The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1899-08-08
NEARLY FORTY KILLED.
Bridgeport Trolley Car Jumps
From Trestle.
BUT TWO PERSONS ESCAPE INJURY.
The line Was New and the Car Running
at "a High Rate of Speed Was Derailed
and Plunged Forty Feet Into Pond

and Plunged Forty Feet Into q Pond
Below.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn, Aug. 7.-Nearly
40 persons were killed by an accident on
the Stanford extension of the Shelton
Street Railway company at O'Clock
yesterday afternoon, when loaded
trolley car went off the trestle over
Peck's mill pond at Oronoque, about
six miles north of Bridgeport and sank
in the flats 90 feet below Thus far 36
people are known to be dead and several
more injured
The identified dead are:
JOSEPH HoTcHK1ss, Bridgeport, engi-
neer fire department.
HENRY G. CoGswELL, Bridgeport, mem
Der board of education
ORLANDO B. WELLS, shoemaker
SELECTMAN ELIAS E. BRADLEY and
WIFE, Milford
WILLIAM OSBORNE stratford.
DANIEL CALVIN, AnsoniA.
CONDUCTOR JOHN CARROLL, Bridgeport.
s. BANKs, Shelton.
MRS MCDONALD, Bridgeport.
WINTON IANTHEAR motorman.
BESSIE TooMEy, Bridgeport
WILLIAM II. HARVEY, Bridgeport.
MRS. ]. III. RUGG, Stratford.
MRS. FRANK BLEW and TWO CHILDREN,
Stratford
WILLIAM MCCULLOUGH, Stratford
THOMAS MCNALLY, Bridgeport (identi-
f1cation not positively.
PETER RING, Bridgeport
PATRICK MCDBRsdoTT, Bridgeport.
MRS. PATRICK BRENNAN, Bridgeport
ALFRED PITT Bridgeport
WILLIAM CoTTER Bridgeport (identifi-
cation not positive).
IRVING DORUSE, Bridgeport
MRS. WILLIAMS H. HARVEY, Bridgeport.
JOHN CALVIN, Ansonia.
MARGARET FARRELL. New York
Among the seriously injured at the
Bridgeport hospital are:
Margaret Brennan, scalp wound
Mrs. Sidney A. Hit, Bridgeport right
leg fractured twice.
Margaret Farrell, right leg smputated
above knee, will probably die.
George Hamilton, scalp wound. injury
to leg.
Frank Kraft, Bridgeport, injuries about
head and back
Arthur Holiness Bridgeport confusion
1OOOU oiAC Aclu ltES CYuSHcU.
Fred Hillercus, scalp wound, bruised
about the body.
Matthew Olvin, scalp wound, cut and
bruised generally.
William Kelly, Bridgeport, sprained
arm.
mabel Rugg, aged 8, arm broken.
Charles DelAney. New York, stock
broker, injured internally.
Only Two Unhurt.
Only two persons are known to have
escaped unframed. It is believed that
there were 40 passengers on the car, but
the indicator was removed by CON
ductor of another car and spirited away,
SO thnt at present it is impossible to
state accurately the number aboard.
The scene of the accident is midway
between Shelton and Bridgeport. The
car was northbound, running toward
Shelton. 1t was in charge of Conduc-
tor John Carroll Of Bridgeport, who was
among the killed, and Motorman Ham
ilton of Bridgeport, who escaped by
jumping.
The trestle is 40 feet long, made Of
iron, with stone foundations and was
not protected by guards rails. South Of
the trestle is an incline down which the
car ran at high rate of speed. After
it ran onto the trestle for about ten feet
the trucks left the rails and then the
car continued On Che ties for about rs
feet, when 1T went off the trestle and
dropped into the pond below, overturn-
ing completely and up ending.
When the car struck the four-ton
motor and the heavy trucks crashed into
it, instantly killing many of the pas
sengers. Three physicians who were
passengers on car a short distance be.
hind rendered all possible assistance to
the injured. Word was sent to Bridge
port and three ambulances and police
wagon were hurried to the scene and
the injured were taken to Bridgeport
general hospital. A morgue was i'm.
provised in the main room of the town
hall of Stratford and in very short
time % bodies were laid out awaiting
Identification.
Witnesses of the Accident.
The accident was seen by Miss Fran
ces Peck, who lives about 400 feet from
the bridge. She was upstairs as the car
was passing and says it was running at
an unusually fast rate. Frank Cramer
who was bathing near the bridge, saws
the passengers We're 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.
Nearly the entire medical force of
Bridgeport responded to telephone calls,
but when the doctors arrived they were
unable to do much for the few passen-
gers who escaped instant death. The
car, after upending, soon settled over
on Its side and there was little difficulty
in removing the bodies of the dead, as
well as assisting the wounded.
Motorman Hamilton is suffering from
such a severe shock it is impossible to
learn anything from him. President
Andrew Radell of the railway company
said that it was impossible for him to
account for the accident. Immediately