motorman Hamilton is suffering
from such severe shock that it was
impossible to learn anything from him
Tonight. President Andrew Radell, of
the railroad company, stated that it
/ was impossible for him to account for
the accident Immediately after his
, arrival at the scene, he made thor
ough inspection of the tracks on the
trestle and could see nothing wrong.
and cars were running over the trestle
as usual soon afterwards. He denied
that the cars were being run at high
rate of speed and claimed that every
possible precaution had been taken to
prevent accidents. One theory ad-
vanced is that faulty construction 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 a little and though the for
ward trucks took the rails all right,
the rear trucks did not connect and
jumped the track, which caused the for
ward trucks to also leave the iron. 1t
is believed that if proper guard rails
had been placed on the trestle the car
would have been prevented from top
ping over.
All of the persons killed
SUSTAINED FRACTURED SKULLS.
VIM Kelley, of Bridgeport. who was III
company with Miss Farrell, escaped
death by jumping from the car as he
felt it swaying to the flats below. Soon
a1terward the car toppled over. He
sustained a severe shock but was 9TH
erwise uninjured. He stated tonight
that the cars were not running unus-
ually fast, but that the car was sway
ing considerably when it struck the
trestle and he realized the danger and
knew his only safety was in jumping.
George Willis, of Shelton was on the
highway not more than one hundred
feet from the scene and witnessed the
car topping over. He said that there
was one unearthly shrek as it went
down and after that silence.
Miss Frances Peck, who was dress
ing in her room, saw the accident from
her window and it is her impression
that the car was
RUNNING VERY FAST.
She was so excited that she could give
but meagre information but AYERS that
the car was Swaying considerably as
it reached the trestle. One of the pa
thetic scenes was that of lifeless ba-
by reclining in the arms of a dead
man, the infant appearing to be smil-
ing and asleep. The three-year-o
son of Mrs. j. H. Rugg was frantically
appealing to his dead mother. His
sister, five years old had her left arm
broken.
The Stratford town hall where the
bodies were taken was soon beseiged
by more than 1000 persons, some OF
| whom had relatives or friends among
the dead and the deputy sheriffs in
charge had much difficulty in handling
the crowd of weeping women and anX-
ious men. All the bodies of the
Bridgeport dead and the few uniden-
titled were taken to the morgue at
Bridgeport late tonight. 1t has been
ascertained that forty fares were reg
istered and these with the young chill
dren that did not have to pay, the
motorman and conductor, and extra
motorman who was being taught,
make the probable number on the car
fOrty-seven.