Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1904-10-11
FATAL PLUNGE
OF AUTOMOBILE
BIG MACHINE LEAPS OVER HIGH
BANK IN NEW YORK.
TRAIN STRIKES WREcKAoE
Three Members Of a Party Of Nine
Are Killed The Other Six
Suffer Very Severe
Injuries.

of 25 miles an hour, a three-seated tour
Ing car, containing nine persons, four
men and five women, dashed over an em-
bankment at the southern end Of jerome
avenue, early Friday morning, landing
on the south bound track Of the New
York Central & Hudson River railroad.
Uut at that moment a south-bound local
train, running fast to make up time.
rounded curve and struck the automo-
bile. Three persons were killed, two in
stantly; two were seriously injured, and
the other four, although badly bruised
and shaken, were able to go home.
The dead are: Allen Noyes, chauf-
feur of the automobile. killed Instantly; 3
Madge Corcoran, age 30, killed iiastant-
ly; Mrs. Isabel Stroebel, died in hos
pital
The injured are: Mrs. Kitty Wads-
worth, 35, fractured skull; will die;
Moses Spiess, fracture of the jaw, gem
eral contusions; Jeanette Davis, shock
and slight confusion; Charles Doran, %,
shock and slight Commissions; went
home; Emma Perez, sister of Belle
Perez, shock and hysteria; Thomas
Murphy, not badly hurt.
The party was returning to the River
side Casino from a trip to Mount YER
non. Allen Noyes, the chauffeur, had In
tended turning from Jerome avenue into
the approach Of the McComb's dam
bridge to cross to Manhattan. Whether
he knew of the short extension on Je-
rome avenue beyond One Hundred and
Sixty-frst street, or not, will never be
known. The corner at that point il
brilliantly lighted, but the extension
leading to the edge of the embankment
above the New York Central tracks ID
paved with brick and the car tracks run
down to picket fence at the edge.
Car Goes Over Embankment.
Several persons, including two po-
licemen, saw the automobile rushing
down the avenue and were surprised
when it kept straight ahead. They
shouted a warning, but it was too late
With no apparent Stacking of speed tht
big car crashed through the fence
cleared a dirt embankment, extending
about five feet above the stone retain;
ing wall and then, clearing the wall
made a sheer drop Of 26 feet to the rail.
road track In its descent the car hall
turned over and several Of Its occupants
were spilled out. When it struck thu
tracks, Noyes, Bella Perez and the I'm.
identified woman were thrown to tn,
track, the others falling to the side o,
the rails.
Just what happened In the few sec
onds that preceded the crash Of the loca.
train the survivors themselves were UNI
able to relate. They were stunned and
bleeding and trying to recover them.
selves when they heard the roar Of the
train anu then a frightful crash Noyes
was caught in the wreckage OF the car
and tossed up with 1t to the pilot Of the
engine. His body was still there when
the train was brought to astop. The I'M
identified woman was dragged by heI
long automobile coat which caught on
the smashed car, for distance Of zoo
feet, and when the cloth gave way she
fell to the track only to be cut in two
at the waist by the wheels of the engine
The whole train passed over her body
Bella Perez was dragged about so feet
and then tossed to one side.
Train Crashes Into Wreck.
The towerman in a switch tower about
hundred feet north Of Jerome avenue
heard the automobile as It broke
through the fence, and, running to his
window saw the car strike the track.
The Croton local was but 200 feet
lway and the engine about so feet north
of q block signal. Jumping to the switch
mechanism, he dropped the lever that
worked the arm Of the signal which was
showing the green light and instantly
the danger signal flashed before the eyes
OF the locomotive engineer, who Just
caught the red glare as his cab passed
the signal post. At once he reversed his
engine and put down the air brakes. but
his speed had hardly slackened percep-
tibly when the train struck the automo.
bile. The train came to stop at a dis-
lance Of 300 feet.
Steering Gear Out Of Order.
Thomas Murphy, enc Of the party IN
the wrecked machine, disappeared Inn
mediately after the accident He re-
turned to his place Of employment Fri
day night with fractured wrist. his
face badly cut and bruises on all parts
OF his body. Murphy told the story Of
the ride Of the party, and said that the
steering gear got out of order when the
machine reached the corner OF Jerome
avenue and One Hundred and Sixt1eth
street. The chauffeur lost control and
the automobile went straight for the
fence, plunging over the embankment.
Murphy landed on his back. He says he
arose and started to run. He does not
know where he went, although he wan
dered about the entire day.
Auto Exports and Imports.
New York, Oct. S.-Automobiles to
the number Of 427 were brought to
America through the port Of New York
during the nine months ended October 1,
according to figures issued by Appraiser
Whitehead. This. Is almost double the
number imported during the same
period last year. The total value Of the
427 machines was $1,000 900, giving an
average Of about $S,760 for. each ma
chine. The duty paid on the machines at
As per cent. amounted to $4,000.
n ~ i