Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1900-07-06
CAR ACCIDENT N TACOMA.
SIXTY PERSONS WERE KILLED.
Eighteen Injured im an Accident
Electric Car Went Over Grade
Down Sexty Feet Into the Deep
Gulch.

Gulcl.
Tacoma, Wash, July 5.-A crowded elec
tric car from South Tacoma crashed
through bridge at Seventeenth and ID
streets at $3.50 Wednesday morning
Twenty We're killed and thirty injured and
horribly mangled. People were coming
into the city to witness the celebration.
The most appalling accident ever known
in the history of Tacoma occurred yester-
day, when at $3.50 an Edison ear loaded
with eNcursionists coming to see the pa
rade, was dashed down 10 feet over tae
from ID street, burying the passen-
gers, among whom We're many women and
children, under the wreck Of the car. The
car turned completely over anl nangled
the unfortunate victims into niecogniz-
able shapes as the debris crashed on down
the steep side Of the gulch
Where the car went off there Is a sharp
curve, at the foot Of ii steep graic. Just
how the accident occurred will never be
known, but as the car struck the curve,
instead of following the rails, it whirlcd
completely over and pitched from the
bridge, striking on its top, the heavy
trucks and body Of the car crashiay the
frail upper works 10 splinters and smash
ing down upon the mass of men, women
and children, with which the car was
loaded.
In the gulch confused mass If wrecked
car, bridge timbers, and killed and
mangled people made the heart OF the be-
holder sink. Telephone messages for dec
tors from the st. Joseph hospital to the
central station brought quick response
Policemen and civilians were sent in haste
and every physician in the city was mott
fled. Telephone wires were kept hot WITH
repeated calls and not an effort vas lost
to get every available doctor i'll town
As the bodies of the victims were
brought up out OF the gulch, some OF
them manglcd out of all recognition
heartrending scenes were evcrywler,
seen as mothers found their dead ana
mangled children. Others were wildly
rushing around looking for friends tia,
had been on the fatal car, and ovcryWher,
scattered about OH the ground al the cdet
Of the gulch were bodies Of men. women
and children, some of them stl,i alive and
some just gasping their last breath, often
with nobody to give them the least atten
ton, SO busy was the crowd in the work
of rescue or in hunting for friends whc
might be in the wreck.
Al E L..
brought up out Of the gucn in blanket,
and glnnysacks, and those not killed
were borne to the waiting cars to carry
them to their homes or to the hospitals
the sight making the stoutest hear. sink
The fire department, as well a. the po
lice patrol, was early on the ground IL
assist in the work of rescue
Twenty-Five dead were counted around
on the ground or on the bridge. wher,
they were half covered up with gunny
sacks, or lay stark and man.leJ in pools
of blood under the feet of the mult.1je
who passed them with Il saualcr 10 look
at the wreck far down the bank of Tho
gulch. More than as many more were
carried away in carriages. alnbulance, an
the patrol wagon and in the ears which
the railway company sent 10 the scene tc
carry away the wounded
Thirty-Five We're Killed.
BY a corrected count 35 men. wcnen and
children were killed in the accident and
IS were injured. OF these latter fully one
half will die.
The gulch is over l20 feet deep, but
where the car first struck the steep bank
was about 80 or 60 feet down the side oi
the gulch Here the car first crashed int
the bank and smashed alopg down tn,
side Of the guleh, grinding the victims
under its wreck
Following are the names OF the dead
as far as it was possible TO ascertain
them:
The dead-Three children OF Mrs. Lv
man Lee Of Medford. Ore: Carl Mosser
aged I years, and Herman Mosser agec
4, both children OF Mrs Herman Mo,ser
of South Tacoma William Nielsen o
Spanaway Lake; Mrs. Emma Hemming
Mrs. George Flemming, three daughter
and a son; Robert Steele, John Nielsen
Mr.. Mcmillan. Miss Kellogg. George Ben
ston. Louis Onger; daughter of FREQ
Suiter, 10 years old.
The Wounded.
Following are names Of some Of tbs
injured:
Mrs Lyman Lee, Medford. Ore: two
children Of Mrs. {. o. Lee of South Ia
coma; Alfred Brottem: Policeman
John Pollard, Emma Roberts, Be-si,
Rice, Ernest Foiberg. Ms. Louis Dinger
Haffer Burt, o. Martin, S. Henry. vii
liam II. Davis. Mrs. NJ. J. Suiter Georg,
Bolts, Joseph LongermaH, Berdenns
Longerman. Mrs Olson. Luther Swanson
W. A. Wering, Vida Wering. Mary Wer
ing, Gladys Wering, G. A. Swanson, l.
B. Longerman, Mrs. Russell Hayes, Mrs
Patterson, Mrs. Suiter, Charles Longer