The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-09-15
Worst Disaster That Has Ever Hap
pened in the History of the
New York Elevated.
CAR PLUNGED FROM THE
TRACK TO STREET BELOW
The Motorman Disreearded Signals
and Ran His Train Through
the Yard Switch.
MAN HAS FLED FROM THE CITY
At Least. Five of the Persons Injured,
It Is Said, Cannot Re.
cover.

It Is Said, Cannot Re.
cover.
New York, Sept. 1.-THE state rail-
road commission tonight inaugurated
@ searching investigation into the cause
of today's fatal wreck on the Ninth
avenue elevated railway, when its cleo
trical expert, G. E. Barnes, examined
the wreckage and questioned those who
witnessed the wreck and the employees
in the yard at Fifty-third street who
saw it. Mr.. Barnes stated that Com
missioner Baker would tomorrow be-
gin the formal inquiry into the cause
of the disaster.
Up to a late hour tonight the death
list remained at u, but it was stated
that at least five of the injured in the
hospitals can hardly recover. The OH
cials of the company In a statement
issued by General Manager Hedley OF
the railway declare that the accident
was due entirely to the negligence OF
the motorman of the train, Paul Kelly
of st. Louis, Mo-, who disregarded the
signals set against him and ran through
the yard switch. Kelly mas been en-
ployed by the company since last
March, having come from the INTERIOR
ough Street Railway Co. of st. Louis at
that time. He worked for the st. Louis
concern for five years, according to the
recommendations upon which he Sc
cured work in this city. He disap-
peared soon after the wreck, and, ac-
cording to the police, was given $50
by his roommate, whom he told that he
would have to skip for good" A gen.
eral police alarm has been sent out for
his apprehension.
The accident was the worst in the
history of the elevated railway in this
city, and it was also the first time that
a car has ever fallen from the structure
to the street. The train was made up
of five cars, one of which, the second,
plunged into the street, while the third
fell half an hour later while the wreck
age was being cleared,
That more people were not killed or
injured seems a miracle, inasmuch as
the train was going at full speed when
the wreck happened. The train left
the yards of the Interborough Railroad
Co. at One Hundred and Thirty-fifth
street shortly before o'clock this
morning in charge of Motorman Kelly.
1t moved all right until after 1t left
the station at Fifty-ninth street, which
it did at exactly 7:04. At Fifty-fifth
street the switchman, Cornelius X.
jackson, set a green and yellow signal,
which indicated that the switch is set
for a Sixth avenue train to take the
Fifty-third street curve, Jackson states
he set the signal for a Sixth avenue
train because Kelly's train, although
Ninth avenue local, had Sixth avenue
signals on it, The signals, which
should have brought Kelly to a stand
still, were disregarded, and he put on
full speed, expecting TO go straight
down Ninth avenue. Instead he shot
around the curve, and the motor car
went ahead all right. The second car
Wrenched itself from the coupling and
dragging the other cars with it, jumped
the track and went across to the east
side of Ninth avenue, where it fell to
the street below. The third car got half
way off the structure, and its forward
trucks dropped on the wrecked car be-
low, crushing the life out of at least
two who had been injured by the in
itia fall. The rear cars swung around,
tearing up tracks and timbers but did
not leave the structure. Motorman
Kelly was badly beaten by number of
the passengers in the first car imme-
diately after the accident, but was able
10 make his way to the station and get
away, and he has not been seen since
The moment the train hit the curve
the passengers realized that something
was about to happen. The motor car
tipped clean over to one side, but right
ed itself on the track. Then there was
a tremendous rip, and the second and
third cars crowded to the doors, shot
clear of the others and across the ex-
press and uptown tracks to the corner
of Fifty-third street and Ninth avenue,
where the first car dropped to the street
and the second almost followed 1t. The
car that fell to the street plunged into
the window of the drugstore of John
Jones and across the sidewalk to the
curb of Ninth avenue The negro, Nc
Carthy. and Policeman Bach were
caught under the car
On the second floor of the building
on the corner lives J. 2. Grove and his