The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-09-20
NO. So.
4 FATAL WRECK
Worst Accident Of the Kind In
New York's History.
BAN IN OPEN SWITCH.

Twelve Persons Killed and Thirty L.
jmed. Responsibility for the Trsg.
edy Not Yet Fixed. The Motor.
man Fugitive and Other
Trainmen Arrested.
The death list of the accidsnt on
the Ninth avenue elevated railroad In
New York Monday, when car crowd
ed with early morning workers on
their way down town, pitched head.
long into the street, stands at IL.
Three men are in hospitals with frac-
tured skulls. One Of these, who as
get remains unidentified at Roosevelt
hospital, is uncor scious and not e1-
pected to live. More than two score
persons we.e injured, many OF them
seriously.
The cause OF the accident and the
immediate responsibility remain to be
settled. The mortorman of the wreck
ed train is a fugitive, while switch
man, conductor and four guards are
under arrest. The switchman is
charged with manslaughter and the
trsinmen are held as witnesses. What
ever may have caused the mistake,
the accident, the worst Ia the history
Of the overhead railroads In New
York, came when a southbounG train
on the Ninth avenue line was switched
of to the Sixth avenue line at the
Fifty third street junction.
The moto1man, expecting clear
track on the direct line OF Ninth
avenue, or disreg garding the warning
signal that the switch was open,
rushed bis train along at a high rate
Of speed. The trst car swung around
the right angle curve, holding to the
rails because Of the weight Of the
train behind. Then the strain be-
came too great. The couples broke,
the second car was Whirled about al.
most end for end and, to the horror of
these who locked on from below,
pitched into the street.
The first indication people on the
sidewalk had of the accident was
loud rumbling along the overhead
structure. Looking up they saw q
shower # SPARKS, then followed spin.
tiers and the sound Of splitting tim.
bars. Suddenly the outer guard rail
Of the railroad structure gave way, q
score of bodies were hurled through
space, and with desfening crash, the
car fell to the street. For an instant
I it stood fairly on end, then the sides
gave way as If they we're made Of
pastsboard. belching out a mass Of
humanity.
Tlcse passengers VINO had not
jumped from platforms and windows
before the plunge came were thrown
into g mass at the forward end Of the
car. As the injured men and women
we're struggling to free themselves,
the heavy front trucks of the third car
on the train fell aimost In their
midst, IS the Car itself jumped partly
of the elevated structure and waa
Wedges against building at tbs
southeast corner OF Ninth avenue and
Fif5yty-third street.
Huge crowds were soon on the scene
anG the 6rst work OF the hastily suM-
moned police reserves was directed to
clearing way for the effective res
cue Of the passengers pinned down By
the wreckage. Almost every ambul-
arcs in Manhattan was summoned
and the injured and dead were hur-
ried away with all speed. Three
alarms Of fire brought many engines
to the scene. A slight fire caused by
burning insulation was quickly e1-
tirguished and the fremen set to work
chopping out the dead and injured.
The task was not an easy one for
the heav7 car in falling had almost
completely buried pedestrians In It's
Wreckage. At lea.s6 one was killed
outright in this way, while Police
man Henry Aitkens, who was stand
ing directly under the elevated strue-
ture, is among those most seriously
Injured. Eight persons we're dead
when taken out Of the wreck and four
died later at hospitals. The officers
had not time to make arrests, ccn-
tenting themselves with druDblng the
miscreants as heavily as they could.
Coroner Scholer ordered the arrest
OF all those Immediately concerned.
Search was at once made for the mo-
1orman, Paul Kelley, who secured z
position on the elevated lines SIX
months ago. He came there from
St. Louis. Kelley could not be found
and at late hour Monday night was
still missing, although it was said be
had spent the afternoon at the homs
Of a friend.
The sHitciman in the tower at
Nineth avenue and Fifty third street,
Cornelius A. Jackson, was first arrest
ed. Then Conductor J. W. Johnson
and Guards Timothy Higginson, j.
McDaVitt, W. L. Berry and B. Clark
we're taken into cousody. At a pre-
Lminary hearing Monday afternoon
ell the men waived examination.
Two versions Of the cause Of the
wreck were told to the coroner. One
OF these was that the sWitchman had
set the tracks for Sixth avenue train
end when he saw bis mistaken hsd
attempted to rectify it while the train
was on the curve, the change throw
ing the second, third and fourth cars
eff the track.
Shot by His Wife.
At New York George Williamson, q
compositor 20 years old, while on bis
way to work Wednesday morning, was
net by his wife, with whom he is not
living. An argument followed over the
paynant 10 her OF mone7 ordered BY