Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-09-15

Three men are in hospitals with frac-
tured skulls. One of these, who as yet
remains unidentified at Roosevelt hos
pital. is unconscious and not expected
to live. More than two score of per-
sons were injured, many of them SER
iously.
The cause of the accident and the
mediate responsibility remain to
be seen. The motorman of the wreck
ed train is a fugitive, while switch
man. conductor and four guards are
under arrest.
The switchman is charged with man
slaughter and the trainmen are held
as witnesses. Tonight Coroner Scho-
Ter, who has undertaken the work
of fixing the blame for the wreck,
announced that the switchman's bond
had been placed at $4,000 and those
of the witnesses at 500 each.
Whatever may have caused the mis-
take, the accident. the worst in the his
tory of the overhead railroads IN New
YOrw, came when south bound tram
on the Ninth avenue line was SWITCH
ed off to the Sixth avenue line at
the Fifty-third street junction. The
mOtOrman. expecting clear track on
the direct line of the Ninth avenue.
without regarding the warning signal
that the switch was open, rushed his
train along at a high rate OF speed.
The first car swung around the right
angle curve. holding to the rails be-
cause of the weight of the train be-
hind. Then the strain became too
great. The couplings broke, the Sec
ond car was whirled about almost end
for end, and to the horror of those
who looked on from below, pitched in
to the street.
The first indication people on the
sidewalk had of the accident was the
loud rumbling along the overhead
structure. Looking up they saw 6
| shower of sparks. Then followed
splinters and the sound of splitting
| timbers. Suddenly the outer guart
rail of the railroad structure gave
way. a score of bodies were hurried
through space, and with deafenins
crash the car fell to the street. Fo
an instant it stood fairly on end. The1
the sides gave way as if they were
made of pasteboard, belching out
mass of humanity.
Those passengers who had not jump
ed from platforms and windows be
fore the plunge came were throw
into mass at the forward end o
the car. AS the injured men and won
en- were struggling to free themselves
two heavy front trucks of the thir
car on the train fell almost in thei
midst, as the car itself jumped partl
off the elevated structure and wa
, wedged against a building at tn
southwest corner of Ninth avenue an
F'ifty-third street.
Huge crowds were soon on tn
y, scene, and the first work of the ha
tily summoned police reserves wer
directed to clearing away for the re
cuing of the passengers pinned dow
by the car Almost every ambulant
I, in Manhattan was sumomned, and tt
: injured and dead were hurried ava
with all speed.
, Three alarms of fire brought mar
J. engines to the scene. A slight fir
' caused by burning insulation, WI
:, quickly extinguished and the firemt
set to work choping out the dead al
injured. The task was not an ca
i one, for the heavy car in falling h;
: almost completely buried pedestrian
4 in its wreckage. At least one W
\ killed outright in this way, while T
- liccman Henry Athens, who W
= standing directly under the elevat
Y structure. is among those most S
iously injured.
~ Eight persons were dead when t;
= en- out of the wreck and four died !
er at hospitals.