Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1900-07-13
sixty IRE HURLED TO DEATH
aComa Street Car Goes Down
Steep Embankment.
WAS RUNNING AT FULL SPEED
Whole Families Among Those Killed
Hospitals Filled with Fully Three
July.

street car on the Edison line in
Tacoma, Wash. heavily loaded with
passengers from surrounding towns
and running at high rate of speed,
left the tracks while rounding a sharp
curve at Twenty-sixth and c streets
Wednesday morning, rolled 100 feet
down an embankment, killing sixty
people and injuring as many more.
The list of dead and MANNED in
cludes residents. and in some cases
nearly whole families of Edison, Lake
view, Lake Park, Ballard, South Ia
coma and other suburban towns, who
were coming here to attend the Fourth
of July celebration The Fanny Pad
dock and st. Joseph hospitals are
crowded with those who are in the
hands of physicians and surgeons,
while the mOrgueS and undertaking es-
Establishments are unable to care for the
scores of dead bodies. 1t was a most
appalling incident, and strong men
whose humane instincts told them to
lend aid had to turn away from the
sickening sight utterly helpless. AS
the car shot from the tracks it turned
over and over as it descended an al
most perpendicular incline, inclosing
over hundred souls. Mingled with
car was the agoniZing cries of the
terrific noise of the crushing
car was the agonizing cries of the
wounded and dying, who were PIN
Toned beneath heavy timbers and other
wreckage. The Shrieks of women and
grOanS of men combined into a terror
izing bedlam that was heard for
blocks. All thoughts of a celebration
were dispelled and Tacoma citizens,
old and young. FASTENED to the scene
of the catastrophe to give their aid.
Victims of the wreck were eXtricated
as rapidly as possible and some with
the greatest difficulty. They were
strewn along on the grass and later
drawn to the top of the gulch with the
aid of lowered ropes. Hacks, express
wagons and even private carriages
were pressed into service to convey
the dead and wounded to mOrgues or
hospitals, as the cases indicated When
at last all had ben removed from the
debris the places where bodies had
been taken for temporary care were
besieged by thousands of people in
search of dear ones who were on the
Inflated car In some cases coun-
tenances were so badly mutilated that
other means of identification had to be
reSorted to. The car which dashed in
to the ravine was No. 116 of the Union
Traction COmpany's system. operating
on the Edison line which serves a
large patronage in nearby towns. 1t
left Edison at O'Clock in charge of F.
l.. BOehn. mOtorman, and J. ID. CAL
houn. conductor. The car is boxlike
affair and was so crowded that men
were hanging to the ratings. All went
we'll until Apexa Hill, just beyond Ia
coma avenue. was reached. At this
point it is said that the motorman. in
stead of shutting off the current be-
fore attempting to descend the hill.
turned the current on. When the car
with its unusually heavy load reached
a high momentum and threatened to
get away from his control he quickly
turned off the current, but it was too
late. AS the curve was struck the car
leaped from the rails and went to de-
struction. Passengers on the front
platform who saw danger in the curve
ahead jumped with only bare chance
of saving their lives. Some were badly
injured, while some reached the
ground in safety.
Following is list of the dead
James Benston, G. Bartoli, Edward
Bray, J. d. Calhoun, conductor; w. H.
Davis, Charles Davis, Miss Lois Drake,
Dorley Dinger, Lois Dinger. George
Elliott, Annie Glass. Rev. Herbert
Gregory, Mrs. Grossman, Willie Hard
ings, A. L. Healy, Otis Larson, Rich
ard Lee, Roy Longerman, Carl Moser.
Albert Moser, Joseph Mccain, G. Nc
Mullen, Gordon Newton. William Me
sen, John Paulus, Ole Ranseen, Rich
ard Sanburn, Seidenberg, Mrs. K.
J. Shaugher, John ]. Shaugher. Robert
Steele, Lettie Suffer, unknown man,
unknown woman, Griffith Wander
sheldon. William Williams.