Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-09-11
A SWITCHMAN IS BLAMED
Rescue Of Those 10 Wrecked Cars Hard
Work, it Being Necessary to
Use Axes
M0TORMAN HAS MARROW ESCAPE
AZ First He Was Thought to be Re.
spousibIe and He Came Near
Being Lynched,

New York, Sept ll-Eleven person,
were killed sud more than 40 injured
when the second ear Of a Ninth avenus
elevated train jumped the track and
'.O from tho structure TO the stree,
at the junction OF the Sixth and Ninth
avenue lines at Flfty-third street ana
Ninth avenue 40 z q. m today. The car,
the seats. aIslcs and platforms OF which
were thickly packed with humanity,
was turned bottom side up lts roof torn
off and it was stood ON end in the
street The heavy truck Of another car
fen upon &C. crushing out the lives OF
the passengers.
owing to- this open switch tho frst
can of the Smith oyenue train took
the switch just barely staying on the
rails and turned into Ffty-thlrd street
instead Of going down ninth avenue.
Tho switChmun, 10 is alleged, when he
saw nis bluudor. turned The switch
back again us if send the train
ON the straight track down Ninth av-
cmuu. as soon as this was done. the
train Was wrecked. The second car got
around the turn, but the third car
owing TO the switch changed, was
thrown off the track Ii fel into the
street. turned completely over and
landing upside down.
Thu fourth and NTH cars also left tho
rails but did not fam TO the street. Ths
fourth ear struck with terrific force
against the buildings al this southwest
corner Of Ninth avenue and rested
against Inc frD escape. This building
b. owned by "a Mrs Grove whose FAM
ily was at breakfast The passengers
In the fourth and nth ears were abba
20 save themselves and 20 get to the
street in safety by climbing through the
windows OF AIRS. Groves apartments
from the fire escape against which the
fourth car rested.
Policeman Edward Moran who was
injured was standing beneath the
structure when the accident happened.
He leaped when ne heard the crash
overhead and escaped death
u turned around and saw the car
coming to the street, he said 1T fell
with crash ON lbs forward end The
bottom cracked and the sides shlvered
and opened out The people were
jammcd forward, holding 20 the straps
and mixed up together.
when the side broke out they were
scattered all over the street These
We're the lucky ones, Those who could
not get out We're the worst injured.
81 saw there was awful work ahead,
SO ] ran 10 Fify-hrst street and turned
in an alarm Then / sent I'm a call FOR
AN the ambul3nces and asked for po-
lice reserves
"As J ran back ] called for help from
wagons OF al sorts When ! got hack
the street was strewn with Injured
people, We lifted them into grocery
wagons, trucks, anything handy. and
hurried them 10 Roosevelt hospital.
Many of them were women, They had
tainted and IL looked as II nearly all
were dead.
when the Aremen came they began
dragging people out of the car. The
further down they got into the mass
OF humanity The slower the work be-
came ana the more serious was the
wounds of those rescued.
Finally axes had TO be used 10 get
the people from under the wreck
"A that stage they began TO- pull QUE
the dead"
The rSrtcmon, among those I'm tho
3cr.Iej cars on the structure as they
realized what had happened, became
Do the forward ear the men. deemlng
tine mut0rman was responsible FOR the
wreck attacked him and tried % get at
him. llc was dragged from his seat,
but shouted for fair play, and convinced
the crowd that DO was the sWitchman
and not De- hat was responsible Cor
oner Scho.er. who was early on tha
scene. says chat the dead win be az
least 10 or more. The injured VIII num-
Der % 10 49,
Coroner Scholcr has caused the ar.
rest of j, W Johnson. the conductor
OF the trdui Timothy Higgmson j..
NJ MCD4Nitt ". H. Berry and ID. Clark,
the four guards
Motormap Paul Kelly address un-
known and %. A. dickinson. tho
ON duty at Fifty-third street
and Ninth ayenua have disappeared,
the police say and cannot be found.
Coroner Sghoior held ana impmmptu
Inquiry into the cause of the wreck
AS soon as hp could get the train crew
into drug store nearby.
During the corouers preliminary OK
animation. Conductor j. w. Johnson
said.
Coroner you can go mp on the ele-
ratnl road az Fiftv-uiuth street and
\uth avenue and see for yourself. You
win and that the signal is yellow and
green which means that the south
bound Smith avenue train has the right
IF way and "a clear track
w. O.. Johnson, o. passenger on tho
train, said after the wreck
II WIS sitting n the second ear ot
Doc truin reading "a paper when an ~
. sudden The lights went ont and
very one was thrown 10 one side. ThA
.Dyt thing ! knew ] was thrown our
" the door and landed lu the street.
triNlE against o woman. This prob
lly saved my life."
Eight bodies of those Killed 40 tho
L. a