Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1905-09-12
NINE ARE KILLED
AND MANY INJURED
New 7 York Elevated Train Jumps
the Track on Curve.
CORONER HOLDS AN INQUEST
Cpen Switch Causes Train to Leave
Track and Plunge into Street Below.
Motorman Attacked by crowd-The
Switchman Was Responsible.


Motorman Attacked by Crowd-The
Switchman Was Responsible.
New York, Sept. 11.-Nine persons
were killed and more than thirty in
jured by the derailment of an eleyat-
ed railroad train at Fifty-tnird street
and Ninth avenue today.
The train was a southbound Ninth
avenue local and should have con-
tinued on the straight track, instead
of being switched to the curve by
which Sixth avenue trains proceeded
on Fifty-third street from Ninth aven-
ue. A Sixth avenue train had just
passed and the switch to the curve
was open. Owing to this open switch
the first ca rof the Ninth avenue train
took the switch just barely staying on
the rails and turned into Fifty-third
street, instead Of going down Ninth
avenue. The switchman, it is alleged,
when he saw the blunder, turned the
switch back again as if to send the
train on the straight track down Ninth
avenue. AS soon as this was lone
the train was wrecked. The second
car got around the turn but the third
car, owing to the switch being changed
was thrown off the track: 1t fell
into the street, turning completely
over and landing upside down.
The fourth car ana fifth car also
left the rails, but but did not fall to
the street. The Fourth car struck
with terrific force against the build
ing at the southwest corner of Ninth
avenue and rested against the fire es
capes. This building is occupied in
part by Mrs. Grow, whose family
was at breakfast. The passengers
in the fourth and fifth cars were able
10 save themselves and get to the
street in safety by climbing through
the windows of Mrs. Crows apart
ments, from the fire esapes against
which the fourth car rested.
Policeman Edward Moran who was
injured, was standing beneath the
when the acciden t happened. He
leaped when he heard the crash over
head and escaped death.
Il turned around and saw the car
coming to the street" he said. 1T
fell with a crash of its forward end.
The people were iammed forward
holding to the straps and mixed up to-
gether
when the sides broke out they
were scattered all over the street
These were the lucky ones. Those who
could not get out were the worst in
jured.
Il saw there was awful work ahead
SO | ran to Fifty-first street and
turned in an alarm. Then | sent in
a call for all the ambulances and
aksed for police reserves. AS | ran
back | yelled for help from wagons of
all sorts. When | got back to the
street, it was strewn with injured
people. We lifted them into grocery
wagons, trucks, anything handy ann
proceeded with them to the Roosevelt
hospital. Many of them were women
They had tainted ana it looked as if
nearly all were dead
when the fremen came they began
dragging people out of tne car. The
further down they got into the mass
of humanity the slower the work be
came, and more serious were the
vo,,n1r Of +boco ,ocoro5 UN;nolI., oxo
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 had happened became in
tense"
In the forward car che men seeing
the motorman was responsible for the
wreck, attacked him and tried to beat
him. He was dragged from his seat.
but ne shouted for fair play and con-
vinced the crowd that it was the
switchman and not him that was re-
sponsible
Eight bodies of those killed in the
wreck were taken to the Forty-seventh
street police station and each was fol.
| lowed to the station house door by
| crowd. In front of the station house
| the street was packed from building
10 building, and 1t was all that a squad
| of policement placed at the door could
do to keep the throng from forcing it's
way inside. The dead were laiI out
In row on the floor and as fast as
| persons who could convince the police
| that they could make possible iden-
| tifications reached the station 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 a
| fatal crush and extra police were or
| dered out to aid in clearing the street.
! The head which was found detacn-
ed from the body was that of Solo
| mon Nugast Both head and body
| were found on the tracks, but sepa-
rated by several yards
Cornelius A. dickinson, the switch
man who was blamed for causing the
disaster, was arrested at his home in
4 West Twenty-second street He main
tained that he had set the switch right.
Revenue Officers Indicted.