Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-09-11
WRECK ON ELEVATED,
 KILLED AND INJURED.
Ten Are Known be Dead and Forty at Least Are n- jured-One Car Breaks Away From Fast Moving Train ard Plunges Into the Street Bottom Side Up Many Are Saved by Jumping

 were killed and more than thirty in jured by the derailment of an eleva- ted train at 53rd street and Ninth ay- enue to-day. The train was a south bound Ninth avenue local and should have continued on the straight track, instead of being switched to the curve by which Sixth avenue trains proceed on 53rd street from Ninth avenue to Sixth avenue. A Sixth avenue train had just passed and the switch to the curve was open.
 Owing to this open switch the first car of the Ninth avenue train took the switch just barely staying on the rails and turned into 53rd street in stead of going down Ninth avenue. The switchman, it is alleged, when he saw his blunder, turned the switch back again as if to send the train on the straight track down Ninth avenue. As soon as this was done the train was wrecked. The second car got around the turn but the third car, Ow- ing to the switch being changed was thrown off the track. It fell into the street., turning completely over and landing upside down.
 The fourth and fifth car also Jeff the rails but did not fall to the street. The fourth car struck with terrific force against the building at the south west corner of Ninth avenue and rested against the fire escapes. This building is occupied in part by Mrs Crow, whose family was at break fast. The passengers in the fourth and fifth cars were able to save them selves and get to the street in safety by climbing through the windows of Mrs Crows apartment from the ire escapes against which the fourth car rested.
 Policeman Edward Moran who was injured, was standing beneath the structure when the accident happen ed. He leaped when he heard the crash overhead and escaped death.
 q turned around and saw the car coming to the street." he said. Tt fell with a crash on its forward end. The bottom cracked and the sides shivered and opened out. The people weze damned forward holding to the sraps and mixed up together. When the sides broke out they were scatter ed all over the street. Those were the lucky ones. Those who could not get out were the worst injured. saw there was awful work ahead so l ran to Fifty-first street and turned In an alarm. Then I sent in call for all the ambulances in the city and asked for police reserves. As l ran back l called for help from wagons or all sorts. When I got back the street was strewn with injured people. We lifted them into grocery wagons, trucks, anything handy, and hurrie1 them to Roosevelt hospital. Many of them were women. They had fainted and 1t looked as if nearly all were dead. When the firemen came they began dragging people out of the car. The further down they got Into the mass of humanity the slower the work became and the more serious were the wounds of those rescued. Finally axes had to be used to get the people from under the wreckage. At that stage they began to pull out the dead"
 The excitement among those in the derailed cars on the structure as they realized what happened, became in- tense.
 In the forward car the men, deem- ing the motorrnan was responsible for the wreck, attacked him and tried to beat him. He was dragged from his seat but he shouted for fair play and convinced the crowd that it was the switchman and not he that was re- sponsible.
 Eight bodies of those killed in the wreck were taken to the 47th street police station. In front of the station house the street was packed and 1t was all that a squad of policemen placed at the door could do to keep the throng from forcing it's way ln- side. Many in the crowd were hyster- Ical The dead were laid out in a row on the floor of the back room and as fast as persons who could convince the police that they could make pos sible identifications reached the sta tion house. they were admitted. AS the news of the disaster spread the crowd in front of the station house increased until there was danger of fatal crush and extra police were summoned to aid in clearing the street.
 The head which was found detach- cd from the body was that of Solo mon Nugast. He had been sitting at tbe front end of the car which jump ed into the street when a sharp piece of board or of metal severed his head from his body as cleanly as though done with an axe. Both head ana hodv were found on the tracks but separated by several yards.
 In a short time after the accident A crowd of thousands of people had rushed to the scene. The police re serves had difficulty in keeping back inc crowds. They were aided, now ever. by the firemen-
 The street was filled with deoris: broken timbers and twisted steel or tbe car. and as the bodies of the dead were removed from the wreckage the women in the crowd of onloOkers be- came hysterical.
 As the wreck happened at an hour when the thousands of ofiee and sboo workers were hurrying down town. the block on the elevated which ensued. caused q crush at all the ip- town elevated stations before the news became circulated that the road was fled up. Then there was rush for the subway stations and Us ca- pacity was heavily oyertaxed for time