The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-09-07
HURLED TO DEATH
WITH HIS FIANGEE
AUTOMOBILE CRASHES INTO A
BRIDGE AND TWO OCCUPANTS
INSTANTLY KILLED.
YOUNG COUPLE ON THEIR WAY
TO PHILADELPHIA WHEN
THE CAR "SkIpS.r

ATCo, N. j.. Sept. 7.-Realizing
fully their extreme peril. Neil Wolf.
thirty.fve years old, and Miss Marie
Hammill, twenty-five, his affianced
bride, both of Germantown, Pa. stood
on the rear seats of big automobile
Tuesday afternoon and an instant
later were hurled to death as from n
catapult.
The accident happened two miles
from this town, the victims being
thrown thirty feet from the platform
of Hays Bridge to the tracks OF the
Pennsylvania railroad by the skidding
of their powerful touring car. F. G.
Plummer. the Chauffeur. employed by
a Philadelphia automobile company.
held firmly to the steering wheel and
escaped without any injury whatever.
Miss Hammill's death was instanta.
neous and Mr.. Wolf died before ply
sicians could arrive from Berlin, N. j.,
whittier an alarm was at once dis
patched. The young woman was the
daughter of Hugh Hammill, president
of the Hammill Printing Company,
and Mr.. Wolf was secretary and treas
urer of an automobile company in
Philadelphia.
~ Brake Out Of Order.
Soon after the accident Plummer
gave his version to reporter. He
was taking Mr.. Wolf and Miss Ham.
mill to Philadelphia, and his passen-
| gers desired to reach the city quickly.
They had been spending their yaca-
lions in Atlantic City.
After leaving the seashore Plum
mer sped the machine along the Jer-
sey road at a lively clip. There was
nothing to indicate that 1t was out of
order until the party was about two
and a half miles below Atco. Plum.
mer says that he then noticed the
steering apparatus worked rather
stiffly. Little was thought Of it, how
ever, although the chauffeur declares
he cut of the speed to ten miles
an hour.
| Reaching a turn in the road where
the bridge crosses the railroad tracks,
causing slight elevation, the chauf-
feur let the car 80 to get over It safe
ly. When he endeavored to turn
he was Mortified to find that the
Esteering apparatus would not respond
to his frantic efforts to swerve the
machine into the centre of the road.
SO rapidly was the automobile NOV
ing that he had no time to apply the
brakes. although he declares he slow.
ed down to about five mile rate.
After leaving the elevation the ma
chine, with tremendous momentum,
raced on the bridge. Plummer was
frantically endeavoring to operate the
steering gear. Still it stuck as If
locked.
| Hurled to Tracks.
Terror stricken, Mr. Wolf and Miss
Hammill then. realized their danger.
Rising in their seats, the excitedly d.
rected Plummer to turn out Hardly
had they time to speak when the big
machine skidded across the planking
of the bridge. The next moment it
plunged into the. stout guard rail with
tremendous impact.
Mr.. Wolf and Miss Hammill were
thrown out. Their bodies arose above
the railing and described an arc be-
fore they plunged to the tracks below.
Plummer by this time had applied the
air brakes and Immediately went to
the aid OF the man and woman. He
found both lying motionless, Miss
Hammill quite dead, while Mr.. Wolf
was still breathing.
Mr.. VOLTS body was taken to the
undertaking rooms of II. R. Henry, in
Berlin. That of Miss Hammill was
placed on train and taken to the ter.
minal in Camden. Coroner Stemm, of
Berlin. viewed the bodies and gave
a certificate Of accidental death.
Plummer accompanied Miss Ham
mills body to Camden. When he
reached the latter city he was placed
under the surveillance of Detective
Henry Curtis. Prosecutor Lloyd sub
sequently ordered his release, decid-
ing the affair to be purely accidental.