The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-09-14
MANY FATALITIES IN
AN ELEVATED WRECK
Train Is DeraiIed and One OF
the Cars Falls to the
Pavement Below.
sWITc IS BLAMED
ds Threw the Switch at the wrone
Tims-These In the Car That
Crashed TO the Ground Were
Piled in Horrible Mass.

New York. Sept. ia.-Eight persons
were killed n more han forty In
5ured. o fatally. by derailment OF an
elevated railroad train at Fifty-third
street and Ninth avenue today. The
train was n s~outhbound Ninth avenue
local. II is alleged the switchmcn
Numbered and threw the switch after
one car had passed over Il, causing
part OF the train TO 60 on one track
and balance on another.
One car left the track and fell into
the street. landing upside down. Pas
sengers In h cars remaining on the
structure were able TO reach the street
by climbing through windows OF nd
Jacent buildings.
The dead:
T.. y. ScHEIBLE. New York.
j. NJ HAuSPAch. member Newark
board of trade.
4. NEGUS. negro.
JOHN NORRIS. negro.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN.
CORNELIUS M'CARTY, laborer.
WILLIAM LEES. electrician.
JOHN CoCHRANE.
SOLOMON NuGAST.
JOSEPH BACH.
Coroner Scholer has caused the arrest
OF J. w. Johnson. conductor OF the
train: Timothy Higglnson. J. McDavitt.
W. L. Berry aud ID. Clark. guards.
ANAthRAA Nlsfh II ahA NtANI AAAN Ns ~ IAGA~
inson. the switchman. quickly disap-
peared.
Later SwItchmRn dickinson was ar
rested at his nome. He maintained he
had set the switch right.
Car Badly Spiintered.
The car struck the street on It's end
with a frIghtful crash. the bottom and
sides being shivered Int splinters.
Passengers piled upon M another In
n great shrieklng. struggling mass. but
N the sides OF the car gave way those
not seriously hurt were able TO extri-
"A themselves ms render aid TO 9TH
ers less fortunate.
Excitement among those In the de-
rallied cars on the structure. as they
realized what had happened. became
intense. The men. deeming the motor
man was responsible for the wreck. at
tackled him > tried TO beat him. He
was dragged from his seat. but he
shouted for fair play and convinced
h crowd that u was the switchman
and not he that was responsible.
Nugnst's head was severed from his
body by a sharp piece of board. Coroner
Scholcr says he Ia satisfied the wreck
was due to criminal neglect OF Switch
man dickinson.
Before the great crowds collected by
the news OF the wreck could be cleared
away the police were compelled TO use
tutAT HtaNN niNsA sAlNhN pn ~ nuINDeF
OF men who were attempting TO snatch
jcwclry or other vnluabl.s from the
victims. The officers had no time to
make arrests, C~ontcrting themselves
with drubblng the m!screants heavily
as they could.
The Conductors Statement.
Conductor Johnson this afternoon
made a detailed statement TO Police
Inspector Flood. He said:
II was on the first platform OF the
second car. We had just left Thirty
ninth street ana were going at n fair
rate of speed. as IL Is a long run To
Iiftieth street. The car was pretty
well crowded. There was n number
OF men on the platform and In the aisle
OF the second ar. There was n num-
her OF shop girls who were laughing
and joking.
when we cached the curve the first
car went on and the second and third
cars went together like a ~jackknife.
sticking right up In the mir and prac-
tically closing against each other. In
consequence. from where / was on the
front platform of the secon ear at the
start. I was dropped to the rear plat
form OF the nr5t car. Then the second
car dropped To the street. I held on
90 the iron rail like death. and was
straight up In the air. ! saw girls and
women climbing over the seats OF the
car that they might escape.
Being an old r~aiiroadcr. I pulled out
my watch and looked nj IL. II was ex-
actly 1:o6 =. M. The signals were
set wrong; that was the trouble. They
were set green and yellow. which In
for a Sixth avenue train"
Bail was accepted for all the rail-
road men under arres; late last night.
Cause OF the Accident. q.
General Manager Hcdley asserts that
the switch was not moved after the
train reached q and that the train
trmpe6. the rae because OF the speed
with which Il took the curve. which
was not banked and was Intended ia
be taken slowly.