Arizona republican., 1905-09-12
Frightful Accident on New
York Elevated
TWELVE WERE KILLED
The Worst Tragedy Since the Estab-
lishment OF the Line-The Question
of ReSpOnsibility-The MOtOrman
is Fugitive.

of an accident today on the Ninth ave-
nue. elevated railway. when a car
crowded win early morning workers
on their way down town. pitcsr head
Ions into the street, stands at twelve.
Three men are il. hospitals with frac-
tured skulls. one of these who yet re-
mains unidentified D. Roosevelt M S3i-
tai, IS unconscious and Is not expect
ed 10 live. More than two score of
persons were injured, many of them
seriously. The cause of the accident
and TIE immediate responsibility re
main to be seen.
The mOtOrman of the wrecked train
is a fugitive while a swItcnman, con-
ductor and four guards are under ar
rest. The switchman is charged with
manslaughter and the trainlnen are
held as witnesses. Tonight Coroner
Scholer. who has undertaken the work
of fixing the blame of the wreck an
nounCed that the swtchman's bonds
had been placed at $1,000 and those of
the witnesses at 500 each.
Whatever may nave caused the acci-
dent, the worst in the history of the
overhead railroads in New York, came
when a sOuthbound train on the Ninth
avenue line was switched off to the
Sixth avenue line at the Fifty-third
street junction. The mOtOrman expect
ing a clear track on the direct line Of
Ninth avenue track, disregarding the
/ warning signal that the switch was
open rushed his train along at q high
rate of speed. The first car swung
around the angle curve, holding to the
rails because of the weight of the train
behind Then the strain became too
/ great The couplings broke, the second
/ car was whirled about almost end for
| end and to the horror of those who look
ed on from below, pitched into ths
! street,
The first indication people on the
sidewalk had Of the accident was
! loud rumbling along the overhead
structure. Looking up they saw =
/ shower of sparks. Then followed
/ splinters and the sound Of splitting
! tfnbers. Suddenly the outer guard
rail Of the railroad structure gave way.
! a score of bodies We're hurled through
space and with a deafening crash the
car fell to the street. For an instant
it stood fairly on end. Then the sides
| gave way as if they We're made Of
pasteboard, belching out a mass of hu-
manity.
Those passengers VINO had not jump
! ed from the platforms and windows be-
fore the plunge came were thrown into
d mass at the forward end of the car.
/ AS the injured men ana women were
struggling to free themselves the heavy
front trucks of the third car on the
train fell across in their midst as the
| car itself jumped partly off the eIevat-
ed structure and was wedged against a.
/ building at the southeast corner Of
Ninth avenue and Fifty-third street.
Huge crowds were soon on the scene
! and the first work of the hastily sum-
moned police reserves was directed to
clearing away for the effective rescue
Of the passengers pinned down by the
wreckage. Almost every ambulance IN
Manhattan was summoned and the in
jured and dead were hurried away with
all speed.
Three alarms of fire brought many
engines to the scene. A slignt fire
caused by burning insulation was
quickly eXtinguished and the firemen
set to work chOpping out the dead AMI
injured. The task was not an easy
one, for the heavy car in falling had
almost completely buried pedestrians IN
its wreckage. At least one was killed
outright in this way, while Policeman
Henry Aitkens who was standing di =
rectly under the elevated structure. is
among those most seriously injured.
Eight persons were dead wnen taken
from the wreck, and four died later at
the hospitals.
List of the dead:
JACOB NJ. ANSPACH, merchant
} and member of Newark board of trade
| EARNEST P. SCHREIBLE, electrI-
clan.
/ THEODORE MORRIS, coIored.
; JOHN COCHRANE.
7 SOLOMON NEUGASS, employed py
the Mutual Chemical company.
CORNELIUS MCCARTHY. laborer.
r VIM. LEES. an electrician.
| JOS. BACH, policeman.
r JAMES. COOPER, employed by the
2 F'ireproof Tenement association.
EMMA CONHOVA, died in Roosevelt
= hospital
r ALBERT Webster, clerk, died "
I Roosevelt hospital
LOUIS ABEL, clerk, was married ant
had two children.
2 OF the dead the most frightfully mu.
S tiIated was James Cooper whose heat
2 was completely severed from his body
The seriously injured are:
Y Henry Aitkens, policeman, fractur,
of ribs and dislocated leg.
VIM. Butler, fractured arm and Ia
cerated head.
Martin Fitzgerald, internally injured
. James Greer, leg crushed.
Patrick J. Gillian, left side crushed
] John Genzel. arm fractured.
t Bridget Mcmahon, internal injurie
and injuries to head
I John T. McKenna, left shoulder dis
located and leg crushed.
VIM. T. Niebuher, skull fractured
Henrietta Osterlin, arm fractured.
Seymour Rowe, skull fractured.
Thomas Swan, arm fractured.
Fred Wister. both arms fractured.
Unidentified man, fractured skull
unconscious at Roosevelt hospital.
Before the great crowds attra cteC
/ by the news of the wreck could %,
cleared away the police were COMPEL
ed to use their heavy night sticks OF
a number of men who were attempt